how to relocate 125g tank?

[yuriy]

I am moving with my 125 g tank into new house where I have empty 200g tank ;125 full of hard corals ;any sugestions how tomove and not kill any thing?

[marcq]

Best way is to go as slowly as possible. If you are lucky enough to have possesion of both houses for a few weeks at a time, simpy start moving the water from the old tank to the new tank, let it settle then start transfering the LR and corals while rinsing them in tank water.

If you need to do this more abruptly, it is much dicier and die-off is a real possibility. There are a number of paths to consider:

1) have your LFS hold any prize livestock for 1-3 months while you get the new tank out of the initial cycle period.

2) save as much of the water from the old tank as you can, move as moch as the base LR and clean sand as you can, let the new tank stabalize over the course of 2 days to a week while holding the rest of the stock in several holding tubs (livestock feed troughs work very, very well for this: tough and relatively cheap).

3) short circuit step number two by setting up in new tank 1-2 days ahead of time with as much water from the old tank as you can manage then move the old stock over.

I did #3 recently. Fish did fine; no disease outbreak. Lost a pink cat's paw, an acropora and a mushroom colony. Not bad but not great.

Good luck,


Marc

[wickerj]

I'd get the new tank ready to go while you still have the old tank up and running. I would add new sand to the 200 and not bother with moving/disturbing the DSB in your 125. I'm not a fan of moving a DSB.

After you have the sand in add your saltwater. Wait a couple of days for things to settle down, test your water then move your rock, coral and fish and you should be good to go.