Often Movers in Ajax (Ontario), get the question of how to move the aquarium with fishes. Let us give some instruction about this topic.
A short travel of one or two hours aquarium fishes tolerate quite easy and it’s enough to put them in a jar or plastic bag. It is more difficult when the move is prolonged and most of the times a house moving can last all day.
For a long term moving though, it’s better to use the same regular plastic bag. The bigger bag – the better is for fishes; the less fishes in the bag- the better for them. Consider 5-7 fishes (2 cm long) per 1 litter of water. When you have to move large amount of fishes, you have to think about extra oxygen supply. The volume of air in the package must exceed the amount of water at least twice. You can ask the pet store for the pack filled with oxygen. To prevent leakage, it is better to use two bags, placing one into another. Pay attention on angles of the package. Try to tie them so the fishes will not get hurt or smashed. You can also ask for a package with rounded angles from the pet shop.
Fishes can also be transported in hard plastic containers. It is a better choice for bigger fishes or for those species with sharp spikes. It is easy to let the oxygen in, simply by removing the cover. To avoid stress for your fishes, it’s better to use a darkened container. Also a good option would be Therm-Bag, which is dark enough and also keeping comfortable temperature for the fishes regardless of the season. Use the water from the aquarium. It must be done in advance and carefully, making sure that the water is well filtered and clean.
Do not feed the fishes for 24 Hrs before your move and separate fish fry from adult fishes.
Upon arriving to your new home, do not place your fishes directly into the fish tank, as the water temperature in the package must be the same as in the main container. To match the temperature, the easiest way is to put the package without untying it directly to the aquarium.
When the temperatures are equalized, untie the bag and let the water out by portions. When the water from the tank makes up most of the water that is in the package, and the fish will normally react to it, it will be possible to release them freely into the aquarium.
