A move log works only if every move is recorded the same way, because tracing a loss means comparing what happened this time with what happened on moves that went well. Use one entry per move and complete the same fields every time: date; fish moved, by count and description; source tank; destination tank; reason for the move; acclimatisation method and duration; water test results for both tanks that day; and follow-up notes on feeding, behaviour and losses for each of the seven days after the move. Those fields cover the fish, the journey and the week that follows, and they are the whole system. A shorter note that says only that fish were moved tells you nothing when a fish fades five days later; a full entry lets you line the timeline up and see where the story changed.
Why Each Field Earns Its Place
The date anchors everything, because test results, feeding notes and losses only make sense in sequence. Naming the fish moved, by count and description, matters in a shared tank where three similar juveniles can be confused: write the count out and the count back in, and note any fish that arrived injured or already thin. Source tank and destination tank sound obvious on the day and are not obvious a month later, when two moves have crossed and you are trying to work out which group produced a problem. The reason for the move shapes what you watch for afterwards. A move for overcrowding calls for watching feeding competition, a move to separate a bully calls for watching the fish left behind as well as the fish taken out, and a move after a filter failure calls for watching water readings above all else. Acclimatisation method and duration complete the handling picture: whether bags were floated, whether tank water was added in stages, and how long the whole transfer took are the details that separate a rough move from a gentle one when you compare outcomes.
The Seven Days After the Move
The move itself is rarely when trouble shows. Stress, bruised confidence and a place lost in the feeding order declare themselves over the following days, which is why the follow-up fields run for each of the seven days after the move. Keep each daily note short and factual: what food was offered and whether the moved fish ate, where they spent the day, any chasing, hiding or fin damage, and any loss, with the date. Feeding is the early signal to trust. A moved fish that comes forward and eats on day one and day two is settling; a fish that ate on day one and hides by day three is telling you the social picture has shifted. Behaviour notes should name tank mates where it matters, because repeated chasing by one fish is a pattern you can act on, while a vague note about stress is not. Record losses plainly, including a fish found dead with no marks, since recording no marks is itself evidence that points away from fighting and towards water or handling.
Reading the Log When Something Goes Wrong
When a loss does happen, read the entry backwards from the day of the loss. Check the follow-up notes first for a feeding drop or new hiding, then the water test results for both tanks that day, then the acclimatisation method and duration, then the reason for the move. That order follows the timeline a problem usually travels, and it stops you changing three things at once and never learning which one mattered. Compare the entry with the previous move of the same fish or from the same source tank if you have one, because a repeated pattern across entries is far stronger evidence than a single bad day. Keep the fields identical even when a move goes perfectly. Pet Passport in KinsLe holds those dated entries alongside the rest of a fish's history, so the comparison stays within reach instead of scattered across notebook pages.