help plz...15 days to move a tank!!!!

[godlyme]

ok all who have moved a tank ever!!!...what did u do right and wrong???im ditching my 46 gal tank when i move to my new house to upgrade to my 110 gal... i have a 15 day window from nov1-15 to do this switch......any ideas? what has everyone done wrong that they wish they could have easily not done?? or any special tips that worked well for u?? etc etc ANY help will be greatly appreciated....ps 35+ corals, 6 shrimp, 2 and a 1/2 starfish, 1 clown fish THANX!!! also if anyone loves to design systems..im trying to figure out how to set up my old 46 gal bow tank as a macro refuge... thanx mike

[ByTor]

Mike,

are you going to be able to have the 110 setup at your new place before you need to tear down the 46??

If so then there's no worries.

Setup the 110, fill with water adding about 10 to 15 gals from the 46 bow. (a good water change)
this will get things rolling, hook up a heater, some power heads to keep the new tanks water moving for O2 exchange.
Then the over the course of a few days or all in one day. Remove everything from the 46bow. Place it all into rubber maid tubs. Rock in one, corals in another, and fish in another.

you didn't mention how far you will be traveling from one place to another. if it's more than an hr. then I would pick up a battery powered air bubbler for the fish.

you could bag up each coral just to have a bit of a safety net incase one desides to bail. That way it won't pollute the rest.
Save as much water from the 46 bow as you can. To use in the new tank.
Also keep your LR in water. either all 46 bow water or mix it with some new..

I moved a whole 135 from Boston to PA in rubber maids, with now losses. Using rubber maids.

[ByTor]

Mike,

sure you can use your 46 as a fuge. You just need to figure out if you want it to be along side the 110, below, or above.

[Tagamet]

Originally posted by godlyme
ok all who have moved a tank ever!!!...what did u do right and wrong???
thanx mike

Since I've never done anything wrong, I have a very difficult time dealing with that part of the question (lol).
Seriously, all of the advice from Bytor is (of course) sage advice. I've moved two 120s and a 240 across states (the 240 was from Connecticut, but I drove *really* fast).
My rule of thumb, was to get as much as possible from the old tank into the new one - even the old tank's water. Live sand is a bit trickier, due to potential die off, so I generally just kept several pounds, used it as seed sand, and ditched the rest. None of my moves gave me the luxury of having a couple of weeks to make the change. All of them were same day moves (two days, if you count running way past midnight to finish the move).
This is really just a note of assurance that it'll probably be just fine, so don't fret (too much). You can take your time. It'll be fine.
HTH,
Tagamet

[godlyme]

thanx everyone....yes ther is sand..and im prolly gonna ditch most.. i am able to have the 110 setup first before i move the 46 into it. and it is a short 10 minute drive....thanx everyone so far!!!