Moving Home? What About Your Fish?

Posted on 12/09/2016

Moving homes is already a challenging task, but it does get even harder by the fact you want to move your pets with you. People have found that moving with pet fish presents a set of particular challenges.

If you have decided to keep your beautiful fish tank in your new home, you will have to ensure that your fish make it alive. After all, this is no cat or dog you are moving with you as the man with van team handles your belongings. Fish are more delicate creatures sensitive to changes in the environment. The sad truth is that the success rate for moving with this type of pet is low, so it makes sense to look for alternatives, such as gifting your fish to someone. If you are firm about your decision to move with your fish, here is what you should do:

- Think about disassembling your fish tank - in case you own a large enough fish tank, any attempt to move it in the removal van in one piece is a recipe for disaster. It is best to disassemble the tank right before the trip to relocate initiates. The reason behind this is to minimise the time your pets spend in other containers.

- Acquire good containers - depending on the number of fish you are moving, you should acquire several large plastic buckets. A few things to remember: the buckets need to be perfectly clean before you fill them with water; they should be opaque to reduce the stress of your pets and be equipped with lids to prevent water splashing.

- Use tank water for permanent containers - since the water in your tank likely has the best conditions for your fish you can drain some of it and pour it into the buckets. That is preferable, as draining the water should happen anyway.

- Put your fish in the buckets - carefully catch them one by one with a net and put them in the bucket after draining enough water. Be especially careful as small nets can easily break large fins. Think of this as a removal service - you don’t want to see your items broken during the process, do you?

- Take care of plants as well - don’t forget that plant life in your tank needs special care as well. If you leave them long enough without water, chances are plants will die. Dedicate a bucket with a lid and make sure it is secure in the removal van.

- Time to stash tank accessories - if you have turned your tank into an underworld wonderland, it probably has lots of decorative elements. Move on to packing those with the right moving supplies - bubble wrap and packing peanuts. Expensive equipment, such as the pump, filters and tube should receive even more attention. Put a fragile sign on their box to alert movers they should be careful.

- Drain the remaining water - make sure you have drained the tank completely, as even small amounts of water could cause its bottom to shatter. Pick up the gravel or other material you have used on the bottom and store it till the man with a van team gets to your new home.

- Pack the fish tank - if the tank you own is small enough, you don’t have to disassemble it. However, in the case of a large tank, it would be best to have it disassembled before the man and van team loads it. You can either be assisted by the moving company or a local pet shop with this task.

- Conclude - if everything goes well, you should have your fish and your tank ready at your new home. Carefully arrange everything back as it was, but not before picking the right spot for the tank. Check on your fish to see if they are doing okay during the first week after your home relocation.

Moving with fish can be a bit challenging, but also rewarding. After all, staring at your scaly pets in their new home will surely calm you down and melt away the stress from moving.