moving a 180 gal reef

jlinzmaier · 06/17/2008, 05:02 PM

Hello.

On the 27th of this month I'll be moving. I currently have a 180 gal reef with a 40 gal sump and 40 gal fuge. I've planned on moving for the last 18 months and I've thought through the process of moving my tank over and over again since we decided to sell. Just want to run my thoughts by everyone and be sure I'm not missing anything or could be doing something better.

I happen to have an empty 75 gal tank which is going to come in incredibly handy for my move. My plan is to take approx 40 gallons of water from the current 180 gal display and put it in the 75 gal tank at the new house. I'll have a canister filter, heater and a few powerheads set up in the 75 as well. All those empty salt buckets will also come in really handy. I planned to transport all the corals, fish, and LR in the 5 gal pails and put them in the 75 gal tank until the 180 is empty and ready to be moved. Once the 180 is empty I'll move it to the new house and get it all set up as it was previously. I won't be wasting any water from the 180. Everything will be packed up and put back in it when it's set up in the new house (maybe with the exception of about 40 gal of water for a good water change to ease the stress of the move on the corals)

The 180 is currently a bare bottom tank so I don't have to worry about disrupting a sand bed.

The move is only about 40 miles so the actual time of moving the entire reef and all the equipment I predicted to be about 2 days.

I don't plan to provide any lighting for the 75 since the corals will be in there for such a short time. I thought a canister filter would be beneficial to prevent any nutrient spikes related to stirring up detritus on the rocks, and a simple heater to keep the temp right would be about all I need while the inhabitants wait for me to set up their home.

Any other thoughts or suggestions???

Jeremy

jlinzmaier · 06/18/2008, 08:07 PM

Anything I missed or overlooked??

NanoGurl · 06/18/2008, 08:18 PM

It sounds pretty good to me. I just moved a tank that was a 75 and did something similear. I kept them in a stock rubbermaid with no skimmer just a few power heads and a heater. I also used existing tank water and I did not experience a spike or diatoms.

I think you're plan sounds good. GL!

jlinzmaier · 06/18/2008, 08:19 PM

Thanks for the reassurance!

Jeremy

NanoGurl · 06/18/2008, 08:25 PM

Yw =)

The biggest problem I think you'll have is the heat. Make sure you keep the temps stable and float the fish before you place them back into the temp setup. That's really the only thing I can think of that could cause a big problem.

06/17/2008, 05:02 PM	#1
jlinzmaier Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Edgar Wisconsin Posts: 2,094	moving a 180 gal reef Hello. On the 27th of this month I'll be moving. I currently have a 180 gal reef with a 40 gal sump and 40 gal fuge. I've planned on moving for the last 18 months and I've thought through the process of moving my tank over and over again since we decided to sell. Just want to run my thoughts by everyone and be sure I'm not missing anything or could be doing something better. I happen to have an empty 75 gal tank which is going to come in incredibly handy for my move. My plan is to take approx 40 gallons of water from the current 180 gal display and put it in the 75 gal tank at the new house. I'll have a canister filter, heater and a few powerheads set up in the 75 as well. All those empty salt buckets will also come in really handy. I planned to transport all the corals, fish, and LR in the 5 gal pails and put them in the 75 gal tank until the 180 is empty and ready to be moved. Once the 180 is empty I'll move it to the new house and get it all set up as it was previously. I won't be wasting any water from the 180. Everything will be packed up and put back in it when it's set up in the new house (maybe with the exception of about 40 gal of water for a good water change to ease the stress of the move on the corals) The 180 is currently a bare bottom tank so I don't have to worry about disrupting a sand bed. The move is only about 40 miles so the actual time of moving the entire reef and all the equipment I predicted to be about 2 days. I don't plan to provide any lighting for the 75 since the corals will be in there for such a short time. I thought a canister filter would be beneficial to prevent any nutrient spikes related to stirring up detritus on the rocks, and a simple heater to keep the temp right would be about all I need while the inhabitants wait for me to set up their home. Any other thoughts or suggestions??? Jeremy

06/18/2008, 08:07 PM	#2
jlinzmaier Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Edgar Wisconsin Posts: 2,094	Anything I missed or overlooked??

06/18/2008, 08:18 PM	#3
NanoGurl Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Earth Posts: 4,306	It sounds pretty good to me. I just moved a tank that was a 75 and did something similear. I kept them in a stock rubbermaid with no skimmer just a few power heads and a heater. I also used existing tank water and I did not experience a spike or diatoms. I think you're plan sounds good. GL!

06/18/2008, 08:19 PM	#4
jlinzmaier Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Edgar Wisconsin Posts: 2,094	Thanks for the reassurance! Jeremy

06/18/2008, 08:25 PM	#5
NanoGurl Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Earth Posts: 4,306	Yw =) The biggest problem I think you'll have is the heat. Make sure you keep the temps stable and float the fish before you place them back into the temp setup. That's really the only thing I can think of that could cause a big problem.