A fish tank has two things to move: the animals and the living system that keeps them healthy. The animals need a short, cool, calm trip, and the system needs to keep its water and filter bacteria alive. This guide covers fish only; for the tank itself, see the separate guide on moving a fish tank.
Plan the timing
Set the fish move for the last day of your household move or the first, so they are out of the tank for only a few hours. Fish stay calmer in a car than they do in a moving truck, where heat and vibration go on for hours. If the trip will take more than a day, ask an aquarium shop for advice on shipping bags and oxygen.
Packing the fish
- Fill clean, food-safe buckets or sealed bags partly full with water from the tank, with air left above the water.
- Move one or two fish per bag, with extra room for air, and sort aggressive fish apart.
- Place bags in a cooler or box to hold the temperature and reduce light.
- Keep a battery air pump on hand for longer trips.
- Do not feed the fish for a day before the move, which keeps the water cleaner.
Save the tank water and filter media
Beneficial bacteria live in the filter media and the substrate. Keep the filter media wet in a bucket of tank water, and put it into the filter at the new home. Pour saved tank water into the new tank along with fresh, treated water. This helps the new tank cycle faster and is easier on the fish.
Set up before arrival
Set up the new tank first, fill it with treated water at the same temperature, and start the heater and filter. Float the bags in the tank to even out the temperature, then release the fish. If the tank has to wait, keep the fish in the buckets with an air pump, and treat the water as the trip's last step.
Never release fish into local waters
Do not release a fish or a plant into a Nevada lake, river or pond. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service explains that aquarium species that escape can compete with native fish and spread disease, and Nevada has its own rules on invasive species. If you can no longer keep a fish, return it to a pet shop or give it to another aquarist.
What the movers carry
A drained tank and its stand can go on the truck once they are packed carefully, while the water and the fish ride with you. See how to move a fish tank for the tank itself and what movers will not move for the list of things people carry on their own.