Need advice moving cross country... YIKES :(

platax88 · 08/06/2009, 03:07 PM

Hi! We have decided to move from Nashville TN back to Orlando FL and i have decided to keep my 180gal mixed reef and all lifestock. The trip will span over two days and one night. Here's my plan so far. Please play devil's advocate and let me know what you think.

- I will have (5) 27 gallon thick-walled containers with lids, transferring ~100 gal. of my system's water. This will be transported in the u-haul since temperature is not a concern.

- My rock (3 pillars) and life-stock will be transferred in a 100gal Rubermaid stock tank ~70 gals. I need to find a way of covering the stock tank to prevent water splashing out with the motion of the vehicle and slight hilly terrain. I really wish they made a lid to this. I'm thinking of a blue tarp duct taped to the edges with a cut-out in the middle for oxygen exchange and maintenance. i will also drop in a fresh bag of carbon.

- An 800 watt power inverter will power my ACJR, a heater, a fan, a Koralia 4 Mod and my skimmer in the stock tank while the SUV is in motion. This ACJR should be able keep temperature rock-solid as it does currently. The powerhead and MSX EX-250 skimmer should provide plenty of gas exchange and keep pollution down.

- I have purchased a 35 Ah AGM Sealed Lead Acid Battery which will hook-up to the inverter which should have enough juice to run the Koralia powerhead overnight while the car is off. No temperature control should be needed at night.

- The fish will not be fed 2 days before the move. Frags will be placed in storage containers with holes. Colonies will be strategically placed to avoid stinging.

What do you guys think of this plan? My only concern is the stock tank spilling water everywhere without a lid... any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

Macimage · 08/06/2009, 08:59 PM

I would not put the fish in with the live rock. The motion of the car/truck will probably throw them around quite a bit and they may hit themselves on the rock or worst, the rock may tumble on them.

I would not put holes in the coral storage containers, again due to water loss. Corals are shipped every day and they don't need the holes. Corals should be individually bagged to guard against damage. If you put them all in the storage container, they may hit each other and break. You can bag them and get those large styrofoam boxes from the fish stores. Our lfs throws lots of them out that they get their coral shipments in.

I think you will have more water loss with the stock tank than you think. I would probably purchase more storage totes with lids for the rock and a separate one or two (solid color, not the semi opaque ones) for the fish.

Good luck!
Joyce

platax88 · 08/06/2009, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Macimage
I would not put the fish in with the live rock. The motion of the car/truck will probably throw them around quite a bit and they may hit themselves on the rock or worst, the rock may tumble on them.

I would not put holes in the coral storage containers, again due to water loss. Corals are shipped every day and they don't need the holes. Corals should be individually bagged to guard against damage. If you put them all in the storage container, they may hit each other and break. You can bag them and get those large styrofoam boxes from the fish stores. Our lfs throws lots of them out that they get their coral shipments in.

I think you will have more water loss with the stock tank than you think. I would probably purchase more storage totes with lids for the rock and a separate one or two (solid color, not the semi opaque ones) for the fish.

Good luck!
Joyce

Thanks Joice,

The rock is all attached with acrylic rods as pillars so i am not too worried about it tumblling or moving much. There are 3 pillars in total. The food storage containers will go in the stock tank to keep them seperated and safe. The holes are to allow circulation in them.

I am really starting to worry about the water loss with the stock tank as you mentioned. I kinda wanted to keep ALL the lifestock in one container so i have one environment to regulate with the equipment. Thats why i was thinking of the large stock tank. Maybe i can find a bigger container with a lid.

08/06/2009, 03:07 PM	#1
platax88 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Clermont, FL Posts: 1,961	Need advice moving cross country... YIKES :( Hi! We have decided to move from Nashville TN back to Orlando FL and i have decided to keep my 180gal mixed reef and all lifestock. The trip will span over two days and one night. Here's my plan so far. Please play devil's advocate and let me know what you think. - I will have (5) 27 gallon thick-walled containers with lids, transferring ~100 gal. of my system's water. This will be transported in the u-haul since temperature is not a concern. - My rock (3 pillars) and life-stock will be transferred in a 100gal Rubermaid stock tank ~70 gals. I need to find a way of covering the stock tank to prevent water splashing out with the motion of the vehicle and slight hilly terrain. I really wish they made a lid to this. I'm thinking of a blue tarp duct taped to the edges with a cut-out in the middle for oxygen exchange and maintenance. i will also drop in a fresh bag of carbon. - An 800 watt power inverter will power my ACJR, a heater, a fan, a Koralia 4 Mod and my skimmer in the stock tank while the SUV is in motion. This ACJR should be able keep temperature rock-solid as it does currently. The powerhead and MSX EX-250 skimmer should provide plenty of gas exchange and keep pollution down. - I have purchased a 35 Ah AGM Sealed Lead Acid Battery which will hook-up to the inverter which should have enough juice to run the Koralia powerhead overnight while the car is off. No temperature control should be needed at night. - The fish will not be fed 2 days before the move. Frags will be placed in storage containers with holes. Colonies will be strategically placed to avoid stinging. What do you guys think of this plan? My only concern is the stock tank spilling water everywhere without a lid... any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

08/06/2009, 08:59 PM	#2
Macimage Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Quartz Hill Posts: 4,078	I would not put the fish in with the live rock. The motion of the car/truck will probably throw them around quite a bit and they may hit themselves on the rock or worst, the rock may tumble on them. I would not put holes in the coral storage containers, again due to water loss. Corals are shipped every day and they don't need the holes. Corals should be individually bagged to guard against damage. If you put them all in the storage container, they may hit each other and break. You can bag them and get those large styrofoam boxes from the fish stores. Our lfs throws lots of them out that they get their coral shipments in. I think you will have more water loss with the stock tank than you think. I would probably purchase more storage totes with lids for the rock and a separate one or two (solid color, not the semi opaque ones) for the fish. Good luck! Joyce Last edited by Macimage; 08/06/2009 at 09:04 PM.