Need moving help/advice Urgent!

J

Joshua Tree

New member
I'm moving from Peoria Arizona to Cleveland Ohio in the next week, I have been talking to a local fish store owner in town here who was going to help me pack up and ship my fish via air cargo. After 3 weeks of dicussions and him assuring me he would do it on the day of the move he backs out! He said he would set aside boxes, which he said he doesn't have any. He said "I'm really swamped today but if you want to come in and use the oxygen tank I will give you some pointers". I DONT NEED POINTERS- I DONT TRUST MYSELF DOING THIS THAT'S WHY I'M LEAVING IT UP TO THE PROS. I'll be damned if I'm going to run around someones fish store using their equipment not knowing what I'm doing. Is it advisible to drive 2 days cross country with my fish? If I put them in 5gallon buckets with a heater and an air pump should they be ok? As far as my stocklist goes I have 1 clownfish 1 pink spotted shrimp goby 1 purple firefish and 1 green chromis nothing fancy, also 30lbslive rock and 40lbs crushed coral substrate. It's in a 24 gallon aquapod. I will post a picture so you know what I have. Help please.
 
updatedaquariumshots002.jpg
 
I would think they'll be fine in buckets if you have a way to heat / keep the water moving. Don't take the substrate buy new when you arrive. Don't overfill the buckets you don't want them slopping all over the vehicle.. Obviously you can't seal the buckets.
 
I will be getting a power inverter to run the heaters for the live rock and my fish, I've never used one before, do I need to worry about it killing my battery? Thanks for the replies.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11879091#post11879091 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Joshua Tree
do I need to worry about it killing my battery?
Click to expand...

As long as the car is running you should be ok, just don't sit in Denny's for 2 hours.

Good luck!
 
Just make sure to get a power inverter with enough watts to handle everything hooked up to it. Sounds silly, but I bought a cheap one once that didn't work with my lap top :S
 
Wouldn't it be easier for you to go to the lfs bag your fish with oxygen, put them in a styrofoam box with a heat pack and travel with them in your car that way, rather than buckets sloshing around and worrying about equipment failing during the trip?
 
It would be if the drive wasn't so long. I would be too afraid the oxygen levels would get too low and the ammonia levels too high. Thanks for the suggestion though.
 
I moved my 75 gal 6 hours over the western slope of colorado with 5 rubermaid tubs, two cars with inverters and battery operated air pumps. When I got there I wasn't able to setup my tank that night so everything had to sit for another day in the tubs. Plus when we started, we loaded everything into the tubs, stayed overnight, drove over the mountain and then tried to setup the tank. So everything was fine for a total of 2 & 1/2 days in rubbermaid tubs with no losses (Well, except for two snails) I would vote for the rubbermaid tubs myself as it worked great for me.

We did have one instance where my mother in law left her vehicle off for about a half hour and it almost didn't start when we tried to leave, but other then that it worked great, so beware to not leave your car off for an extended period.
 
You'll have to get a pretty descent inverter to run the heater, the cheaper ones won't cut it usually. Also, I don't see you mentioning an air pump. I would suggest using one with an airstone to keep the water oxygenated.




Big D
 
I plan on getting battery powered air pumps. I don't understand what you mean by reread your initial post? Does anyone know of a decent power inverter?
 
We will be stopping in Tulsa OK. Which is the mid point. I plan on bringing everything inside and plugging it in to regular power for the night. I which I could make it in one trip but it's 2,300miles. OUCH.
 
I meant that I went back and re-read your initial post and saw that you were going to get an air pump. Just make sure you keep an eye on the temp, buckets and rubbermaids provide little to no insulation.




Big D
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11880911#post11880911 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gatman13
sell it all back to the fish stores start all over again buy a 40 gallon garbage can take the rock no air reqired
Click to expand...

What would I do?
Donate the fish to another LFS. If anything is going to die in that setup, it will be the fish. Consolidate it all to 2-5 gallon Home depot orange buckets.. Mushrooms and zoos are pretty hardy, so you can go to Dennys with the car off if you want :)
 
I did that 2 years ago when I first moved out to Phoenix from Cleveland, I will not do that again. Unfortunately you do get attached to your finned friends. I felt pretty bad getting rid of the first batch and I still wonder what became of them. I think it's worth the hassles and risks to keep the band together.
 
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