HELP! Moving Tank and such...

[Coraljunkie]

I pretty much have a decent plan on moving my tank but I have 2 Leopard wrasses and I'm not sure how to move these 2. I know they say not to dig them up from the sand but what if they bury themselves when I try to catch them? I was planning on emptying most of the water from the tank but leaving the sand in. If I keep them in the sand won't that crush them with not having any water in there or even with with an inch or two of water?

 

[DaveK]

As part of moving the tank, your going to have to catch them one way or another. They will suffer less damage doing that than they will if you leave them buried in the sandbed.

For a move you want to remove all the water and all the sand. Sand can really shift during a move, so will any water.

While we are on the subject, during a move you usually want to replace the sandbed, especially if the tank has been set up any length of time. You can save a few handfuls of old sand to seed the new.

 

[Coraljunkie]

Thanks Dave, I did not know that. Maybe it's a good time to upgrade a little. If I were to go to a 75g and use new sand but keep the same water and rocks would I have a cycle issue on my hands?

 

[Oxylebius]

If you are using the same rock, make sure the rock stays nice and moist while out of the water. Look for a mini-cycle to occur with the new set up. This usually happens as some die off will likely occur. But, if the rock stayed nice and moist, then you will likely have kept enough bacteria to handle any cycling that occurs in the new tank. The more bacteria that survived, the likely the cycle will be minimum.

Agree to take all fish out of the tank when moving. There is much crude that can build up in the sand and you do want to release it in the water where you are keeping your fish.

 

[DaveK]

Thanks Dave, I did not know that. Maybe it's a good time to upgrade a little. If I were to go to a 75g and use new sand but keep the same water and rocks would I have a cycle issue on my hands?

If your moving a fairly short distance, moving can be a good time to upgrade, That way you can set up the new tank and have it all ready to receive your livestock. Also, you will not have to move the tank on moving day and you will not be rushing to get it all done.