Help with moving fish

My aunty moved a bajillion miles away with her partner. He sadly passed away a few weeks ago and now she's moving back to town and me and dad are taking up the horse box to help. She has loads of cool antiques and a masssssssssive fish tank with huge fish that she sai I can have.


Basically I'm asking what the best way to move fish a very long distance without specialist boxes?! It's a good 2 hour drive.

Sorry i haven't a clue Hayley but this link may help just scroll down a little way to moving long distances:

http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/article/moving-your-fishtank-and-tropical-fish

Well Hayley I once took a tank though not huge, but not small to cornwall which was about a 4 hr drive. Just left about quarter of water in the bottom and it did have a lid and wedged on the back seat! But if its that big I dont really know google it maybe?

just add water calm and they should be fine and dont feed before moving and leave for about 12 hours after arriving

wrap it up in newspaper and it will keep fresh , steaming is better than reheating in the microwave though

Sorry Dave, but I'm not with you there

Dave serious posts please

I am being serious , where does it say in this post that the fish is still alive

Hayley ................STOP , don't kill it and batter it , it was just a misunderstanding from my part

Dave wrote:I am being serious , where does it say in this post that the fish is still alive

Hayley ................STOP , don't kill it and batter it , it was just a misunderstanding from my part

good point

If she has a cat may I suggest you make 2 trips

Lol shurrup Dave!


The problem with leaving water in is they might splash about too much. It's a 2h drive in a car but I'm just thinkin that with the trailer it will be a lot longer.

Would the plastic bags you get them from the pet shop in be a good idea? They are the big goldfish you see in the Chinese lol so that's how big.

Hayley wrote:Lol shurrup Dave!


The problem with leaving water in is they might splash about too much. It's a 2h drive in a car but I'm just thinkin that with the trailer it will be a lot longer.

Would the plastic bags you get them from the pet shop in be a good idea? They are the big goldfish you see in the Chinese lol so that's how big.

How big is the big goldfish you see in the chinese , ours have Coy Carp

What you could do is pop them in the radiator , the water is circulating so it won't go stagnant on them and as it is part of the cooling system it will keep them warm , just make sure it's not running with glycol in as that would probably be bad for them

Yeah glycol is nasty....

Our Chinese doesn't do very well....

I used to work in an aquatic centre and people used to drive miles with the koi they bought. they will be fine in a large heavy duty plastic bag, make sure the water in it is twice as deep as the fish are high and then quickly scrunch up the top of the bag, trapping as much air in as possible, secure it with an elastic band and then put the bag inside a bin liner to keep it darker and less stressful.

Alternatively enquire at local pet shops as they may have the polystyrene boxes fish come from the suppliers in, do the plastic bag thing then pop in a box for extra security.

Thanks I might go see them tomorrow x

Hayley wrote:Thanks I might go see them tomorrow x

radiator is free

It's a closed in engine lol

Hayley wrote:It's a closed in engine lol

you still have a coolant refill tank dipstick

Dave wrote:

Hayley wrote:Lol shurrup Dave!


The problem with leaving water in is they might splash about too much. It's a 2h drive in a car but I'm just thinkin that with the trailer it will be a lot longer.

Would the plastic bags you get them from the pet shop in be a good idea? They are the big goldfish you see in the Chinese lol so that's how big.

How big is the big goldfish you see in the chinese , ours have Coy Carp

What you could do is pop them in the radiator , the water is circulating so it won't go stagnant on them and as it is part of the cooling system it will keep them warm , just make sure it's not running with glycol in as that would probably be bad for them

another point make sure you keep the filter wet as if it starts to dry the bacteria will die quickly and that can really spoil your setup and you may take weeks if not months to fully get your tank running correctly

For a start, they shouldn't be fed for 24 hours before transportation. This reduces the faecal production and helps to keep the temporary enclosure clean.

Styrofoam boxes are good for transporting fish, providing they are secure. I'd advise lining it with a plastic bag or bin liner just to be sure. Most pet shops and pretty much all aquarium shops will sell these for a good price.

If the journey won't take longer than a couple of hours, you can use buckets to transport the fish.

It is very important that you use the water from their aquarium in the temporary enclosure! If you use tap water, you could run the risk of causing stress and illness. The buckets should only be filled to about two thirds so that there is still room for oxygen replenishment. Lids should also be used, but should be taken off every 15 - 30 minutes to let out stale air.

Hope that helps.

I think, now I may be wrong so don't quote me but if your aunty puts them into her toilet and you stay at home and you both flush at the same time after 3 they will transport to your house

Mike wrote:I think, now I may be wrong so don't quote me but if your aunty puts them into her toilet and you stay at home and you both flush at the same time after 3 they will transport to your house