Mobile Fish Tanks- How to Move your Aquarium to Your New Home

Tasty, tasty Nemo. 

Tips for Moving with Pets

Sometimes it is a better option to give your aquarium to your neighbor if you are moving, especially if you are moving a long distance.  Give your neighbors instructions on how to maintain it, and you will give a gift that they will enjoy for a long time. Make the decision carefully of moving an aquarium, because it can lead to fish fatalities. It is hard enough moving without the additional stress of flushing Nemo down the toilet while explaining life and death to your child.   

The longer the distance, the less likely the fish will survive.  You want to maintain the level of bacteria, oxygen and temperature in the fish's water.  Any dramatic change in this will more than likely kill the fish.  So the shorter the drive, the more likely you will be able to maintain their environment.  

1) You will not (should not) move the fish in the aquarium.  What you are going to do is transfer the fish to a smaller container for transportation.  This will make for easier transportation of the tank and a safer journey for your fish.  

Some good choices for transportation containers:

1) Purchase smaller fish tank from pet store

2) Borrow friend's unused aquarium

3) A sanitized bucket 

You will transfer fish into the tank with water from the aquarium.  This way they will maintain the same bacteria in the water.  

2) Empty the aquarium.  If it is a short move you can not empty it all the way, but for longer moves you will need to.  Any aquarium plants can be kept alive on the move as long as you keep them wet.  Bag all the plants with a little bit of water to keep there roots wet, and the should be able to survive the move.

3) Disassemble your tank.  Make sure when moving the aquarium that it is in a place easy to access, so you can set it up as soon as you get to your new home.  

4) Move the tank.  If you are using a moving company make sure that they are qualified to actually move the tank.  There are lots of companies that are qualified, but if you can't find one that is you should probably consider doing it yourself. 

5)  Reassemble the tank at your new destination.  Add water to old water, and try to get it to the right temperature.  Set up the filter to get the water oxidized.  Try to get the water as stable as possible before moving your fish back into their home, so that none die from the shock of change in environment.  

Happy fish in his new home. 

Crazy Cat Lady Chronicles: How to Move a Kitty to a New Home

Where are we?  I thinks we stays in box until you take us home. 

Cats are really silly animals that seem to see and perceive things that us humans miss, and they are very sensitive to all sorts of things. Moving is very hard for a kitty, and makes them very confused. When we move they have to find all new napping spots, locate new litter boxes, find more napping spots and figure out where to start marking the carpet with their claws. When indoor cats run away from their home they will hide in a very quiet and dark place, and barely move until they feel it is quiet enough to go back home.  Felines are very attached to their environments, so moving is high stress for a kitty.  

Us humans get stressed with moves as well, and sometimes we can be neglectful to make our kitties to feel as comfortable as possible. Moving takes a lot of energy, and sometimes we just don't have the time to accommodate our kittens. I am going to give you some tips on how to move a kitty, and these tips apply to other animals as well.

1)  When you are moving out of your home make sure you cat is in an isolated room with everything he/she needs.  Litter, food, toys and plenty of water. If you hire movers make sure they know not to open the door to the room, and put a sign outside of the door.

2) Before moving, if you get a chance, take kitty to new home.  Bring some catnip and treats to encourage her/him to explore. Make sure that all windows/door secure.  It will be very hard for your kitty to find way home to new house.  

3)  When moving your kitty make sure that they are in a transporter.  You should buckle in the crate, and make sure that the kitty is comfy as possible and secure in your vehicle. 

4) When moving in your stuff to your new home make sure that kitty has another isolated room to get used to. This will keep them out of the way. It is easier for a kitty to get used to one room at a time.  Make sure to take breaks from unpacking to give kitty affection and companionship.  

4) Once all your stuff is moved in, introduce kitty to each room, one at a time.  Let her see where all hiding spots are.  Give her plenty of affection and petting to let her know you love her.  Maybe even carry her around to show her these place are safe.  A lot of this will depend on your cat's personality.  If you have a more finicky/shy cat holding them will be better.  If you have a more bold/adventurous cat you may want to let them prowl around on their own.

5) If you are feeling lazy, think about all the times your animal was there for you without question.  You are the love of their lives, and that deserves to be respected with equal love at a time of kitty need!  Also, watching them explore can be very cute and fun!  They will crouch and roam around, bobbing their heads up and down.  You will actually miss their exploring phase once it is over.  

6) Be patient.  Kitties need a lot of time for adjustment, and will probably not be themselves for the next week or so.  Give them treats, snugs and hugs!

How did all of that fit? Packing for a self storage unit: a fairy tale!

Fitting all of your stuff into self storage can be somewhat of a jigsaw puzzle.  Every piece needs to fit into the right place or you will end up with stuff that doesn't fit.  I highly recommend that you get advised by the self storage owners as to what size space you should get.  They are the experts!   I can't imagine anything worse than that moment when you realize all you stuff is going to fit, and you need to rent a bigger unit.  Even if you have a plenty big storage unit it never hurts to read some tips on how to pack your stuff for self storage.

Here are some useful hints to squeeze everything into your storage unit. 

• Same sized boxes help you squeeze all your stuff into the storage unit, because they can be stacked easily.
• Do not make boxes too heavy to move.  When packing boxes remember at some point you need to lift them.  If a box is too heavy it may make it very hard to stack, and if you do stack a too heavy box it can end up crushing the contents of boxes beneath. 
• Keep in mind the weather conditions of where you are storing your stuff.  Is it hot, cold, mild climate?  You may want to consider getting a climate controlled storage unit if there is extreme humidity. 



Silica gel packets help absorb moisture in storage units! 

• Moisture can be a big deal with storing stuff.  If you are storing your stuff in a humid climate, Calcium chloride and silica gel packets should also be placed in the container as they absorb moisture.
• Take apart bed frames, tables and easy to disassemble furniture for storage.  This will make it easier to move, and it will make items more efficient to store. 
• Stuff that you may need to access, store towards the front.
• Furniture that is small and doesn't come apart can frequently be propped on the top of stacks.  
• Bring a ladder to be able to place things on top of stacks with ease.