Moving and Need Advice/Suggestions

Seagars

Active Member
So i am moving into a new home and taking my 650s with me. please help me with the planning process and any advice, suggestions, or recommendations you may have. only moving some 5 miles away so it is close which makes it easier and difficult at the same time.
thank you in advance!!!
I do have a full reef tank with fish, coral and rock.
 

sacktheqb65

Active Member
Do you have an LFS that you use frequently? I would start by asking mine how much he would charge to move it for me!!

(He would probably be too high, so I would go with plan B)

Plan B, My LFS has TONS of old salt buckets that he uses to transport water and acclimate fish etc. I would borrow enough buckets that I could get all of the rock, coral and fish in them with enough water for them. I would refrain from trying to put too much in the same bucket and may not put fish in with coral/rock, just in case they shift during travel. Good luck catching it all!!!

Then drain the water from the tank. Then I would move the tank, then add new water to replace what I dumped.

I would replace the rock/coral in the tank.

If you have a great LFS, like mine they would actually keep your fish while you set the tank up and allow it to cycle again. If not, I would suspect that using a little of your old water, your old sand and your old rock would condition the water/cycle the tank pretty quickly and after a little acclimation time and temperature equalization you could probably add the fish at that point.

Anyone think anything different?
 

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
I've moved my tanks and livestock a number of times.

When planning and implementing a move the number one priority is your livestock - getting them packed up, moved, and back into the tank. Time is essential here.

When initially planning the move: think about the new location, how long it will take to move the tank (across the room, town, state, etc). Consider the new location: floor support, level, electrical needs, will there be stairs to deal with, etc. Anticipate issues/obstacles with the move: distance, stairs, are there obstacles in the yard, do you have enough friends to help with the move, etc.

Don't plan to move your tank on the day you are moving all the other stuff from your house. Have a day dedicated to moving the tank only.

Before the move, make a lot of new SW (in the new location), have the SW already to go, circulated and heated to the right temp. Have lots of extra SW b/c you may need it. If you have a QT or two, set them up and get them ready to move livestock into, this will give you time to set up the DT and not have to worry about the livestock suffering.

Items to have on hand on moving day are: heavy duty gloves (moving rock); nets; heaters; pumps; siphon; buckets; containers for livestock/rocks. Think about other items you may need.

Containers for the move: I've used ice chests for live rocks, corals, and fish (may need heaters/air stones for them). Action Packers for wet tank equipment (waterproof and have a lid), large plastic trash cans (Brute) to keep some DT water (w/pumps and heaters) and they have lids. Ziplock bags for random tank items. Boxes for all other random dry tank equipment.

Also before the move, think about what livestock you have, any special needs? Are you going to bag your corals? This helps with shifting and damage that can be caused during the move. What about your snails/seastars/etc. Think about what you have and how you are going to transfer them. What additional equipment are you going to want on hand: bags, rubber bands, styrofoam dividers, etc. Are you going to place all your fish in an ice chest (or 2) with water?

What will the weather be like? Will you need a few heat packs or heaters, due to cold weather? Or will you need to try to keep your critter cool due the hot weather. Maybe a little ice on hand is needed, placed in ziplock bags so it doesn't dilute the SW.

Will there be traffic on the roads? Rush hour? Or a sports event (or similar) that causes unusual traffic? Road construction? You definitely don't want to be on the road with your tank and critters in heavy traffic or congestion.

Take time to run through the move in your mind. Make note of anything that you may need.

This is only the beginning.....
 

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
Once the tank is set up in the new place....

Watch for a mini-cycle. If you used much of your old rock, sand, and water then the chances of a mini-cycle are lower. But if you used all new water with your old rock and sand you may see a mini-cycle.

By moving your rocks you are exposing them to air and disrupting some of your established bacteria. Yes, much of the bacteria in center of the rock should be fine. But, since you are disrupting the rock, there is a chance of having a mini-cycle happen. Just watch your ammonia levels in the tank once it is set up and prepare to do large water changes if you see the levels rise.
 

Dracko

Well-Known Member
Invite several friend to help with the move/setup. They do not need to know how to do anything but follow directions. Pay them off with pizza party or something. Lots cheaper than having someone else paid to do it, and they may help you with the rest of your move too. Who knows, they may get so interested they start a tank of their own.
 

Danreef

Well-Known Member
This is what my son did. He come back to Live at our home. He had a 40G tank FULL corals and fish and critters.

In his case he didn't move the tank.

He came home to setup a new 60 G tank a week earlier. The moving day, he placed all (rocks, coral, fish, etc) in buckets on the back of my SUV. Used 5g buckets with lids. Closed the lids to avoid leaking. Drove 1 1/2 hours to home (60 miles). The SUV at ~ 77 F . It was January 2015. Outside we only had a few degrees above 0 F. It was a very strong winter in MA this year. We where in the news with more the 6 feets of snow. Arrived at noon. His new 60 G tank was waiting. This time he left the tank bare bottom. Moved the rocks, arranged a landscaping he wated. Corals and fish still in the buckets. No heaters no air stones During the trip. At his arrival we dropped some heaters in the buckets. By around 5 PM he had all moved to the new tank. Then we setup the dosing pumps. A lot of LPS in the tank. There was NO cycle that we noticed. We didn't measured anything beside Alk/Ca to calibrate the pumps.

Now is July and no livestock was lost yet.

This was our experience and could be it helps.
 
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Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
This is what my son did. He come back to Live at our home. He had a 40G tank FULL corals and fish and critters.

In his case he didn't move the tank.

He came home to setup a new 60 G tank a week earlier. The moving day, he placed all (rocks, coral, fish, etc) in buckets on the back of my SUV. Used 5g buckets with lids. Closed the lids to avoid leaking. Drove 1 1/2 hours to home (60 miles). The SUV at ~ 77 F . It was January 2015. Outside we only had a few degrees above 0 F. It was a very strong winter in MA this year. We where in the news with more the 6 feets of snow. Arrived at noon. His new 60 G tank was waiting. This time he left the tank bare bottom. Moved the rocks, arranged a landscaping he wated. Corals and fish still in the buckets. No heaters no air stones During the trip. At his arrival we dropped some heaters in the buckets. By around 5 PM he had all moved to the new tank. Then we setup the dosing pumps. A lot of LPS in the tank. There was NO cycle that we noticed. We didn't measured anything beside Alk/Ca to calibrate the pumps.

Now is July and no livestock was lost yet.

This was our experience and could be it helps.

Haha -- what I got from this post is that this is a great opportunity to upgrade the size of your tank :yup:
 

Seagars

Active Member
thank you. i am planning on a complete separate day from the rest of the house move. not going far (like 5 miles or so) and easy ground floor to ground floor.
one question - at what point do i need to consider air pumps?
 

bluespotjawfish

Well-Known Member
Battery air pumps for the fish.

Temp control is the most important thing. Start as early in the day as you can.

Think about how heavy water and rock is and pack according to how much you want to carry. 5 gallon buckets, Rubbermaid containers, coolers, styrofoam boxes if they don't leak. A work blanket and lots of towels.

You can group corals by type. Zoas can be packed with other zoas, frogspawn with other frogspawn, etc. For such a short move don't spend too much time packing this type of stuff.

I usually save 50% of the water. Keep in mind that the water you transport corals and rock in will be dirty and I usually discard that water. If you think you will run short on water for the new tank, you can transfer them using 50% old and new water.

I try to minimize disturbance to the sand as much as I can during the transfer.

Have someone standing by who can move corals and fish while you focus on moving and setting up the tank with others. A/C at both locations. Ice packs too.

Using PRIME will help prevent losses if you do happen to have cycle.

5 gallon buckets with lids are great for water
Rectangular Rubbermaid containers great for rock, and they dont have to be covered by water, just wrap in moist newspaper and add a bit of water to the container too.
Various sizes of ziplock or glad disposable containers for most corals.
Clean coolers for fish makes it easier to use air pumps for them.

Any existing filteration pads or bags that you have, transfer them as well.

Enjoy!
 
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