Help!

[BillNye]

Hello!

I have a dilemma and I’m hoping you can all help me figure out a solution. Today, I got a call from the leasing center telling us that in two months they will be coming in to repair the apartment from a previous accident (fire sprinkler). They will be ripping out cabinets, baseboards, carpet and of course… the flooring. They told me I'll be out for 1-2 weeks. This means I need to do something with my 125G and everything inside of it. Here are some options I’m playing with:

1. I have an old 20g vizio tank sitting in the garage. I was going to set it up in the one room they aren’t touching along with a 32G garbage can. Fill the trashcan with the tank water, live rock, power head, heater, skimmer. Run a return pump to the 20g and place my corals in there. Then move everything back once the apartment is under control.
2. Drain the main tank; hold the water and then refill in that second room (8-10 feet away). The reason I don’t want to do this is because I’d like to redo the plumbing while this thing is out.
3. I might be able to have someone hold all of my livestock but I’m not sure how reliable they are.

I’m open to any and all suggestions, as I want to make this as seamless as possible. What would you do?

BN

[Aframomum]

List of corals and fish?

Any respectable LFS that can maybe hold your stuff for the time?

Also, out means you will be out of the house for 1 or 2 weeks? Or just not able to use the parts affected?

[BillNye]

I will be out for that time and the tank will need to be moved from where it is now. I have an apex system to help control/monitor a temporary tank and I would be able to stop by at any time. I'm going to ask some local places if they would hold them and I might have a couple people that can, but I'd like a plan b.

Fish:
3 Damsels (getting rid of)
2 clown fish
4 tangs (blue, vlamingi, sail fin, yellow)
shrimp + emerald crab/hermits
Sifting Starfish

Coral:
1 Montipora
2 SPS I'm unsure of
3 Bubble Coral
3 Frogspawn
Acan Brain
Torch coral
Hammer coral
GSP + Zoas + mushrooms
Riterri Anemone came with the clowns

[oldpaddy]

I wonder if a 50gal drum or garbage can on wheels would work. You could place the light over the can if it's not too hot. I know a filled 50gal can on wheels is movable with water in it if it's on a even and smooth surface. The rock might make it too heavy to move though. I work on a large tank in a nursing home and do 50gal water changes every two weeks using a 50gal can on wheels.

[Aframomum]

My biggest worry would be having electricity cut off during the construction while the temps in your area are hot. But if thats not an issue then you could leave everything in the room not being affected.

Garbage cans would be fine for the rock, throw in a pump for circulation and use a light of some sort to maintain the rock.

I really like to use rubbermaid storage containers as they are long instead of tall so you can spread things out instead of stacking everything deep. Fish and some rock can go in one and the remaining rock in the other.

If the 20 is enough room for your corals without them waging chem warfare from being too close when open then definitely do that. The frogspawn, bubble, torch, and hammer I would keep an eye on as they can get feely with their stingers.

May also want to get some kind of filter that you can put some carbon to help clean up all the stuff from unhappy corals during this period.

I really feel for you as its not a fun thing having to temp. move everything but at least you have some time to prepare.

Mark

[strikerhawk01]

Why not just cover the tank like a black out, then stop by twice a week and feed, maint?

[BillNye]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Striker, I have to move the tank from where it sits now meaning I need to drain it and remove a lot of the rock/equipment.

Aframomum, I like your idea about the long container. Would this work? I was going to put the skimmer in the container as well for filtration.

[Icefire]

Get a big rubermaid, transfert your stock in it

Id the circuit breaker and tell them not to trip it

[BillNye]

Now, once I transfer everything in, will the rubbermaid cycle if I use the same sand, water and rock? Will it cycle when going back into the 125?

[thegrun]

I would not reuse or transfer the sand if the tank has been set up for 6 months or more, as disturbing the sand bed could stir up enough trapped organics to start a new cycle. If you transfer the live rock you should not have a cycle in either direction.

[Aframomum]

I actually left my sandbed in the tank with a small covering of water and used an airstone to keep it aerated. Of course this was on a 50 gallon so yours is a bit different since its a 125. I don't know how deep your sandbed is or if you plan to remove it from the stand or try moving the stand/tank as a whole unit with some assistance to the other room?

Regarding the Rubbermaid containers, I just used some large ones from Walmart and put some heavy boxes on the sides since they will bow out.

You should monitor your ammonia and nitrite levels for a few days after the move just to be sure but I would not expect any kind of cycle either as your rock's bacteria should quickly take care of it.

Good call on ID'ing the circuit breaker so it doesn't get turned off accidently during the construction.

[BillNye]

Originally Posted by thegrun

I would not reuse or transfer the sand if the tank has been set up for 6 months or more, as disturbing the sand bed could stir up enough trapped organics to start a new cycle. If you transfer the live rock you should not have a cycle in either direction.

Originally Posted by Aframomum

I actually left my sandbed in the tank with a small covering of water and used an airstone to keep it aerated. Of course this was on a 50 gallon so yours is a bit different since its a 125. I don't know how deep your sandbed is or if you plan to remove it from the stand or try moving the stand/tank as a whole unit with some assistance to the other room?

Regarding the Rubbermaid containers, I just used some large ones from Walmart and put some heavy boxes on the sides since they will bow out.

You should monitor your ammonia and nitrite levels for a few days after the move just to be sure but I would not expect any kind of cycle either as your rock's bacteria should quickly take care of it.

Good call on ID'ing the circuit breaker so it doesn't get turned off accidently during the construction.

My sanded is 1-2" and stirred weekly so I was thinking about just transferring everything. I would rather transfer all of the sand and live rock and then transfer it back into the 125G so I don't need to purchase new sand and deal with that whole mess. I will have some help moving the tank and stand so leaving sand and 3-5 inches of water isn't totally out of the equation.

Here's the 100G bin I'm planning on using to throw sand, live rock and livestock (maybe minus some bigger fish):

[moondoggy4]

I like the Rubbermade sumps like posted above that is what I used for my tank transfer. I would make sure that whatever pump you are using has a cover over the inlet of the pump so it will not suck any fish into it killing them.