Aquarium move: How do you move with your fish?

he thought of moving your fish tank to a new location may seem very challenging when moving home.

 Over their lifetime, the average person moves house many times, so this is something most fish keepers will face sooner or later. 

You should be able to move the tank without too many problems if you plan properly.

There are some products that we would recommend that you set aside for the mission. That are like the following:

• A Professional moving company with competent moving helpers
• One or two nets,
• Bags of Fish
• Bands of rubber
• A Maidenhead Aquatics Transport Bag or an insulated box for transporting polystyrene fish
• Dechlorinator Inside
• Containers for carrying water
• Containers for articulating decor
• Battery - powered Pump for Air
• A measuring jug for a scoop or plastic
• Old towels/old covers and bubble wrap
• Kits for Testing

It is best to set aside a separate day for the movement of your aquarium whenever possible. 

For you and your fish, moving it on the same day as moving all your other belongings would prove way too stressful.

 As soon as you arrive, you will need to focus all of your energy on setting up the tank as quickly as possible in your new home.

Make sure you do not feed your fish the day before you wish to move your tank.

Around half an hour or so before you start dismantling the tank, you will need to unplug your heater/s - this will allow the heater/s time to cool down and minimize the risk of cracking (which will happen if removed from the water whilst hot).

The first task would be to remove all of the aquarium plants and tank decor.

 Testing tiny cracks in any ornaments you might have is wise, as some fish may be seeking refuge inside.

 Only above the water level, gently raise the ornament, and most fish will only swim out - never shake your ornaments. (The only choice would be to put the ornament inside a big fish bag filled 1/3 with water from your aquarium, if they do not want to move from their hiding place, and try to seal in as much air as possible with a rubber band).

 Within waterproof containers such as buckets or plastic storage boxes, you can then stack all your remaining decor.

 Bear in mind that rocks can be very heavy, so spreading the load between many containers might be useful.

 In order to avoid them from drying out, aquarium plants should be put inside plastic fish bags and these should be covered with rubber bands.


You should begin catching your fish at this stage. 

However, if you first drain (and save) some of the water from your tank, this job will be made much better as there will be less space for the fish to swim and evade your net/s.

 We would recommend that you start a siphon with a hose length going into a plastic container to stop the fish (e.g. containers such as those that we sell for use with R.O. water).

 Your tank size will decide how many containers you may need (for tanks with very large volumes of water, some of our stores may be able to loan containers if given enough prior notice, but we will require a deposit which will be refunded upon the return of the containers).

 To prevent major changes in water conditions at the other end, which can stress your fish, you should try to conserve as much water from your tank as possible.

The tricky bit is yet to come, after all the drama of moving the aquarium!

 The filter will be re-adjusted for a month or so after the interruption, and you will need to keep a close eye on the levels of ammonia and nitrite in the tank using test kits.

 You can eat only if the levels are at zero, and for the first two weeks after moving, feed every other day. 

If required, you should be prepared to make additional small water changes and not over-feed or add any new fish during this period to the tank.

Moving an aquarium isn't an impossible job without any skilled moving company if you prepare ahead and follow our guidelines.

Read More: 

• What is private move?