EEK! Double move!

bigevill1 · 04/18/2006, 01:02 PM

So I have to move into my parents house for at least a few weeks inbetween selling my house and closeing on a new one. The plan is to move everything into a kiddie pool in my parents basement while I have to stay there, but I am still not sure how long that will be. See we havent actually found our next house yet even though we are looking hard. So my question is: any advice on how to setup the kiddie pool to keep everything allive? I figure I will get the skimmer in the pool and set it in an milk crate to keep it seperate from the rest of the tank. I will also put a milk crate lined with nylon mesh screen to fill with macro algea to act as a refuge. other then that I will have about 6 powerheads and two 300 watt heaters, and the lights straddled across some folding chairs over the pool. Does this sound safe to all of you? I am gonna ship my few healthy LPS corals to friends houses, but just leave the softies in the kiddie pool with the LR.

bigevill1 · 04/19/2006, 08:53 AM

Nobody has any words of wisdom for me? I am super stressed out about all of this.

Craig Lambert · 04/19/2006, 09:08 AM

Sounds like a dissaster to me. I would tear down the tank, and sell the animals back to the lfs. Set the tank up after you move into a new house. That's what I did two years ago, and once the move got underway, I sure was glad I did. Moving your family, and utilizing your parents house in the interim is going to be a huge undertaking. I think you'll find that most of the people who move their tanks and critters are single. I know there are exceptions, but I think they are the minority.

In selling the house, you've probably had a nice build up of equity...just chalk up starting over as part of the cost of moving.

nccmike · 04/19/2006, 09:23 AM

I've seen my LFS hold some livestock for regular customers who had tank leaks and such, you could always ask.

andycook · 04/19/2006, 09:45 AM

I moved from one house to another. The move was only 15 miles. I left the tank to be moved after everything else was moved and setup in the new house. One day became two...three...a week... It was hard to find the time to get back to the old house to get the tank out of there. I wish I had sold the livestock and broken down the tank.

ratboy · 04/19/2006, 10:27 AM

When I was in college I moved my 90 reef every 12 months or so. If your corals/rock arent anything great then I would sell them off. If you have some nice rock and corals then its worth it. I cultured live rock in kiddie pools and other than looking bad they work great! I nested 2 together for strength and hung vho's over it. Huge surface area, lots of arranging space and CHEAP!! With the pools you wont have to worry so much about re-arranging corals and rock so they dont fall. (this is alway the loooonnng part for me after a move). Get the pool setup with 1/3 new mixed saltwater and get some pumps going on it. Then break down your tank by siphoning as much clean water out as you can. Put your corals and fish in the nicest water and rock sand in the dingy-er stuff. When you get to house #1 start aclimating corals/fish and drop your rock in the pool. Start adding corals/fish from your buckets and all the aged clean water. It is a big hassel to deal with after/during a move but 10 years later when you still have that pair of clowns and your prized frogspawns you'll be happy you kept it all.

ratboy · 04/19/2006, 10:31 AM

BTW saw horses work great for hanging lights temporarily over the kiddie pool.

bigevill1 · 05/18/2006, 11:33 AM

well, everything is in a 135 gallon kiddie pool in my parents basement. They have been there for over 3 weeks now and they seem to be very healthy and happy. Infact there is so much more swimming room in the pool I am worried that they will fight once confined to the 135 gallon tank they will all go into. Even the coral seem to be doing better in the kiddie pool. The fact that the water was 90% new in the pool helped them I am sure.

myakkareef · 05/18/2006, 11:46 AM

I did exactly as you have planned, except I just set the tank back up at my folks house. Things went smoothly. I did not take alot of time to aquascape or anything. I used lots of rubbermaid tubs to transport water, rock and inhabitants. I think it will work fine. Depending on how old your tank is you might take advantage of this time to cook your rocks as well. I wish I would have done this. Then I would have been stating with fresh rock when I setup in the new house. If you are confused about cooking process do a search to understand it more...

04/19/2006, 08:53 AM	#2
bigevill1 Big and Evil Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Schererville Indiana Posts: 2,427 Blog Entries: 5	Nobody has any words of wisdom for me? I am super stressed out about all of this. __________________ Evil will always win because Good is dumb. Current Tank Info: 210 gal mixed reef

04/19/2006, 09:08 AM	#3
Craig Lambert Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 2,897	Sounds like a dissaster to me. I would tear down the tank, and sell the animals back to the lfs. Set the tank up after you move into a new house. That's what I did two years ago, and once the move got underway, I sure was glad I did. Moving your family, and utilizing your parents house in the interim is going to be a huge undertaking. I think you'll find that most of the people who move their tanks and critters are single. I know there are exceptions, but I think they are the minority. In selling the house, you've probably had a nice build up of equity...just chalk up starting over as part of the cost of moving. __________________ "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will spend all day in a boat drinking beer." Current Tank Info: 75G Tank, 29G Sump, 100lbs LR, AquaC EV-180, Iwaki MD-20RT return Tunze nano streams 4X54 t-5/Icecap Ballast & SLR's 2x110 vho actinic

04/19/2006, 09:45 AM	#5
andycook Shai Dorsai! Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Urbana, Illinois Posts: 1,841	I moved from one house to another. The move was only 15 miles. I left the tank to be moved after everything else was moved and setup in the new house. One day became two...three...a week... It was hard to find the time to get back to the old house to get the tank out of there. I wish I had sold the livestock and broken down the tank. __________________ Look for me on UNTAPPD Current Tank Info: FW: 65g 20g 5g

05/18/2006, 11:33 AM	#8
bigevill1 Big and Evil Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Schererville Indiana Posts: 2,427 Blog Entries: 5	well, everything is in a 135 gallon kiddie pool in my parents basement. They have been there for over 3 weeks now and they seem to be very healthy and happy. Infact there is so much more swimming room in the pool I am worried that they will fight once confined to the 135 gallon tank they will all go into. Even the coral seem to be doing better in the kiddie pool. The fact that the water was 90% new in the pool helped them I am sure. __________________ Evil will always win because Good is dumb. Current Tank Info: 210 gal mixed reef

05/18/2006, 11:46 AM	#9
myakkareef Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Bradenton, Fl Posts: 1,570	I did exactly as you have planned, except I just set the tank back up at my folks house. Things went smoothly. I did not take alot of time to aquascape or anything. I used lots of rubbermaid tubs to transport water, rock and inhabitants. I think it will work fine. Depending on how old your tank is you might take advantage of this time to cook your rocks as well. I wish I would have done this. Then I would have been stating with fresh rock when I setup in the new house. If you are confused about cooking process do a search to understand it more... __________________ Scotty In My Spaceship, I am the Captain.. Current Tank Info: 90 Gal AGA Corner Bowfront, Aquactinics 36" Tx5 T5 Setup, PCI 1/6th Hp Chiller, Euro-Reef CS6-1, 2xLG 4MDQX-SC, All Plumbing Outside

04/18/2006, 01:02 PM	#1
bigevill1 Big and Evil Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Schererville Indiana Posts: 2,427 Blog Entries: 5	EEK! Double move! So I have to move into my parents house for at least a few weeks inbetween selling my house and closeing on a new one. The plan is to move everything into a kiddie pool in my parents basement while I have to stay there, but I am still not sure how long that will be. See we havent actually found our next house yet even though we are looking hard. So my question is: any advice on how to setup the kiddie pool to keep everything allive? I figure I will get the skimmer in the pool and set it in an milk crate to keep it seperate from the rest of the tank. I will also put a milk crate lined with nylon mesh screen to fill with macro algea to act as a refuge. other then that I will have about 6 powerheads and two 300 watt heaters, and the lights straddled across some folding chairs over the pool. Does this sound safe to all of you? I am gonna ship my few healthy LPS corals to friends houses, but just leave the softies in the kiddie pool with the LR. __________________ Evil will always win because Good is dumb. Current Tank Info: 210 gal mixed reef Last edited by bigevill1; 04/18/2006 at 01:39 PM.

04/19/2006, 09:23 AM	#4
nccmike Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 158	I've seen my LFS hold some livestock for regular customers who had tank leaks and such, you could always ask.

04/19/2006, 10:27 AM	#6
ratboy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 137	When I was in college I moved my 90 reef every 12 months or so. If your corals/rock arent anything great then I would sell them off. If you have some nice rock and corals then its worth it. I cultured live rock in kiddie pools and other than looking bad they work great! I nested 2 together for strength and hung vho's over it. Huge surface area, lots of arranging space and CHEAP!! With the pools you wont have to worry so much about re-arranging corals and rock so they dont fall. (this is alway the loooonnng part for me after a move). Get the pool setup with 1/3 new mixed saltwater and get some pumps going on it. Then break down your tank by siphoning as much clean water out as you can. Put your corals and fish in the nicest water and rock sand in the dingy-er stuff. When you get to house #1 start aclimating corals/fish and drop your rock in the pool. Start adding corals/fish from your buckets and all the aged clean water. It is a big hassel to deal with after/during a move but 10 years later when you still have that pair of clowns and your prized frogspawns you'll be happy you kept it all.

04/19/2006, 10:31 AM	#7
ratboy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 137	BTW saw horses work great for hanging lights temporarily over the kiddie pool.