Moving: Will Berried Female Be Too Stressed?

[christinenha]

Hi everyone,

 

I am moving out of my current home in about a week to my new place (less than a mile away, but there are a few speed bumps getting there). I have just introduced my Neon Yellow shrimp into their new home on 10/16, and they've been settling in nicely. I JUST got my very first berried female today. (I'm still kind of freaking out about that.) But I am a little worried about the move because I don't want to stress her out and cause her to drop her eggs. However, the move is inevitable, so if you guys have any suggestions for best methods to move the tank without stressing her out too much, I'm all ears! Thanks! =)

 

Sincerely,

Christine

[miwu]

All I can think of is to keep the old tank water. Drain the tank, (not sure if you're going to keep the shrimps in the tank with a little bit of water or you're able to scoop up all the shrimps and bag them separately), keep the water, move the tank, and fill it back up with the original water. (You ARE moving the entire tank, right?) And I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's pretty easy for females to lose their first batch of eggs even if not moved. Just be happy that getting berried is a good sign that the shrimps are happy and healthy. You'll get more berries very soon even if you lose this batch. Good luck with the move!

[DETAquarium]

Congratulations on your first berried female, always a fantastic feeling!! I will be going through the same process in about a year, and I have already been contemplating what would be the best route to move my shrimp. I will most likely be moving a couple miles away, but this is what I plan to do. This plan is all dependent on how large your tanks are of course. I have (2) 17.1g, 11.4g, and 10g aquariums, I plan to drain 90% of the water in all tanks, I will be storing about 75% of that water to carry with me to the new house. Each aquarium will have its own Brute trashcan or similar container so that I don't mix the (4) aquariums water parameters. I will then slide the aquarium on a couple pieces of plywood, then slide into vehicle and drive slowly to the new house. 

 

I think this is my best bet, of course its my opinion and I am not sure if there is a "Best" way to move any shrimp tank. I hope this helps. Good luck moving.

[Soothing Shrimp]

1st timers often lose their eggs.  I wouldn't sweat it.  You may do everything right and find out the next day the eggs are gone anyway.

[christinenha]

Thanks for the recommendations! I have a 5G and a 7.9G, and I knew I was going to have to drain the water a minimum of 50%, but I didn't even think of keeping the old tank water. I figured I'd just put new water in there and consider it a water change. I guess using the old water will help them to transition better as it won't be too much of a shock in one day, so it looks like I'm going to have to go shopping for some buckets! I know that first time mamas tend to drop their eggs, but I'm still hoping that she'll keep her eggs during the move. Trying to stay positive and trust in her mama instincts! >.<

[ctaylor3737]

The best thing to is get a container with a lid and net them out, try to leave the least amount of air to keep the water from sloshing around. If you leave them in the tank the water will move around more and will result in undue stress. It is better to keep them in a smaller container that you can control better, and you can also leave a little more water in the tank to easy moving it. I have moved a few tanks like this and they were fine, like soothing said you may lose the eggs the first time. Big thing is just be patient and don't over react if you do. With shrimp the less you do the better, best thing to do is keep hands out of the tank. Think about what is wrong and how your going to fix it, a small water change usually cures alot.

[christinenha]

Thanks for the advice! You don't think it would be too stressful for them for me to try netting them out through a fully planted tank? Is it safe to remove a berried female from the tank in this fashion? I'm just worried netting them would cause them even more stress since I'm moving less than a mile away. (It's really down the street.) I just want to do what's best for them. =(

 

And yeah, I know I won't freak out if she drops her eggs because it's so common, but I'm still trying my best to prevent it from happening. Right now, I'm trying to do as little with the tank as possible other than 25% water changes every few days. My ammonia and nitrite levels are always at 0, but my nitrates keep rising above my comfort zone. I change the water any time it hits 20 ppm. I didn't dose any beneficial bacteria when I set up my tank, thinking the biological filter would build up naturally with a fully planted tank. I guess I should have done that, so I purchased Dr. Tim's One and Only (even though it looks like this product specifically targets ammonia & nitrate, but I mean, it couldn't hurt, right?) and will be adding some to my tank when it arrives. In the meantime, the only way I know how to remove these nitrates is with a water change. =\

[r45t4m4n]

Your move went well? Any tips? I'm stressing out about my move this weekend.

I have 2 20gallon tanks to move this weekend. One with a berried MK Breed PRL and the other will my a berried MK Breed Extreme Blue Bolt.

[christinenha]

Yes, my move went well, and three babies were hatched from the first very small clutch of eggs. I only moved down the street, so it wasn't completely traumatizing for them. I just drained the water as low as I could get it and put them in my car and off we went. The first thing I did when I got to the new house was slowly pour the tank water I saved back into the tank and gave them some time to acclimate. I didn't feed them that first day at all. I just let them hang out and fed them a tiny bit the next day. And then I went back to my regular routine.