moving

coryhupfer · 07/02/2014, 12:22 PM

well i think im going to be moving soon only about 15 20 minuets away and im wondering whats the best way to move my tank?im gonna be on the second floor at the new house.right now i have a lionfish,maroon clown,frogfish, engineer goby,a fire urchin and several corals in my 55gal what would be the best way to safely move my tank and all its inhabitants?

cjm5283 · 07/02/2014, 12:31 PM

I moved my 135g about the same distance in March. I took my fish to the LFS the day before and they held them for about a week to two until the tank went through its mini-cycle. As for the tank, I filled 5 gallon buckets with my live rock, sand, and some of the water. The rest of the water went in 2 brute trash cans filled 3/4 of the way. I did it in 20F weather so I had the heat blasting in the truck nearly all day for the loading, move, and unloading.

coryhupfer · 07/02/2014, 12:47 PM

alright that makes sense i figured that how i was gonna move the tank and water but wasnt sure about how i was gonna get my fish in there so quick or where i was gonna put them in the mean time. ill talk to someone at my lfs next time i go in and see if they will take in all my fish and corals temporarily so i can set my tank back up and get it ready to put stuff back in. thanks for the response

dkeller_nc · 07/02/2014, 12:52 PM

If you decide to do this (let the LFS house your fish for a while), remember that you must re-quarantine them before putting them back in your display.

Cymonous · 07/02/2014, 12:54 PM

+1 to dkeller. Once you let your LFS house your livestock, you are possibly exposing them to any diseases or parasites in their tanks.

thegrun · 07/02/2014, 01:03 PM

I would not reuse the sand if you have sand in your tank, it will contain a lot of trapped detritus that if released could start a new cycle, killing off all your livestock. Start fresh with dry sand (washed to remove the fines). Try to reuse as much clean water from the old system as possible to lessen the shock of new water chemistry on your livestock. Once the water from the old tank starts to get murky from stirred up detritus, don't reuse that water. Have plenty of new premade and preheated saltwater on hand to make up for the lost water. I would plan on pre-making 50% of your display tank's volume and have it ready for use. 5 gallon buckets with lids are your best friend for a tank move. Anything larger becomes very heavy to move, although for longer moves ice chests work well at maintaining water temperatures. You can use bubble wrap to help keep your rock with corals attached from being smashed against the sides of the buckets during transport. Start by filling two buckets 1/3 with water from the tank and then add the rock from the system to one of the buckets. Continue filling buckets first with water, then rock until you have removed all the rock. Save a couple of half full buckets of clean water from the tank for the fish. Once all the rock has been removed, the fish should be easy to catch. Some fish will burrow into the sand to hide so if you come up short on your fish count you may need to sift through the sand to find the missing fish. Once you have everything back at your home and the tank in place, first set up your rock. Try to minimize the amount of time the rock is out of the water. If aquascaping the rock takes you awhile, pour some of the saltwater from the old set-up on the rock to keep it wet. Once the rock is set fill the tank with all the old water and whatever new water is necessary. You can just dump the fish directly from the buckets into the new tank to prevent injuring the fish or adding stress to the fish by netting them. Then start circulating the water, get the heaters running and the rest of the equipment. Tank moves take much longer than one would first suspect. Plan on a very long day. Best of luck and keep us posted with your results!

coryhupfer · 07/02/2014, 01:13 PM

alright thanks for all the help i definitely plan on doing it after everything else is moved on its own day because it can stay where im moving from however long it needs to because we are just moving out of my grandmas house into a new one.but thegrun after setting my tank up that way would i be able to put my corals in or should i still bring those to my lfs to hold onto until my tank is stable? definitly will update when i start the process and when done

thegrun · 07/02/2014, 03:28 PM

As long as you keep your live rock in water so there is no die off there is no reason you can't add the corals right away.

shesacharmer · 07/02/2014, 03:36 PM

I moved a 75 gallon 2 hrs away in May. It took 11 hours from tear down to plug in. I washed my sand with a garden hose and reused nearly all the old water. Once the sand settled I put in the corals and released the fish. I didn't lose anything and though I had a diatom bloom my water parameters stayed fine. I did a 20% water change the following week and went from there.

Loganr888 · 07/02/2014, 07:20 PM

You guys have it easy I moved a tank 2100 miles from Colorado Springs to tampa florida it was a interesting move and I wish I would've done a thread on it It was during the late winter early spring months that's all I had really going for me I filled barrels up with tank water and made travel tanks with power heads heaters and air pumps connected to a inverter in a cigarette lighter port. Had to drive 31 hours straight thru... And a mad dash to set the tank back up in a friends garage.... Out of the huge catastrophe it was I only lost 1 flame angel.... Next time I'll sell all the live stock back to a store and restart

coryhupfer · 08/01/2014, 11:48 AM

alright still have a week or two before the move but wana make sure my plan is good. i plan on emptying out and reusing as much clean water as possible (gonna have a few buckets of fresh newly mixed water on hand for water lost).im gonna bag out all my fish and corals that arnt stuck to rocks(the ones that are on rocks will be put in a bucket with water from the tank).i take it i should just attempt to take all the sand out after i empty the tank and then just put new sand in(after washing it) when i get to the new location.after putting the sand in im gonna rockscape and add the water back.i take it the water will be murky after this should i put my fish and corals in right away or wait for everything to settle and cycle a bit before i put everything in?

thegrun · 08/01/2014, 01:03 PM

I would first place the rocks, then fill the tank 2/3 full of water, then use a long neck oil change funnel to add the sand which if washed well should not cloud the water much. Even if it does cloud the water I would add the fish rather than leave them in bags.

coryhupfer · 08/22/2014, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thegrun

I would first place the rocks, then fill the tank 2/3 full of water, then use a long neck oil change funnel to add the sand which if washed well should not cloud the water much. Even if it does cloud the water I would add the fish rather than leave them in bags.

Alright should I put the corals in too when I put the fish back.

thegrun · 08/22/2014, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coryhupfer

Alright should I put the corals in too when I put the fish back.

Yes, the corals can go in as soon as your rocks are arranged to your liking.

07/02/2014, 12:22 PM	#1
coryhupfer Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 79	moving well i think im going to be moving soon only about 15 20 minuets away and im wondering whats the best way to move my tank?im gonna be on the second floor at the new house.right now i have a lionfish,maroon clown,frogfish, engineer goby,a fire urchin and several corals in my 55gal what would be the best way to safely move my tank and all its inhabitants?

07/02/2014, 12:54 PM	#5
Cymonous My Clown Attacks Me Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Akron, OH Posts: 2,105	+1 to dkeller. Once you let your LFS house your livestock, you are possibly exposing them to any diseases or parasites in their tanks. __________________ 100 Gallon Long with 20L sump 10 Gallon Office Tank Current Tank Info: 2 False Percula Clowns, One Spot Foxface, Diamond Watchman Goby, Yellow Tail Damsel, Engineer Goby

07/02/2014, 03:36 PM	#9
shesacharmer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Central NH Posts: 1,241	I moved a 75 gallon 2 hrs away in May. It took 11 hours from tear down to plug in. I washed my sand with a garden hose and reused nearly all the old water. Once the sand settled I put in the corals and released the fish. I didn't lose anything and though I had a diatom bloom my water parameters stayed fine. I did a 20% water change the following week and went from there. __________________ 75 gal, LR w/refugium, 79 deg, PH 8.0, sg 1.025, amm 0/nit 0/nit 0, Calcium 420, dKH 8.3, mag 1300, Phos 0 Current Tank Info: A work in progress...

07/02/2014, 12:31 PM	#2
cjm5283 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 70	I moved my 135g about the same distance in March. I took my fish to the LFS the day before and they held them for about a week to two until the tank went through its mini-cycle. As for the tank, I filled 5 gallon buckets with my live rock, sand, and some of the water. The rest of the water went in 2 brute trash cans filled 3/4 of the way. I did it in 20F weather so I had the heat blasting in the truck nearly all day for the loading, move, and unloading.

07/02/2014, 12:47 PM	#3
coryhupfer Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 79	alright that makes sense i figured that how i was gonna move the tank and water but wasnt sure about how i was gonna get my fish in there so quick or where i was gonna put them in the mean time. ill talk to someone at my lfs next time i go in and see if they will take in all my fish and corals temporarily so i can set my tank back up and get it ready to put stuff back in. thanks for the response

07/02/2014, 12:52 PM	#4
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	If you decide to do this (let the LFS house your fish for a while), remember that you must re-quarantine them before putting them back in your display.

07/02/2014, 01:03 PM	#6
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	I would not reuse the sand if you have sand in your tank, it will contain a lot of trapped detritus that if released could start a new cycle, killing off all your livestock. Start fresh with dry sand (washed to remove the fines). Try to reuse as much clean water from the old system as possible to lessen the shock of new water chemistry on your livestock. Once the water from the old tank starts to get murky from stirred up detritus, don't reuse that water. Have plenty of new premade and preheated saltwater on hand to make up for the lost water. I would plan on pre-making 50% of your display tank's volume and have it ready for use. 5 gallon buckets with lids are your best friend for a tank move. Anything larger becomes very heavy to move, although for longer moves ice chests work well at maintaining water temperatures. You can use bubble wrap to help keep your rock with corals attached from being smashed against the sides of the buckets during transport. Start by filling two buckets 1/3 with water from the tank and then add the rock from the system to one of the buckets. Continue filling buckets first with water, then rock until you have removed all the rock. Save a couple of half full buckets of clean water from the tank for the fish. Once all the rock has been removed, the fish should be easy to catch. Some fish will burrow into the sand to hide so if you come up short on your fish count you may need to sift through the sand to find the missing fish. Once you have everything back at your home and the tank in place, first set up your rock. Try to minimize the amount of time the rock is out of the water. If aquascaping the rock takes you awhile, pour some of the saltwater from the old set-up on the rock to keep it wet. Once the rock is set fill the tank with all the old water and whatever new water is necessary. You can just dump the fish directly from the buckets into the new tank to prevent injuring the fish or adding stress to the fish by netting them. Then start circulating the water, get the heaters running and the rest of the equipment. Tank moves take much longer than one would first suspect. Plan on a very long day. Best of luck and keep us posted with your results!

07/02/2014, 01:13 PM	#7
coryhupfer Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 79	alright thanks for all the help i definitely plan on doing it after everything else is moved on its own day because it can stay where im moving from however long it needs to because we are just moving out of my grandmas house into a new one.but thegrun after setting my tank up that way would i be able to put my corals in or should i still bring those to my lfs to hold onto until my tank is stable? definitly will update when i start the process and when done

07/02/2014, 03:28 PM	#8
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	As long as you keep your live rock in water so there is no die off there is no reason you can't add the corals right away.

07/02/2014, 07:20 PM	#10
Loganr888 Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 13	You guys have it easy I moved a tank 2100 miles from Colorado Springs to tampa florida it was a interesting move and I wish I would've done a thread on it It was during the late winter early spring months that's all I had really going for me I filled barrels up with tank water and made travel tanks with power heads heaters and air pumps connected to a inverter in a cigarette lighter port. Had to drive 31 hours straight thru... And a mad dash to set the tank back up in a friends garage.... Out of the huge catastrophe it was I only lost 1 flame angel.... Next time I'll sell all the live stock back to a store and restart

08/01/2014, 11:48 AM	#11
coryhupfer Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 79	alright still have a week or two before the move but wana make sure my plan is good. i plan on emptying out and reusing as much clean water as possible (gonna have a few buckets of fresh newly mixed water on hand for water lost).im gonna bag out all my fish and corals that arnt stuck to rocks(the ones that are on rocks will be put in a bucket with water from the tank).i take it i should just attempt to take all the sand out after i empty the tank and then just put new sand in(after washing it) when i get to the new location.after putting the sand in im gonna rockscape and add the water back.i take it the water will be murky after this should i put my fish and corals in right away or wait for everything to settle and cycle a bit before i put everything in?

08/01/2014, 01:03 PM	#12
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	I would first place the rocks, then fill the tank 2/3 full of water, then use a long neck oil change funnel to add the sand which if washed well should not cloud the water much. Even if it does cloud the water I would add the fish rather than leave them in bags.