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When we decided to move from California to Texas, we didn’t think about the logistics of moving our animals - a 10 year old puggle named Kabuki and a 7 year old gourami named Mr. Pickles.

Moving our dog was undeniably easier than figuring out how to keep a fish alive for a long drive in the middle of summer. We were also told that we wouldn’t be able to stop in New Mexico because they were implementing a mandatory 14 day quarantine for anyone out of state. So, we had a few really long days of driving to accommodate all the schedules and the avoidance of an entire state.

We weren’t able to move/pack our 20 gallon fish tank because we just ran out of space. Our Pod was full and our minivan was full. So…. Josh went to Home Depot and got a 5 gallon bucket, filled it halfway with water, moved the fish to the bucket, put the bucket in the minivan between the two middle bucket seats, and put a small piece of scrap plywood over the bucket. In hindsight, we maybe should have just bought the matching lid for the bright orange bucket, but that didn’t happen. Next time? (Here’s one with a lid)

So, my top tips for moving a fish in the middle of summer for an extended period of time, during a pandemic, or any other time:

1. Get a large enough container/bucket/fishbowl so that the fish(es) won’t feel super crowded with it only half full of water. We only had one fish so it wasn’t an issue of multiple fish. Also, ours is a fresh water fish and an air breather (mouth breather?), so filtration wasn’t a must. Before moving your fish, make sure you know exactly what they can tolerate.

   
   
   

2. When you stop for the night, bring the fish inside the hotel/motel/campsite with you. Don’t leave the fish in the car, especially in the summer (or any other season, really).

   
   
   

3. Change out the water frequently. We changed the water out with bottled gallons of clean water every night. They might not need it this frequently, but more often than not is best.

   
   
   

4. Don’t forget to feed your fish! We placed a small piece of plywood over the bucket so the road French fries from our toddler wouldn’t drop in, but Mr. Pickles needs his own food, too! Honestly, we don’t think our fish ate much while on the road. Maybe he was car sick?

   
   
   

5. As soon as you can, get your fish back to the type of environment it’s used to. 

   
   
   

6. Make sure you get a pH test kit for the water on the road and for your final destination.

I will say that my sister was very worried about Mr. Pickles, but we were confident in his survival. This fish is a savage (bougie AND ratchet) and has killed every other fish we put in a tank with him. I knew he was badass enough to make the trip with now issues!

Have you tried to move a fish or any other animals long distance?