Moving fish

Last in, first out

Take down the aquarium last when packing and put it up first on arrival. This minimises the amount of time your fish spend in poor water conditions.

Location, location, location

Make sure the aquarium is sited near electrical outlets for the water pumps / filter and try to eliminate the tank's exposure to sunlight, reducing the formation of algae.

Take your water with you

Transport as much of the water in the aquarium to your new home as possible. This minimises stress on the fish as they can get used to the new environment more quickly and adjust better to changes in water chemistry when you do your 10-15% water changes every week.

Everybody out!

Pull out all of your decorations and place them in spare buckets or boxes for the trip. Carefully inspect each piece to make sure you do not have any fish or animals hiding inside a hole in a rock or a hollow in a castle. Remove live plants from the tank and place them in a bucket or two of water for the trip.

Get draining

Be sure to drain as much of the water from your tank as you can - even a small volume of water in your tank can cause the bottom to crack or shatter when the tank is tipped or twisted. With larger tanks, you may also want to remove the gravel from the tank to prevent its weight from breaking your tank bottom when you move the tank.

Everybody in!

Get the fish in their tank promptly when you arrive. Set up the heater, filters, and pumps. Return the gravel to the tank if you removed it, then begin filling the tank with the water in your buckets. Get as much water as you can back into the tank, then net the fish out of their bucket and gently release them into your tank, then add the water from the bucket to the tank. You may have to top off your tank with dechlorinated tap water from your new home. Once the tank is filled and the fish and decorations have been introduced, let the tank sit for at least half an hour so that temperatures can equalise before you turn on the heater.