How do you move a 29-gallon freshwater fish tank?

very carefully

We just put our fish in a big bowl w/ the same tank water and emptied our 55 gallon tank and then put the fish back in when we got it set up in our new place. How long is your move going to take?? Is it goings to be days or hours until you can get your tank set up in your new home?

put them all in a seprate tank if its the same water just dump them in

If you use the same water, you can transfer them right away. Get the tank as empty as you can and still lift it, then move it. One or two inches of water in the bottom should be OK. Fish do not live in sterile water, and new water should sit for a couple of days to get rid of any chemical treatments it may have had. Also the temperature should be equalized with the tank the fish are in.

When we moved ours, we drained out 3/4 of the water and left the fish in. We filled it up with all new water. The good bacteria load will hang out in the gravel and filter, so new water is ok. When we did it, it was REALLY cold outside, and when we got home our fish weren’t moving even when I touched them (I thought they were dead) but after about 4 hours they were all back to normal. It was really strange. Good luck!

What I do is this:

a) get a 5 gallon bucket
b) get your python and drain most of the water out
c) use your last bucket of water to put the fish and plants in
d) move the tank
e) pour (very gently) the water, plants, and your little dudes into the tank
f) add water (having made sure to put in dechlorinating solution prior to) to the top
g) add back in your filter and all that

I’ve only ever had a clown loach not survive this procedure, and he was finicky, flighty, and about five or so years old anyway.

drain 80% of the water like you would if you were cleaning it and move it where needed how I always did it is siphon the water into a 5 gallon bucket bought new and used ONLY for that purpose clean the tanks add the new water once the PH is good and the water quality is right add the fish back. once you have the tank moved where you want it.

wow i am the move a tank from state to state poster girl..lol
So i always keep a large clean trash can, syphen (short peice of garden hose) some of the water from tank into the clean can..then use net to add the fish and plants..i always cleaned my tank then, rock, filters etc…when setting your tank back up..add your water, chemicles, plants..let sit a few hours to aclimate.use your floating thermomitor to get water close to the water in can that fish are in, just adding a bit of cold or warm.
then add your fish back using the water from the can/used tank water….i had my fish doing this for nearly ten years, good luck !

How far are you planning to move the tank?

Tank has to be empty or the weight will break the silicon seals.

Bag the plants no water required, bag the fish in the tank water and if this is an in house job no oxygen required.

Save all the tank water you practically can, but buckets must be clean, not what you wash the windows with; no chemicals!

Good time to wash the gravel through a sieve.

Remember to float your fish in the bag to let temp adjust, (30 min).

very carefully Ahhh watch out for the skateborad!! lol

If you don’t already, get a 10-20 gallon tank as a holding tank.
The water that’s in the 29 gallon, start putting it in the holding tank.
You can put the plants and ornaments off to the side.
When you have enough water in the holding tank, put your fish in there.
You don’t have to worry about running the filter if you’re only going to have them in there for 4 or less hours.
Then when you have the other tank moved, you can put fresh water in there (around or near the same temp as the other water) and the water from the holding tank.

I’ve done this several times with my own tanks and I’ve never had adverse effects. My fish didn’t go into shock, nor did they die.
However, I did take the opportunity to clean out the tank, rinse off old food and **** from off the gravel, and it worked out fine.

One thing about this site…….you’re going to get a lot of different opinions and not everyone will agree. It’s just one of those things where you learn by trail and error.

K, this answer depends on alot of things. First off, are you moving the tank within the house? If so, how far away are you moving it. a 29 gallon is not to big, so if your are a srong person, maybe two people can move it if you drank most of the water and quickly refill after moving it. Other wise, siphon out all water, put fish in a bucket with same water from tank, move the tank

If you are moving to another apartment or house.

I would get a another smaller tank like a 10 gallon or what I used was a 1 or 2 gallon rubbermaid clear container. Fill it with existing aquarium water and bring the filter and heater (don’t use the heater in the rubbermaid container).

And then empty out the tank completely with gravel, but don’t rinse the gravel. Get a box and line it with a trashbag dump all the gravel in there. And now the tank is ready for transport.

Get to the new home, setup the tank. With just your ornaments gravel and plants. Treat and add water. Add the filter and heater. I let it run for 2 days, and all my fish made the trip.

Why all this?
The tank does not have a lot of flex at all, it is very rigid. And once you add the weigh of the gravel and the water, and don’t forget the weigh of the tank itself. You’ll be moving something with a bit of weigh, and then trying keeping it stable. Its not easy.
Good luck.

for my 14 gallon tank i just empty a lot of water out till i can HOLD IT WITHOUT DROPPING IT lol i only cyclle it out when i get new fish

Drain all the water if you move it with it, even though nearly impossible it will break the seal dont wory about the plants.

1. empty all the water
2. put fish in safe place
3. carefully cary from under the tank and move
4. fill up slowly not to fast dont let waves it will ruin the seal
5. let the water warm and put in any medicines, algea, or chemicals into water. (such as salt)
6. once the water is ready put fish in in a container (not nessesary but very helpful for the fish (shock can harm)
7. enjoy