Keep Your Fish Safe With These Simple Tips For Moving Your Aquarium

As you begin taking inventory of your belongings before your move, you may have noticed some items are more delicate than others, and those delicate items will need special packing and transportation care. This is often true for pet gear like bird cages, cat climbing structures, and aquariums. Of the three, aquariums and the fish that live in it are extremely fragile and require special consideration on a move. Our professional Redwood City movers have helped many pet owners pack their pet’s belongings safely, but if you intend to do this part yourself, we’d like to share a few key tips for doing it right.

If you plan to take your fish and their aquarium with you to your new home, then use these tips to safely pack and transport them.

Aquarium Packing Essentials :

• 5 Gallon buckets
• Packing supplies
• Fish bags
• Masking tape
• Marker

How To Pack And Transport Your Aquarium

• Pour all of your aquarium water into the 5 gallon buckets to preserve the work you’ve already done distilling the water (it takes a lot of time starting this over again, so you may as well bring it along with you!). Be very careful to clean the buckets before you place the water in them, otherwise this portion of the work will be a waste of time.
• Use the masking tape and a market to label all the wires and hoses that connect to your aquarium tank. Once you have labeled the wire and hoses, bundle them for easy transport. The more work you can do up front here, the easier the unpacking will be and the less stress your fish will endure once you arrive.
• Use soft packing paper as well as bubble wrap and other packing materials to safely pack your tank, filtration system and tank accessories. Consider the tank itself is extremely fragile and was built to sit on a stable, unmovable surface. Reinforce the tank with plenty of packing material so the glass doesn’t shatter during the move.

How to Pack Your Fish

• There are some precautions to take while moving your delicate fish. The main idea is to return your fish to their familiar environment as soon as possible. Freshwater fish are not fans of change, and they will certainly be affected by you transporting them between several container before they return to the aquarium. It’s not uncommon for fish to stop eating, and no matter what you do, the fish could still die during transport. It’s the risk of moving fish, but there are some simply ways to try and prevent this.
• First, clean your tank the week before the move and refrain from feeding your fish about 24 hours before the move. On the day of the move, the aquarium should be the absolute last thing you pack. Place your fish in sturdy plastic bags and secure them with a rubber band. Before you arrive to your new home, plan where you will keep the aquarium so the set up is swift.
• With these tips, you are on your way to creating safer circumstances for moving your aquarium. For more information about moving or to get a free quote,call our Redwood City professional movers today.