Moving a fish tank isn’t quite so simple as, say, moving a bookcase or accent chair. It’s a delicate, living ecosystem filled with curious fish, swaying plants, and intricate decorations that have been part of your home for months - or even years.
Each element in your tank has its own needs, and even the slightest misstep can turn the move into a stressful situation for both you and your aquatic friends. Whether you’re relocating to a new home or rearranging your living space, the process requires careful planning, patience, and a bit of strategy.
With a thoughtful approach and a few tried-and-true techniques, you can transport your underwater world safely and smoothly, keeping your fish healthy and your tank intact. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything from preparing your tank, safely transporting fish, and handling equipment, to setting up your aquarium in its new location.
Why is it important to move a fish tank properly
Ensuring you take all the necessary precautions when moving your aquarium is extremely important for preserving the fragile ecosystem and beneficial bacteria for your aquatics. Moving a tank without understanding the right steps and doing all the necessary preparations can cause numerous issues, such as:
- Structural damage to the tank
- Disrupting the ecosystem
- Stressing out fish (which can lead to illness)
- Destroying beneficial bacteria
- Damaging your equipment, plants and tank decorations
- Disrupting the water quality.
What do you need for moving a fish tank?
Before we get into the steps of moving your aquarium, there are a few things you’ll need to ensure the job is done efficiently and safely. Below, we’ve included a helpful list of all the equipment you need before you get started:
- A fish net - This is for carefully scooping out your fish during the process for safe transportation.
- Fish Bowls with lids - This is for transporting your fish; the lid will help avoid any of them jumping out. The bowl will also have to be a suitable size to fit all of your pets comfortably . You may need several bowls if you have a lot of fish.
- Clean buckets - for moving the rest of the water from your fish tank, you’ll need to get enough clean plastic tubs or buckets with tight-fitting lids. This can also be good for transporting any live plants.
- A siphon hose - this is for siphoning water from your tank into the clean buckets.
- Battery-powered air pump - Depending on how long you’re going to be travelling with your fish tank in the transportation bowl, you may want to consider getting battery-powered air pump to keep the water aerated. We’d recommend that any journey longer than two hours should have an air pump.
How to move an aquarium
Keeping your fish happy and healthy is the most important part of moving a fish tank. Not unlike other pets, high stress levels can leave fish more susceptible to illnesses. In most cases, the best way to keep fish stress levels low is to maintain a comfortable environment that supports their well-being.
This can be a very tricky task when moving them around and disrupting their comfort; however, there are ways to reduce the impact moving can have on your pets, all of which we will cover below.
1. Avoid feeding your fish
Before anything, make sure that you don’t feed for 24 hours before removing them from the tank. This will limit the amount of fish waste they produce while they’re being transported, which will keep harmful ammonia levels low in their temporary environment in the absence of a filter.
2. Turn off and remove the equipment
When the 24 hours are up, you can begin to turn off and remove any equipment you use in your tank, including any heaters, pumps and filters. Each piece of equipment will require different transportation methods as follows:
Heaters - first, turn off your heater and let it cool down for around 30 minutes before removing it from the water. This prevents sudden temperature changes that could potentially damage equipment. Once cool, take your heater out of the water, and it should be carefully bubble wrapped to protect it from damage.
Filters - a filter is essential for your tank's ecosystem, so it needs to be protected during transportation. Keeping the friendly bacteria in your filter alive is the best start your new tank can have. To ensure your filter is safe and the good bacteria are protected, place your filter in a bag or container with some tank water to keep it damp during the journey.
Pumps - Air pumps and stones can be unplugged and removed before packing away for transportation. They’re not as delicate as other pieces of equipment, but should be packed with care.
3. Siphon water into containers
With your equipment safely removed, the next step is to grab your clean buckets and tubs and to transfer your tank's water into them using your siphon hose. It’s best to move around 75% - 80% of the tank water into your storage containers, with some left over for filling the containers that you’ll be placing your fish and plants into.
By saving as much of your water as possible, you can also limit the amount of water changes you’ll need to do when setting up your tank in its new location.
4. Remove your fish
Using your aquarium net, carefully catch and lift your fish out of the water. For this task, you’ll need to make sure you have a net big enough to comfortably scoop out your fish. You can get bigger nets, such as this 10” fish net or smaller nets, such as this 3” fish net.
We recommend removing fish before touching anything else in the tank to limit the stress levels of your tank inhabitants. However, larger decorations like rocks and pirate ships need to be removed beforehand so your fish can’t hide away, making scooping out your fish easier.
A few tips for transporting your fish in a way that limits stress include:
- Don't move them on a full stomach - as said in step one, don’t feed them 24 hours before transporting them to limit the amount of waste they produce during their transportation.
- Get an air pump for longer journeys - if you’re moving house rather than moving rooms, we recommend using a battery-powered air pump such as this Aqua One Fish Tank Aquarium Battery Operated Air Pump to keep the water aerated during this time.
- Keep your fish in a closed container - fish may jump out and try to escape, which can cause serious harm, so transporting them in a container with a lid is a must. The darkness that comes with having a lid can also help keep your fish calm.
- Separate your aquatics if necessary - if you have a particularly aggressive species of fish, make sure to separate them in a way that avoids any conflict, while more peaceful fish can be kept together.
Aqua One Battery Operated Air Pump - £13.99
5. Remove your plants and decorations
The next step is to remove your plants and decorations. Place them into water-tight containers that have been filled with some of the excess tank water - this helps to preserve the beneficial bacteria that colonise their surfaces, which will help re-establish the ecosystem once you’ve rebuilt your aquarium.
You should also ensure that you don’t place plants and decorations on top of each other to avoid breaks and damage.
6. Siphon out the remaining water
With all the tanks' inhabitants, equipment and decorations removed, you can now begin to siphon out as much water as possible using a siphon hose such as this Superfish aqua siphon set. This will give you the best start possible when setting up your aquarium in its new position, as you will need to spend less time doing water changes or treating and preparing new water if a large volume is needed.
Superfish aqua siphon set - £7.90
7. Remove your tank's substrate and gravel
While it may be tempting to skip this step and save some time, substrates such as sand and gravel can be quite heavy. As such, carrying a tank with it can cause damage to the seals.
When removing gravel from an aquarium, scoop out as much as you can using whatever you have to hand, whether that be a clean dustpan, a jug, or a plastic scooper, and place it into watertight containers. One of the most important rules to remember when removing your tank substrate is not to rinse or wash it, as this could remove the beneficial bacteria living there.
8. Move your fish tank
With everything now carefully packed away, you can now move your tank. How you do this will depend on how far you’ll be moving it. To help, we’ve included some top tips on what to do when moving your tank:
Moving a fish tank to another room - the most important thing to do when moving your tank to a new location is to set up the base of your tank first. Whether it’s a cabinet or a desk, wherever the surface your tank will sit on should be laid out first.
Moving a fish tank to a new house - If you’re moving house and are taking your fish tank with you, the best advice we can give is to properly pack up your tank using a cardboard box with proper packing supplies such as bubble wrap, styrofoam and sturdy tape to keep it safe.
When transporting, make sure not to stack anything on top of it. As for transporting your fish, it’s also best to keep them close by so you can keep an eye on them.
9. Rebuild your aquarium
Once you’ve finally reached the area for your new tank, it’s time to set it up. This can be a time-consuming process and should be done with care. As it takes a lot of time, to reduce the amount of time your fish spend in their temporary home, make sure to start it as soon as possible by doing the following:
- Put your decorations back - first, add the substrate, and decorations back into the tank.
- Add the water - refill the aquarium with the water saved in the containers, which should bring the water level to around or just past half full.
- Set up your equipment - add your equipment back into your aquarium and turn them back on. For the heater in particular, ensure enough time is passed before adding the fish to bring the water up to the ideal temperature.
- Put your plants back - replant your live plants into the tank. If you have a lot of plants, and this step will be quite time-intensive, it might be worth leaving this for another day in favour of prioritising your fish
- Introduce your aquatics - reintroduce your fish back into the tank slowly, as you would with new fish. If your fish were transported in bags, float them on the surface of the water for around 45 minutes before releasing them. It is best to keep the lights off at this stage and for the following few hours, as this will help to keep stress levels at a minimum. If you’d like to learn more about the process of introducing fish to an aquarium, then you can read more in our blog.
- Finish adding in the water - top up the water as needed using dechlorinated water to ensure the tank is filled to proper levels. You’ll need a reliable water dechlorinator such as this Aqua One Water Conditioner for safe yet effective water treatment.
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Keep an eye on your aquarium - monitor your tank closely for around one month after the move to ensure the quality of the water is sustained, and that your fish and plants are in good condition. You can ensure the quality of your water is balanced and safe for your fish using water quality test kits such as this NT Labs Aquarium Lab Master Test Kit.
Aqua One Water Conditioner - £6.45
NT Labs Aquarium Lab Master Test Kit - £25.99
FAQs
Can you move your aquarium short distances?
While it may be tempting to move your fish tank without taking the necessary precautions when you’re simply changing the room it’s in or moving it to a different corner, we advise against doing this. It’s the best and safest way to keep your fish and plants happy through what is an understandably stressful time, and not taking the right steps during this time can cause damage to your equipment, the tank's ecosystem and in extreme cases, the death of your aquatic life.
Can you move a fish tank with water in it?
You should never move a fish tank with water in it. Moving an aquarium with water, or anything else in it for that matter, introduces numerous hazards to both you and your tank. These hazards include:
- Slipping caused by water spillage
- Broken seals caused by excess weight
- Broken equipment and decorations
This is also the same for when a tank is half full. Any remaining water and gravel weight continues to pose a threat to the safety of all involved. The tank still remains at risk of broken materials and compromised seals.
Can you move a fish tank with fish inside?
Just as you should never move a fish tank with water in it, you should never move a fish tank with fish inside. On top of the regular risks associated with moving an aquarium with water in it, this choice puts all of your tank inhabitants in physical danger, as well as heightening their stress to unacceptable levels. Even the hardiest fish will react badly to such a situation, and therefore, it should be avoided at all costs.
How to move an aquarium when moving to another house?
For an aquarium when moving house, you can follow the same steps as above; however, extra care should be taken when transporting the tank and fish to reduce the risk of harm. Make sure you’re taking your time and that the tank is safely packed away. We would recommend moving the tank last and setting it up again as soon as you get to your new home so your fish can adjust.
Get everything you need to move a fish tank at Aquacadabra safely
Moving an aquarium may seem like a daunting task at first, but with the right preparation and a little patience, it can be done smoothly and safely. Taking the time to plan ahead, handle your fish with care, and protect your equipment makes all the difference in ensuring your aquatic friends stay happy and healthy through the transition.
If you’d like more help with deciding what’s the best place to set up your fish tank, then you can read more in our blog. Or if you want to make sure you’re equipped to deal with moving a tank the right way, then browse our water quality test kits to ensure your underwater ecosystem remains balanced during the moving process.