House move

[webelan]

The time has come for me to move back to the UK from Belgium.

I have three aquariums: 2 x 60cm and 1 x 100cm. For the past two years I have not bought any more fish and for the past month have been moving fish from one of the 60cm into the large aquarium. I intend to take this 60cm to the UK myself in May and set it up and start it running.

My current problem are the Sids which are not allowing themselves to be caught. I've got the other fish out and have removed most of the furnishings and plants.

Does anyone have a tried and tested method for catching Sids? Or can I move the tank with +/- 1 inch of water in order to protect the Sids hiding in the substrate?

I would like to keep the few plants remaining in tank so that when I take the fish to the UK in late June and put them in the 60cm where the plants will give the smaller fish a chance to hide from the large ones, in particular the two yoyos. Brussels water is rock hard and Lancs water is soft. I started using chemicals to soften the water about 8 months ago to avoid the fish having a shock when they move.

The two remaining aquariums will be moved by a removal company in July and if that goes wrong, the insurance will pay for replacements. The second 60cm has Tangynikan fish so they will be treated separately.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Anne

[Diana]

Congratulations on being so well prepared that you have been altering the water for several months! That is really great!

The only way I have found to catch fish that burrow so well is to remove everything from the tank, down to the last bit of substrate. And that is what it took to catch my sids when they were little. I was literally down to the last few grains of soil before I caught the last one.

There are other things you can try.
Make a baited trap out of a plastic bottle.
Here is how:
1) Find a bottle with a small mouth, with a tapered neck. Water or soda bottle would probably work, about 1 liter or a bit smaller.
2) Cut off the mouth and neck low enough that some of the full diameter of the bottle is still attached.
3) Turn this part around so the mouth of the bottle is facing in toward the inside of the bottle.
4) Bait the bottle with something the Sids really like. Bloodworms? Live worms?
5) Put the bottle in the tank overnight and check often to remove the trapped fish and to renew the bait.

[webelan]

Thanks for the reply Diana.

I've used traps before, with both good and bad results (most bad was the death of a cory).

I hope I won't have to dig up all the substrate as it will make it a total pain to redo once the aquarium is in the UK. Especially as I want to keep the plants if possible.

And of course, I have to go through this manoeuvre twice which will be _real_ fun.

Anne

[Diana]

I would not suggest moving a tank that is full of substrate, water or fish. Even a couple of inches of wet substrate is VERY heavy, and aquariums are not built to handle such strain, especially being lifted and moved.

I would highly recommend emptying everything out of the tank and packaging each separately in plastic bags for the trip.
Yes, this means setting it all up again when you get there.
But is also means that everything will arrive safely.

[Keith Wolcott]

I think that Diana is correct. It more work to break everything down completely, but you have a much better chance of everything working out well. Just moving a tank with substrate and a bit of water across a room is not easy, so I would not try it between countries.

Good luck. It sounds like you know what you are doing and are well prepared.

[webelan]

Thank you for this advice. Certainly the two that will be moved by the removal company will be completely bare of substrate and decor, not to mention fish.

The small one I'm taking myself in the car will probably also be completely bare but it does rather depend on whether I find all the fish or not. The weight should be actually minimal, but as Diana said, it is the pressure against the sides of the glass that could be the determining factor as to whether it can be safely lifted. I do have the original polystyrene and cardboard packing in the cellar so that should help to stabilize it, empty or not, for the actual journey.

It's good to have your input and experience.

Anne

[Martin Thoene]

Anne E-mailed me because she's actually been a LOL member from back in the golden olden-days of the late 90's. I pretty much expressed my own fears for tank strain in moving with decor in-situ.

shari2 and cybermeez took a 24" tank from here in Toronto back to White Plains NY with decor, fish and minimal water, but I'd be wary of any larger tank than that.

Martin.