Who Gives A Fish Forums

I'm moving my adult Discus fish and I'm not sure the best way to do it.

It's about a 20-minute ride to the new setup, so it should be under an hour to get them in the new tank. The water is exactly the same at the new place.

Should I bag them individually for the trip? Do I need to stop feeding them before the move?

Thanks for the advice!

Richard

Re: How to move adult Discus

Moving your Discus individually in 3-gallon buckets with secure lids is likely the most stress-free approach. Given the short duration, there should be ample oxygen in the water. To minimize stress, it's best to withhold food the night before and the morning of the move. This will help them adjust to their new environment more quickly.

Re: How to move adult Discus

FishNe's got it spot on, Richard. Don't overcomplicate things by adding multiple fish per bucket. Trust me, it's just not worth the risk - they'll stress out, hurt each other, and you might end up with some torn fins.

Re: How to move adult Discus

I'd also recommend moving some media from your old tank to the new setup. This will help your Discus adjust to their new environment more easily. Good luck with the move.

Re: How to move adult Discus

I moved a few months back, just 5-10 minutes away. I used a 20g plastic container, filled it about a third with water. I put a few discus in there - it wasn't too heavy to lift and the water level stayed put during the car ride.

In the meantime, I drained the tank and then set it back up on the other side with the same media. It all worked out fine. For a small Betta and shrimp tank, I just removed 70% of the water and transferred it as is.

Re: How to move adult Discus

I've had my fair share of moves, and I swear by those 5-gallon buckets from the big box stores. Fill 'em up with clean water, and in goes the fish - one or two per bucket, depending on size. I've done this for short trips and long hauls, like that time I drove from Minneapolis to St. Louis - a solid 10 hours - to show off my discus. No fancy aeration or heaters needed; just the fish, water, and a bucket. Came back with three trophies, too. Nowadays, I keep a stash of these buckets in my fish room, labeled FISH ONLY, just in case.

Re: How to move adult Discus

Originally posted by wilde

I use those 5-gallon buckets from Home Depot/Menards/Loews and fill them with clean water. Plop the fish in, 1 - 2 per bucket, and drive. Back in the day, I drove discus from Minneapolis to St. Louis, ~10 hours, to compete in their local show. No aeration, no heat, no ill effects and I came back with three trophies. I keep a stack of buckets labelled FISH ONLY in my fish room these days.

That's quite a feat - I'm impressed by your fish's endurance. Ten hours of bumpy roads and they still took home the prizes.

Re: How to move adult Discus











I keep a stack of buckets labelled FISH ONLY in my fish room these days.


I also label my buckets, makes it easy to keep things organized.

Re: How to move adult Discus











It just proves that you have amazing fish! It get hits from left and right for ten hours and still win!


Thanks for the compliment. For shows, I always use one fish per bucket. Learned that the hard way, but not from my own experience.

Had a buyer once who wanted a bunch of discus for a large planted tank. He showed up at my place on a cold Minneapolis winter day with just one styro container and asked me to put all the fish in there. No bags, no fuss. I put them in and watched him hurry off.

A week later, I asked how they were doing. He said the discus had attacked each other, even poked holes in each other's eyes. Just like Pat said, don't put adult discus together.

Re: How to move adult Discus

Really appreciate all the advice, it's been super helpful. I've decided to go with buckets for the move. I'll have some extra fish that need a new home, as I'll only be setting up one tank this time around.