Here's a quick fish move update:
As of last night, all fish are back in their tanks. Losses were minimal, I'd say I lost about 15 to 20 fish total, which is pretty good considering how many I moved and that about a third of my losses were due to a single heater that went bad. I think a few things contributed to the relatively low loss rate.
1. I set up temporary bins or tanks ahead of time and moved fish before the tanks, rather than on the day that the big tanks were being moved.
2. In my mind, "temporary" was intended to be for up to 2 weeks.....maybe a month if I ended up in a pinch. Fortunately I didn't need them that long, but if I did, I was ready. Bins/tanks were set up as similar to their normal tanks as I reasonably could except for their substrate or extreme amounts of rocks. All had heat and aeration of some sort and the floating plants, some rocks, wood, and caves that they were used to. This resulted in very crowded bins, but I think it also provided a lot of extra cover and sight breaks given the unusually crowded conditions. Any fish being bullied had a place to hide.
3. Bio filtration was maintained. Canister filters were used where possible both for the fish and to maintain the filter's bacteria, but all of those tank furnishings (rocks, wood, plants) brought along their beneficial bacteria too. Overall, the bins didn't get terribly funky-smelling....or at least no more so than what my tanks usually smell like. When possible I would just lay the Mattenfilters in the bins with the fish. I found most fish happily hanging out underneath them most of the time.
4. No feeding. I didn't feed for a few days before they were moved and I didn't feed the week or so that they were in the bins. I was worried about the fry, but I put an extra wad of Java moss in with them in hopes they'd be able to graze on the micro fauna. Fry losses were minimal. I lost more from the trauma of netting rather than because life in the temporary bins was hard. Most fish are looking a little thin right now but will recover quickly I'm sure.
Fish that were not well before the move generally didn't make it, not surprisingly.
So, fish are back in their tanks. I'm working on heating the room right now....I'm maintaining about 70 to 72 with just the dehumidifier. I've added a space heater and have it up a few more degrees now. Tomorrow I hope to get the lights on the tanks and re-landscape. The lights will help the room temperature too.
Some of the bigger, non-floating plants got put very unceremoniously into a giant fish bag and have been sitting off to the side. This evening I dumped it all into the sink to sort things out, prune, and clean them up. Not surprisingly, there was a lot of crypt melt and leaf loss in the bag, but I hope to get things re-planted tomorrow.
