Need tips on moving established 180

[Sophie-G]

I have to move a 180g established reef tank

sump, pump, and live rock (350lsbs), sand, fish, everthing...

How the heck do you do it???

I have to move it 1 hour away from my house...

[wachuko]

Pretty sure someone will chime in. But, I was this weekend at the LFS, there was a guy that arrived with 6 buckets full of stuff... he was going to do something similar and the LFS let him use one of their big tanks to keep everything while he finished moving his tank.

[carolinespine]

I dont know if this helps much but, I would sell the fish to the store or maybe they can give you a credit. Make sure you clean the sand or get new because its a sewage swamp at this point and the movement will stir all that up. Everything should be fine.... except your back!

[TheOtherReefer]

If you can find someone that you trust to help you pack and move you will save a lot of time and most of your creatures. Goal is to make the move as fast as possible. Less stress

[Sophie-G]

Originally posted by wachuko
Pretty sure someone will chime in. But, I was this weekend at the LFS, there was a guy that arrived with 6 buckets full of stuff... he was going to do something similar and the LFS let him use one of their big tanks to keep everything while he finished moving his tank.

That's what I was thinking of doing...Thanks

[Sophie-G]

How would I move allthe live rock...350lbs!

[cmejaf30]

Originally posted by carolinespine
I dont know if this helps much but, I would sell the fish to the store or maybe they can give you a credit. Make sure you clean the sand or get new because its a sewage swamp at this point and the movement will stir all that up. Everything should be fine.... except your back!

I would strongly disagree with the sand being "sweage swamp" at this point. I've successfully moved my 29g from Green Bay, WI to Bloomington, IN (an eight hour drive) in the back of a trailer and had no issue...I kept the sand in the bottom of the tank with about an 1" of water above it. Now, I know that that's not possible to do with a 180 and that much sand...you'd need a damn lift truck to do that! But when I set up my 55 that I have now, I got about 70lbs of sand from a guy that tore down a 120...i got two 5g buckets full of it that had been sitting outside in 35degree weather. I put the sand in a 20long tank and let that sit for about 4 weeks (as i was not ready with the 55 yet)...when I transfered the sand to the big tank, sure, there was a lot of stir up but once that settled I just siphoned off all the "dust" that settled and the sand is as good as new! I even had a lot of copepods survive the transfer and didn't even have to establish that population again.

As far as the livestock, most stores that are worth a darn will let you use one of their tanks as an intermediate while you move the equipment. If not, I know a guy that just got a bunch of the styrofoam shippers and loaded all his livestock in there...even "delicate" fish will survive a couple hours out of their environment while you move them.

That's about all...good luck with it all!

[NirvanaFan]

I am going to be moving my 75g in about a month or so. I've got it pretty much planned out.

I have a few rubbermaids totes, 5 or 6 five gallon buckets, and some coolers. First thing is to shut down all equipment and pack it up. I am going to siphon out most of the water and put it in the 5 gallon buckets. Then pull out all the live rock and bag the corals and put them in a cooler. All the livestock is going to be bagged up and put in the cooler. Then I'll net the fish and put them in bags and put the bags in the cooler. Then I'll finish siphoning out all the water. Then load everything up into the truck.

When I get to the new place, the tank will be set up and filled with the water from the 5 gallon buckets. The powerheads will be plugged in next. There will be both fresh RO/DI water and pre-mixed salt water at the new location. Once salinity and temperature are on track I'll float the bags of fish and corals. While they are floating, the live rock will be arranged. after the temp has stabilized in the bags, the fish will be put in the tank. Then the corals will be placed. After everything is placed, I'll top off the tank with heated salt water and/or RO/DI water as necessary.

After that, I'll hook up the sump, skimmer, lights, and all the other stuff. After it is all moved keep testing for a week or so for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate in case there is a cycle, and be ready to do water changes to bring them down.

[Tswifty]

When I moved I set up a smaller tank at the new place with a HOB filter, powerhead and heater, then came back packed up all my livestock and moved all the livestock into new "QT" temporay living space.

Then I returned and packed up my whole tank, this way I didn't have to rush myself when packing, and I was able to get my tank up and running and stable before moving all the livestock back into it. My livestock ended up living in their temporary space for about 3 days.

I don't know if this is an option for you, but it worked for me with no losses.

[Sophie-G]

Originally posted by Tswifty8
When I moved I set up a smaller tank at the new place with a HOB filter, powerhead and heater, then came back packed up all my livestock and moved all the livestock into new "QT" temporay living space.

Then I returned and packed up my whole tank, this way I didn't have to rush myself when packing, and I was able to get my tank up and running and stable before moving all the livestock back into it. My livestock ended up living in their temporary space for about 3 days.

I don't know if this is an option for you, but it worked for me with no losses.

I am going to have to to it all in one shot!

The seller is moving and I am getting a half decent price for the whole thing...

[Tswifty]

The hardest thing about moving is the livestock... do you have anyway of setting up a tank or unit for them that you can place them in when you return? This way you wont have to rush getting everything set up.

I like Nirvanafan's idea for the move, the only trouble is it will take the water a long time to heat up to temp. If you have a smaller tank set up at your place with good water (temp,sal,ph,etc)

When I say small tank, you can use rubbermaid containers with a heater in it just to house them while you set up. Because as soon as you get the fish into bags the clock starts ticking and temp starts dropping. So the faster you can have them out of bags and back into good water the better, even if they will be in cramped quarters for a little while it will be better for them and increase your chances for a no loss transfer.

Best of luck to ya!

[Sophie-G]

Originally posted by Tswifty8
The hardest thing about moving is the livestock... do you have anyway of setting up a tank or unit for them that you can place them in when you return? This way you wont have to rush getting everything set up.

I like Nirvanafan's idea for the move, the only trouble is it will take the water a long time to heat up to temp. If you have a smaller tank set up at your place with good water (temp,sal,ph,etc)

When I say small tank, you can use rubbermaid containers with a heater in it just to house them while you set up. Because as soon as you get the fish into bags the clock starts ticking and temp starts dropping. So the faster you can have them out of bags and back into good water the better, even if they will be in cramped quarters for a little while it will be better for them and increase your chances for a no loss transfer.

Best of luck to ya!

I have a 29g Biocube right now...

but it is getting full...hense the upgrade...

Can i leave them in bags floating...but I know it will be at least 1-2 days before i can add anything...Have to get all the water from my water guy in 5 gallon bottles...mix the salt...wait for temp to get up...

I may take the fish to my LFS as suggested above somewhere...

[Tswifty]

Sounds like the LFS may be your best bet... However I think a trip to HomeDepot and the $10-$20 for a large tote would be a great option if the LFS doesn't pan out. If you have an established tank already you can transfer some of that water from to the rubbermaid tub to help boost the water quality, similar to seeding sand with established live sand.

Anyway... like i said before good luck with the move!

[Setec]

I have actually moved a 180g from one side of Florida to the other. About a 10 hour drive and only lost 1 fish.

Here is what I did, and yes I reused the sand, but wish I didn’t.

Make up about 40-60 gallons of fresh salt water. Do not skip this step.

Get yourself about 6-8 large brute trash cans from Lowes/Home Depot. (if you don’t damaged them, I have heard you can return them )

Get as many 5 gallon sealable salt buckets as you can find. I had plenty saved, so was not an issue here for me. Your LFS may also have buckets/containers you can borrow.

Start by getting all of the rock that has life on it and get it in the buckets and covered with water. If the guy has coral, you may want to remove the larger colonies as they transport better off the rock or put them in their own bucket so you do not damage them.

Once all of the coral is out, set those aside and start pulling the live rock. We took and set the brutes in the back of a u-haul trailer (get the really big towable one and you will be fine) and we moved the rock in the 5 gallon buckets out to the trailer. Once the brute was full, we pumped water from the tank into the brute to cover the rock and then sealed the lid on to the can. After you get a row of cans full, don’t forget to strap the cans to the trailer as you do not want them to tip.

Now you should have an empty tank with about half the water and all the fish and sand.

Use the rest of the 5 gallon buckets to put the fish into. Keep larger fish by themselves as they use up a lot of the air in the water (may want to get a few portable air stones for delicate fish)

Once all of the fish are out, try to pull out any remaining inverts that did not come with the rock.

Now you should have only sand and water left. Pump the remaining water into a brute in the trailer. If you are going to keep the sand, scoop the sand into more 5 gallons or a large brute, then cover with water and seal, if you are not keeping the sand, try to get any life out of the sand, like snails, crabs, and fish that bury, save off about 10 lbs of sand and ditch the rest. (this is what I wish I did).

Now you have an empty tank. Get 4 big guys (no I am not kidding) and move the tank to the trailer. Now pump out the sump and you should be able to move the stand and all of the stuff intact without disconnecting anything other then the return/drain lines from/to the tank.

Now comes the hard part. You have now had the fish in buckets for about 2 hours give or take. You don’t want them in there to long without oxygen, so you want to move quickly.

Get the stuff home, and start to reverse the order. Stand, tank...

Check on the fish and aerate the water if needed.

Get the sand in the tank and start filling it with the water from the buckets that you saved.
If you got new sand, mix the new sand with the old sand to seed it.

Get the rock into the water. This may be harder then you think as there is going to be a lot of silt floating around, but the rock most likely has life in it and you do not want it sitting out all night. Also, you can rearrange it the next day if you find you do not like what you did.

All of the water in the tank and the fish should still be the same water, so go ahead and get the fish in the water.

Get the coral in the water

Fill the tank and sump with the fresh water and start your pumps.

At this point, you have probably spent about 6-8 hours and your friends hate you. So let them go home and you can finish the lights tomorrow.

Stuff I recommend having before you start.
4-5 really good friends
As many 5 gallon buckets as you can find. 10+ if possible.
6-8 brute trash cans. ( I like brute because the lid seals better ) make sure to wash them
40+ gallons of fresh salt water. The more the better as you will lose water.
A long hose and a pump. I used a Mag 9 and a water change hose. Go to Ace Hardware and you can get an adapter to fit the water change hose to the Mag drive.
A u-haul trailer (biggest you can tow)
If you have a wife, make sure to cover your carpet with plastic

Good luck because I promise you will need it and it does suck.

Hope this helps.

[Mare100]

Nice step-by-step guide Setec! I'm going to print that and keep it, as we are getting ready to move everybody from a 55 gal. to a 90 gal. This will come in handy as we are standing there saying....what do we do first? LOL!
M

[HellboundX]

subscribing....have to move my 120g in about a month

[SquidHC]

I just moved my 75g, and upgraded to a 125g in the process. Heres what I did.

1. At the place the tank is going to end up, a few days before your move, set up a 50g rubbermaid tub(or a few 35's) with a powerhead and heater. Fill with saltwater and let it warm up. If you have a lot of corals do a few of them.

2. First off, pack up as much of the corals as you can. Bag them carefully and pack them in something safe like a styrafoam box.

3. Take a strong cardboard box and put a 50g trash bag in it. Carefully remove your live rock, wrapping it in wet newspaper as you go. The rock does not need to be submerged to stay healthy, just keep it moist with the newspaper. Take your time here. I did this step in a hurry and lost a fish that was hiding inside some rocks. Found him dead in the bottom of the box a week later.

4. Now that your rock is out, you should just have fish and sand. Bag up your fish and pack them carefully just like you did your corals.

5. I throw away my sand if I need to move a tank. This is not always prefered cause theres a lot of critters living in your sand, but in the long run youll probably be better off.

6. Break down the tank and equipment and load it up. If your using a truck, try and put your livestock in your cab because it will stay warmer for longer.

7. When you get to your new place, begin to drip acclimate your fish to the temporary bins. As long as the peramiters are good you should be able to just set most of your SPS in there, acclimate your softies more.

8. Go ahead and start setting up your tank. Take this time to clean all of your equipment and buff out any scratches in your tank if it is acrylic. Dont be in a rush here. I had everything in my tub with some PC lights over it, one power head, and a heater for 8 days. I had no losses other then the fish that was in the rock boxes.

If you are going to have your tank broke down for more than 24 hours I would suggest setting up another tub for all your rock. You dont want it to dry out.


I know its a pain, but dont stress too much. Take your time and all will be well in the end. The hardest part about the move is taking care of any SPS on large rocks. You pretty much have to take the biggest frag as you can out of it and hope for the best.

Good luck.

[Sophie-G]

Originally posted by Setec
I have actually moved a 180g from one side of Florida to the other. About a 10 hour drive and only lost 1 fish.

Here is what I did, and yes I reused the sand, but wish I didn’t.

Make up about 40-60 gallons of fresh salt water. Do not skip this step.

Get yourself about 6-8 large brute trash cans from Lowes/Home Depot. (if you don’t damaged them, I have heard you can return them )

Get as many 5 gallon sealable salt buckets as you can find. I had plenty saved, so was not an issue here for me. Your LFS may also have buckets/containers you can borrow.

Start by getting all of the rock that has life on it and get it in the buckets and covered with water. If the guy has coral, you may want to remove the larger colonies as they transport better off the rock or put them in their own bucket so you do not damage them.

Once all of the coral is out, set those aside and start pulling the live rock. We took and set the brutes in the back of a u-haul trailer (get the really big towable one and you will be fine) and we moved the rock in the 5 gallon buckets out to the trailer. Once the brute was full, we pumped water from the tank into the brute to cover the rock and then sealed the lid on to the can. After you get a row of cans full, don’t forget to strap the cans to the trailer as you do not want them to tip.

Now you should have an empty tank with about half the water and all the fish and sand.

Use the rest of the 5 gallon buckets to put the fish into. Keep larger fish by themselves as they use up a lot of the air in the water (may want to get a few portable air stones for delicate fish)

Once all of the fish are out, try to pull out any remaining inverts that did not come with the rock.

Now you should have only sand and water left. Pump the remaining water into a brute in the trailer. If you are going to keep the sand, scoop the sand into more 5 gallons or a large brute, then cover with water and seal, if you are not keeping the sand, try to get any life out of the sand, like snails, crabs, and fish that bury, save off about 10 lbs of sand and ditch the rest. (this is what I wish I did).

Now you have an empty tank. Get 4 big guys (no I am not kidding) and move the tank to the trailer. Now pump out the sump and you should be able to move the stand and all of the stuff intact without disconnecting anything other then the return/drain lines from/to the tank.

Now comes the hard part. You have now had the fish in buckets for about 2 hours give or take. You don’t want them in there to long without oxygen, so you want to move quickly.

Get the stuff home, and start to reverse the order. Stand, tank...

Check on the fish and aerate the water if needed.

Get the sand in the tank and start filling it with the water from the buckets that you saved.
If you got new sand, mix the new sand with the old sand to seed it.

Get the rock into the water. This may be harder then you think as there is going to be a lot of silt floating around, but the rock most likely has life in it and you do not want it sitting out all night. Also, you can rearrange it the next day if you find you do not like what you did.

All of the water in the tank and the fish should still be the same water, so go ahead and get the fish in the water.

Get the coral in the water

Fill the tank and sump with the fresh water and start your pumps.

At this point, you have probably spent about 6-8 hours and your friends hate you. So let them go home and you can finish the lights tomorrow.

Stuff I recommend having before you start.
4-5 really good friends
As many 5 gallon buckets as you can find. 10+ if possible.
6-8 brute trash cans. ( I like brute because the lid seals better ) make sure to wash them
40+ gallons of fresh salt water. The more the better as you will lose water.
A long hose and a pump. I used a Mag 9 and a water change hose. Go to Ace Hardware and you can get an adapter to fit the water change hose to the Mag drive.
A u-haul trailer (biggest you can tow)
If you have a wife, make sure to cover your carpet with plastic

Good luck because I promise you will need it and it does suck.

Hope this helps.

Thanks very much for taking the time to type this out for me...this information if extremley helpfull and will make it alot easier...

You have helped us out more than you can imagine!

[Sophie-G]

Originally posted by Setec
I have actually moved a 180g from one side of Florida to the other. About a 10 hour drive and only lost 1 fish.

Here is what I did, and yes I reused the sand, but wish I didn’t.

Make up about 40-60 gallons of fresh salt water. Do not skip this step.

Get yourself about 6-8 large brute trash cans from Lowes/Home Depot. (if you don’t damaged them, I have heard you can return them )

Get as many 5 gallon sealable salt buckets as you can find. I had plenty saved, so was not an issue here for me. Your LFS may also have buckets/containers you can borrow.

Start by getting all of the rock that has life on it and get it in the buckets and covered with water. If the guy has coral, you may want to remove the larger colonies as they transport better off the rock or put them in their own bucket so you do not damage them.

Once all of the coral is out, set those aside and start pulling the live rock. We took and set the brutes in the back of a u-haul trailer (get the really big towable one and you will be fine) and we moved the rock in the 5 gallon buckets out to the trailer. Once the brute was full, we pumped water from the tank into the brute to cover the rock and then sealed the lid on to the can. After you get a row of cans full, don’t forget to strap the cans to the trailer as you do not want them to tip.

Now you should have an empty tank with about half the water and all the fish and sand.

Use the rest of the 5 gallon buckets to put the fish into. Keep larger fish by themselves as they use up a lot of the air in the water (may want to get a few portable air stones for delicate fish)

Once all of the fish are out, try to pull out any remaining inverts that did not come with the rock.

Now you should have only sand and water left. Pump the remaining water into a brute in the trailer. If you are going to keep the sand, scoop the sand into more 5 gallons or a large brute, then cover with water and seal, if you are not keeping the sand, try to get any life out of the sand, like snails, crabs, and fish that bury, save off about 10 lbs of sand and ditch the rest. (this is what I wish I did).

Now you have an empty tank. Get 4 big guys (no I am not kidding) and move the tank to the trailer. Now pump out the sump and you should be able to move the stand and all of the stuff intact without disconnecting anything other then the return/drain lines from/to the tank.

Now comes the hard part. You have now had the fish in buckets for about 2 hours give or take. You don’t want them in there to long without oxygen, so you want to move quickly.

Get the stuff home, and start to reverse the order. Stand, tank...

Check on the fish and aerate the water if needed.

Get the sand in the tank and start filling it with the water from the buckets that you saved.
If you got new sand, mix the new sand with the old sand to seed it.

Get the rock into the water. This may be harder then you think as there is going to be a lot of silt floating around, but the rock most likely has life in it and you do not want it sitting out all night. Also, you can rearrange it the next day if you find you do not like what you did.

All of the water in the tank and the fish should still be the same water, so go ahead and get the fish in the water.

Get the coral in the water

Fill the tank and sump with the fresh water and start your pumps.

At this point, you have probably spent about 6-8 hours and your friends hate you. So let them go home and you can finish the lights tomorrow.

Stuff I recommend having before you start.
4-5 really good friends
As many 5 gallon buckets as you can find. 10+ if possible.
6-8 brute trash cans. ( I like brute because the lid seals better ) make sure to wash them
40+ gallons of fresh salt water. The more the better as you will lose water.
A long hose and a pump. I used a Mag 9 and a water change hose. Go to Ace Hardware and you can get an adapter to fit the water change hose to the Mag drive.
A u-haul trailer (biggest you can tow)
If you have a wife, make sure to cover your carpet with plastic

Good luck because I promise you will need it and it does suck.

Hope this helps.

Thanks very much for taking the time to type this out for me...this information if extremley helpfull and will make it alot easier...

You have helped us out more than you can imagine!

[jhutton]

i am with nirvanafan - i moved from NH to TN and brought my tank it was a two day trip, backed everything up in coolers or 5gallon buckets, only the firsh and coral cooler had heat and air the whole time the rest i thought would stay warm being in the car, it was the first thing i setup when in my new home, everything survied the trip just fine