Moving my 55 gallon fresh water fish tank

Question
Hi Nathan,
This is my first fish tank. I have had it about a year now and i am moving in a
week. It will be approximately a 85 mile trip. I am really nervous and need
the easiest way to transport this tank.

I have a few answers but i want to be sure. Please help!!
Thanks,
Darlene.

Answer
Hi Darlene,

Moving an aquarium is probably one of the trickiest tasks an aquarist will face. There are many ways to do this, but I will describe an easy way.

Key Points:

-You do NOT want to keep the fish in the aquarium while moving for obvious reasons:

a)Glass may break with water inside, when bumped;
b)Fish will get sloshed around;
c)And water will go everywhere.

-You also want to preserve the beneficial bacteria living in the filter, which removes toxins, so you do not have to go through the cycling process again.

-The aquarium should be the highest priority when you arrive: Tend to the fish FIRST.

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1)Get large Rubbermaid (Large Plastic) containers. (They are fairly inexpensive. Make sure that they have a lid, so that water sloshing around will not get spilled.

2)Fill up each container with water, from your tank, about half full. The air space is for oxygen exchange.

3)Place fish in the containers, but do not place too many in one! The more containers the better.

4)Place your filter cartridge/media, gravel, plants, ornaments, etc. in a container (can be with the fish)

5)Empty out the tank. There should be no water or solid objects in the tank.

6)Cover the tank with padding (optional)

7)Load the fish into the truck/car.

8)Halfway during the trip, it will be necessary to take a rest, and open and close the lids again to let in extra oxygen.

9)Adding a natural stress reducer, such as Stress Coat, will help greatly during the journey.

10)Upon arrival, immediately fill up the tank with water from the containers, and introduce the fish. Set up the filters, heaters, and lighting.

I hope this helps! If you have additional questions, don't hesitate to ask me again!