We recently moved house and decided to hire someone to do it for us, mainly because I have MS and my hubby broke his hand - what a joke. They completely misjudged the house and its contents, not allowing enough time for packing, and didn't hire big enough vans. As a result, we left our old house at 3.45pm and the last thing was unpacked from the van at 9.15pm. Everything was in the wrong rooms, not labelled correctly - it was chaos. We only just found our kettle last night, 11 days after we moved.
I started taking my fish tank apart at 10.30am, and my fish were in bags from 11am. However, they didn't get taken out of their bags until 8.30pm because the movers had packed the furniture, including the tank, at the back of the van. One of the bags was leaky - of course, it was the one with my most expensive and largest fish, which lost most of its water. My fish had some very red scales along their lateral lines, but I was relieved that I didn't lose a single one. I guess you could call it dumb luck or my fervent praying to the fish deity - I'm just stoked.
The tank is now set up, and I'm leaving my fish alone for a few weeks to enjoy the space before I put them through any more stress. I just wanted to get them back in their tank.
I do have a question, though - some of my long finned calico bristlenoses aren't getting their colour back. They were a beautiful brown with some orange, but now they're a pale, pale orange with some light beige. I'm assuming this is a sign of them still being stressed. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to help them recover and get back to full health?
Moving to a new home: tips and advice
Re: Moving to a new home: tips and advice
Give the poor things a break, and dim or switch off the tank lights for a bit, just for a day or two. Let them chill, and they'll get their colours back in no time. I'm pretty sure it's just the stress of the move still getting to them.
Re: Moving to a new home: tips and advice
Thanks for the advice, I've taken your tip and dimmed the lights - seems to be doing the trick, they're gradually regaining their colour, starting from the tail end, slowly but surely turning brown again.
Re: Moving to a new home: tips and advice
I'm still in stitches reading about your ordeal, despite the chaos, your sense of humour is still intact. I can only imagine how drained you must be after that move. I'm really looking forward to hearing about the progress over the next few weeks, please do keep us updated. Wishing you all the best, and a smooth recovery for both you and your fish.
Re: Moving to a new home: tips and advice
Thanks Lexat, we're absolutely loving the new place, it's definitely making the move stress a bit easier to deal with. Although, our new neighbour did try to put a bit of a damper on things by yelling at us for parking outside our own home - on the second day, no less. Apparently, our car was making it difficult for her to squeeze her tiny car in and out of the space in front of her house. I mean, I was tempted to offer her some free driving lessons, but thought better of it. We were so taken aback by her standing on our doorstep, shouting "you have been told, one cottage, one car" that we ended up moving the car instead of slamming the door in her face.
It's funny, a couple of days later, they were outside our front door, complaining about us to a local, who told them to "give them a chance, they've only just moved in". I guess that's the village for you - some sensible people, some not so much. The neighbour's got a bit of a chip on her shoulder, and it's turning into a bit of a competition - they even had their roofer standing on our flat roof, which I wouldn't have let happen if I'd been a bit more on the ball. She thinks she's a big shot because her wife is working with some famous artist, but to be honest, that doesn't impress me much.
On a more positive note, the fish are all doing well, except for the bristlenoses, who are still struggling to get their colour back. I've been waiting for them to look less stressed before I start adding decorations to the tank, but I think I might have to put some in soon to give them some hiding spots. My hubby's not keen on the idea, though - he likes being able to see the fish easily when the tank is empty. I'm more of a "natural tank" kind of person, and I love it when I catch a glimpse of a fish swimming around.
We've also got a tiny pond in the back garden, which I'm planning to renovate - much to my hubby's dismay. He's not keen on any more tanks in the house, but I've got a feeling the pond might just end up being a bit bigger than it is now.
It's funny, a couple of days later, they were outside our front door, complaining about us to a local, who told them to "give them a chance, they've only just moved in". I guess that's the village for you - some sensible people, some not so much. The neighbour's got a bit of a chip on her shoulder, and it's turning into a bit of a competition - they even had their roofer standing on our flat roof, which I wouldn't have let happen if I'd been a bit more on the ball. She thinks she's a big shot because her wife is working with some famous artist, but to be honest, that doesn't impress me much.
On a more positive note, the fish are all doing well, except for the bristlenoses, who are still struggling to get their colour back. I've been waiting for them to look less stressed before I start adding decorations to the tank, but I think I might have to put some in soon to give them some hiding spots. My hubby's not keen on the idea, though - he likes being able to see the fish easily when the tank is empty. I'm more of a "natural tank" kind of person, and I love it when I catch a glimpse of a fish swimming around.
We've also got a tiny pond in the back garden, which I'm planning to renovate - much to my hubby's dismay. He's not keen on any more tanks in the house, but I've got a feeling the pond might just end up being a bit bigger than it is now.
Re: Moving to a new home: tips and advice
Your neighbour sounds like a piece of work, I'm surprised she hasn't come knocking on your door again. I had a similar experience when I moved into my unit, the other tenants were all taking photos of the van and my vehicle, it was like they were waiting for me to trip up so they could report back to the real estate agent. I later found out the agent had them all terrified of eviction and was using that to control them, it was a right old mess.
A couple of them came over the following day and apologised, told me about the agent and how she was stirring up trouble. I just laughed and told them not to worry, I knew the agent was a nightmare and had plenty of run ins with her previously.
As for your fish, I think you should put the ornaments back in, give them some hiding places. I know your hubby likes to see them swimming around, but it's not very natural for them to be on display all the time. I'm sure they'll appreciate the extra cover, and who knows, it might even help the bristlenoses get their colour back.
A couple of them came over the following day and apologised, told me about the agent and how she was stirring up trouble. I just laughed and told them not to worry, I knew the agent was a nightmare and had plenty of run ins with her previously.
As for your fish, I think you should put the ornaments back in, give them some hiding places. I know your hubby likes to see them swimming around, but it's not very natural for them to be on display all the time. I'm sure they'll appreciate the extra cover, and who knows, it might even help the bristlenoses get their colour back.