Upgrading tank Moving corals

Jake007 · 03/03/2010, 09:20 PM

I am moving everything from a 2-3 yr 75 gal to a new 120gal this weekend. I have read allot of the moving posts for tips. I plan to move it all over in one day including the 1 inch sand bed and 80+ lbs of rock. I have likely 20 corals and 7 fish.

Q. For the corals if not attached to a rock, do I bag them separate in zip lock bags and store that way for the transition to the new tank? No special air of filtering needed.
Q. If attached to a rock (like many), do I try to remove with a razor or store on the rock?
Q. Fish, all in a tub with pump running and no lights?
Any other tips?

philneuss · 03/03/2010, 09:36 PM

Q1: Yes bag seperately, that way they wont come into contact with each other during the move. No air or filter needed.

Q2: Leave the corals on the rock for transfer.

Q3: Yes, what you said.

My points are only valid if the move isn't long and drawn-out!

Metal Man 1221 · 03/03/2010, 09:38 PM

moving corals and even fish in five gallon buckets seems to be easiest, what i did when i moved my tank was after i moved the corals and fish in five gallon buckets,i put them in a 35 gallon toat i had previously set up, i added tank original tank water and rock in and added a heater and power filter

Jake007 · 03/03/2010, 09:44 PM

I am not actually moving, just upgrading the tank. So it is all in the same house, the new tank will go in the same spot as the existing. So hopefully I can do it quickly except for the sand dust storm...

philneuss · 03/03/2010, 10:40 PM

It should go relatively smoothly then! Good luck.

J Nguyen · 03/03/2010, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metal Man 1221

moving corals and even fish in five gallon buckets seems to be easiest, what i did when i moved my tank was after i moved the corals and fish in five gallon buckets,i put them in a 35 gallon toat i had previously set up, i added tank original tank water and rock in and added a heater and power filter

I believe the easiest method would be what Metal Man had described instead of going through the hassle of bagging each one. When I upgraded my 55 to a 90 I put all the fish and corals in a 35 gallon rubbermaid with the original tank water, a heater, and a powerhead. I then transfered all the rocks into the new tank and added the sand and then i preceded to add all the livestock back in.

Good Luck

Jake007 · 03/19/2010, 10:55 AM

Feedback after the move.
Casualites:
Lost one firefish MIA, hid in rockwork never found.
Lost one solarensis wrasse,rrrrr, I think stress releated. Dead in the temp holding tank.
Lost one feather duster.

Changes I would make:
- Make a list of the corals and frags including what is attached to rockwork. I had allot of coral (tank was full and out of room). When I started to transfer stuff the water began to get more and more cloudy. I am sure I misplaced some frags and I know I put some rocks with corals attached on top of each other killing some. I had a 4 head ducan I almost threw out as rubble but stopped for a second after realizing what it was.
- Bag the small frags. See bullet above. Too easy to loose.
- Same comment for list of fish. Some will hide in rockwork and be undetectable. My midas blenny (cool fish) hid so well I had no idea what rock he was in or if I would ever see him again. Luckily he came out and did not get trapped with the new aquascaping.
- I had a plumbing bulkhead fitting issue after store hours and had to leave the fish/corals in the holding bin longer than I anticipated. Next time I would plan to have more spare storage containers and spare heaters just in case I need to extend the temporary holding area.

Thanks for all the advice. Glad it is done.....

03/03/2010, 09:20 PM	#1
Jake007 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 273	Upgrading tank Moving corals I am moving everything from a 2-3 yr 75 gal to a new 120gal this weekend. I have read allot of the moving posts for tips. I plan to move it all over in one day including the 1 inch sand bed and 80+ lbs of rock. I have likely 20 corals and 7 fish. Q. For the corals if not attached to a rock, do I bag them separate in zip lock bags and store that way for the transition to the new tank? No special air of filtering needed. Q. If attached to a rock (like many), do I try to remove with a razor or store on the rock? Q. Fish, all in a tub with pump running and no lights? Any other tips?

03/03/2010, 09:36 PM	#2
philneuss Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Idaho Posts: 59	Q1: Yes bag seperately, that way they wont come into contact with each other during the move. No air or filter needed. Q2: Leave the corals on the rock for transfer. Q3: Yes, what you said. My points are only valid if the move isn't long and drawn-out! __________________ 75 gal mixed reef, 20 gal sump/fuge, 6x54 watt T-5 lighting, Octopus NW150 skimmer

03/03/2010, 09:38 PM	#3
Metal Man 1221 FMMAS Executive Director Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Fargo ND Posts: 1,504	moving corals and even fish in five gallon buckets seems to be easiest, what i did when i moved my tank was after i moved the corals and fish in five gallon buckets,i put them in a 35 gallon toat i had previously set up, i added tank original tank water and rock in and added a heater and power filter __________________ "My advise is, always look at their aquarium before you take their advise. Because alot of people give advise and they havnt got a clue" ~David Saxby~ "Only after the last tree's cut and the last river poisoned only after the last fish is caught will you find that money cannot be eaten" ~Lamb of God~ Current Tank Info: 125g DT, 45g sump ---- 57g Illuminata, custom sump

03/03/2010, 10:40 PM	#5
philneuss Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Idaho Posts: 59	It should go relatively smoothly then! Good luck. __________________ 75 gal mixed reef, 20 gal sump/fuge, 6x54 watt T-5 lighting, Octopus NW150 skimmer

03/03/2010, 09:44 PM	#4
Jake007 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 273	I am not actually moving, just upgrading the tank. So it is all in the same house, the new tank will go in the same spot as the existing. So hopefully I can do it quickly except for the sand dust storm...

03/19/2010, 10:55 AM	#7
Jake007 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 273	Feedback after the move. Casualites: Lost one firefish MIA, hid in rockwork never found. Lost one solarensis wrasse,rrrrr, I think stress releated. Dead in the temp holding tank. Lost one feather duster. Changes I would make: - Make a list of the corals and frags including what is attached to rockwork. I had allot of coral (tank was full and out of room). When I started to transfer stuff the water began to get more and more cloudy. I am sure I misplaced some frags and I know I put some rocks with corals attached on top of each other killing some. I had a 4 head ducan I almost threw out as rubble but stopped for a second after realizing what it was. - Bag the small frags. See bullet above. Too easy to loose. - Same comment for list of fish. Some will hide in rockwork and be undetectable. My midas blenny (cool fish) hid so well I had no idea what rock he was in or if I would ever see him again. Luckily he came out and did not get trapped with the new aquascaping. - I had a plumbing bulkhead fitting issue after store hours and had to leave the fish/corals in the holding bin longer than I anticipated. Next time I would plan to have more spare storage containers and spare heaters just in case I need to extend the temporary holding area. Thanks for all the advice. Glad it is done.....