Moving.... need advice...

[snowroach]

Hi all, On August 31st our lease is up on our apartment and my girlfriend and I will be moving in with her sister and brother in-law.

The good-
Cheaper rent (=more fish stuff :D )
House, not an apartment

The bad-
I have to move the fish tank :eek2: :eek2: :eek2: !!!

Ok, so luckily its small (30g) but it isn't going to be fun. I know that much. What is the best way to move the tank and all the coral and fish? Should I bag everything separately or get some Rubbermaid containers and stick everything in there?

The move is across town so it’s not far, maybe 8-10 minute drive. Also I think I’m going to stick everything in some containers at the house when I first get it there to give my tank a good cleaning and I’m planning on drilling for a overflow while I’m at it.

And one other thing is I have a choice when to move it. I could do it a couple of days before we move or it would be the very last thing I move. What would be better? I think I'm leaning towards moving it before.

So every one knows this is what is in my tank as of now-

Fish-
Clownfish
Damsel

Coral-
Xenia
Digitata
Zoas
Mushrooms
GSP
Ricordia
Pavona

Inverts-
Cleaner Shrimp
Hermits and snails

4" DSB
~35# live rock

Thanks!

[brettzki]

Chris, if you want you can put your things in one of my tanks 'till your done getting your tank ready. Moving sucks, not two ways about it ... you should be fine with a rubber maid container, from what i've heard though you don't want your live items away from circulated water for more than 3 hours ... so if this is true try to make it as quick as possible or like i said you can store your stuff here while you transition your tank, talk to you later.

[thereefgeek]

If you're moving across town or to the other side of the living room, it's still a big pain! 5 gallon buckets and Rubbermaid containers are the ticket. If the fish are in the container for too many hours, consider a cheap battery powered air pump, especially if you're going to take the time to drill the glass before you set it all back up. Otherwise, once you get all the livestock near an electrical outlet, run a powerhead in each of the containers while you work. Try not to stir the sand too much, if at all. If you leave the sand in the bottom with a tiny bit of water to cover it, it'll recover from the move a lot faster, but you'll need a couple of strong buddies to help lift the tank, sand, and water all at once. If you have some water made up ahead of time, you can dump some of the old tank water before you set it back up. Also, remember it's getting hot in the afternoon. Think about starting real early in the morning so your animals AND you stay cool during this stressful event. Good luck!

[Bamm Bamm]

took me 18hours to swap my 55 and 46 INTO The new 90g yesterday still not done though.. I hate moving stuff and everything was even in the same room..

[wombat2]

Drain all your water out first. That way your water is nice and clear, and stirring up the sand when you remove the rock won't make a huge dust storm. If you get a large 40 gallon rubbermaid you can put it in a truck then move stuff in a little at a time in 5 gallon buckets. It's best if you can keep everything in one large container. You can probably leave your SB undisturbed.

Matt

[waterdevil1]

When you guys are done come on over to Karens house and help move a 6g, 30g, 47g and a 125 with a 40gal sump. by the way three of then are full REEF tanks.

[CaptiveReefSystems]

Dan, when is Karen moving. I will help if I am in town.

[brettzki]

We'll be moving our 55, 180, 20, and 10 in august ... just shoot me!

[racrumrine]

Be careful with disturbing the sandbed.

I moved a 25 gallon tank about 15 minutes away. Within 2 weeks 2 out of 5 fish died.

Even though I had removed almost all the water, the sandbed totally slooshed around during the move due to liquidfaction. The best we can figure is that it later released a lot of crap back into the water.

If it were me, I would temporarily move the livestock to a QT/Hospital tank while you're waiting for everything to settle back down in the main tank. Once your satisfied, you can calmly transfer everything back into the main tank.

Best of luck,

Roy

[waterdevil1]

Hi Roy, this is not our first time. Im replacing this sand bed with all the stuff in my junk tank, the important think is to have plenty of pre-mix saltwater on hand to do two to three water changes in the first two to three weeks to remove all the chemicals from the Corals and sand/liverock.

[thereefgeek]

Originally posted by waterdevil1
When you guys are done come on over to Karens house and help move a 6g, 30g, 47g and a 125 with a 40gal sump. by the way three of then are full REEF tanks.

Yeah, we might have to thin out the livestock a bit so it's not quite so heavy. Just have the beers on ice...:beer:

[robertloop]

Thought I would throw in...... Do not put rocks in with the fish while moving. I did this one time thinking that if they had a place to hide it would mean less stress. WRONG! Hindsite is 20/20.. the rocks do not stay put while driving.. I ended up with an injured fish. Also....... after the move. Get ready for water changes and watch the chemicals closely. (nitrates ect) you will probably encounter a mini cycle! Keep an eye on things closely for a month or two after the move!

[robertloop]

Thought I would throw in...... Do not put rocks in with the fish while moving. I did this one time thinking that if they had a place to hide it would mean less stress. WRONG! Hindsite is 20/20.. the rocks do not stay put while driving.. I ended up with an injured fish. Also....... after the move. Get ready for water changes and watch the chemicals closely. (nitrates ect) you will probably encounter a mini cycle! Keep an eye on things closely for a month or two after the move!