Moving your Tank... Good or Bad

[Aquattro]

How big is the tank?

[Proteus]

Should also mention try not to stir up sand to much until livestock is out. If you do you can stir up some nasties which will stress livestock

[ScubaSteve]

I've helped a buddy of mine (who's a member on the boards here) move his tank 10 times. Seriously. 10 times!

It's pretty straight forward:

Don't rush, but don't dilly dally.

Been methodical so you don't crush your favourite coral or squish that fish.

If you can, keep the water buckets warm with heaters. If not, don't stress about it; they can get cold (to a certain degree). You only only run into problems if the temperature increases or decreases too quickly.

Don't seal off the buckets so that air can still diffuse into the water.

Try to keep as much of the old water as possible to reduce shock to the system with regards to water parameters.

As Proteus mentioned, don't stir the sand until the very end. My buddy and I drain the tank (with all livestock and rocks removed) until there is maybe 1 cm of water left (or how ever much you can manage to get out). Then swish the frig out of the sand and clean that stuff good! My buddy swears by it. It's like hitting the reset button on the tank.

You WILL have a small cycle and you will loose some 'pods. If you have fish like mandarins (which rely on the fauna in the rocks to survive) you should re-home them, if only temporarily, unless you can supplement their diet - otherwise they starve and that's not fun.

[intarsiabox]

Have a bunch of premade salt water at the new house before you move the old tank. I just used Rubbermaid totes to put my rock and coral in and added enough water to keep them submerged. Don't get really large totes as they get heavy fast when full of water and rock. If possible set up a holding tank to store the rock and coral at your rental place then you can take your time moving the old tank, getting it set up and cleaned before transporting the livestock. I don't know if a retail store could help you any better than just a friends second set of hands to carry the heavy stuff.

[seasalt_newbies]

Originally Posted by Proteus

Should also mention try not to stir up sand to much until livestock is out. If you do you can stir up some nasties which will stress livestock

Thank you, I will try to remove everything with as little disturbance as possible. When the time comes.

Originally Posted by ScubaSteve

I've helped a buddy of mine (who's a member on the boards here) move his tank 10 times. Seriously. 10 times!

It's pretty straight forward:

Don't rush, but don't dilly dally.

Been methodical so you don't crush your favourite coral or squish that fish.

If you can, keep the water buckets warm with heaters. If not, don't stress about it; they can get cold (to a certain degree). You only only run into problems if the temperature increases or decreases too quickly.

Don't seal off the buckets so that air can still diffuse into the water.

Try to keep as much of the old water as possible to reduce shock to the system with regards to water parameters.

As Proteus mentioned, don't stir the sand until the very end. My buddy and I drain the tank (with all livestock and rocks removed) until there is maybe 1 cm of water left (or how ever much you can manage to get out). Then swish the frig out of the sand and clean that stuff good! My buddy swears by it. It's like hitting the reset button on the tank.

You WILL have a small cycle and you will loose some 'pods. If you have fish like mandarins (which rely on the fauna in the rocks to survive) you should re-home them, if only temporarily, unless you can supplement their diet - otherwise they starve and that's not fun.

So many different opinions on using old water or using new water. Same as sand.
I will look into getting some more totes when I start

Originally Posted by intarsiabox

Have a bunch of premade salt water at the new house before you move the old tank. I just used Rubbermaid totes to put my rock and coral in and added enough water to keep them submerged. Don't get really large totes as they get heavy fast when full of water and rock. If possible set up a holding tank to store the rock and coral at your rental place then you can take your time moving the old tank, getting it set up and cleaned before transporting the livestock. I don't know if a retail store could help you any better than just a friends second set of hands to carry the heavy stuff.

Yes when I bought my rock the totes got heavy very fast great advice.

[Aquattro]

As for water, new or old is fine, as long as it's a close match. Old water doesn't have anything in it you need other than the critters are used to it. If you do regular water changes, using all new water is just like a really big water change. If it's easier to have new water waiting, do that. If it's easier to keep the old stuff, then go that route.

[Madreefer]

All great advice. Your set. Good luck.
Only thing I might add is to not try to move the tank or sump with anyting in it. You can break the seal. I did that to a 90g

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Madreefer

Only thing I might add is to not try to move the tank or sump with anyting in it. You can break the seal. I did that to a 90g

Really? I moved my 75 full, minus the water. Fastest move ever

[Madreefer]

It was by myself and was just full of sand. I may have twisted it a bit. I had to lift it up from ground up 4'. Thought it was easier than pulling the wife away from Greys Anatomy. Now I have to reseal. Putting up with her rolling her eyes would have been the better choice

[sirruckus]

I recently bought a 55gallon full set up, and learned from that and improved when I bought another 90 gallon set up.

My best advice on my own experiences:

1.)Van would be best - if not truck - if truck, keep all temperature sensitive items inside the cabin

2.)get 5 gallon buckets, go to home depot, have 6 of them on hand

OR

if the situation allows you to have a submerssible pump with about 50' of vinyl tubing, you can get away with a couple buckets.

3.) have rubbermaid containers to store your water and live rock - the HUGE ones aren't good because they start to bow out - consider ones without any holes at the handle locations, and a lid

either pump water from your tank down into your holding containers in your vehicle or run 5 gallon buckets of water out there and fill it up that way.

4.) Keep first bucket(s) dedicated to live stock and corals ( I learned this the hard way, and feel like an idiot) on hand for the end.

5.) take live rock out and put into holding containers in the vehicle via 5 gallon pales with some water in them

6.) have corals in their own bags if possible and kept in a 5 gallon dedicated pale

7.) you could bag each fish - or put them in one dedicated container if compatible and not over stocked

8.) now you can take the hardware down

9.) o.k. to not take some of the water from original set up, consider it a water change.

10.) get home as fast as possible, put heaters and powerhead into buckets if safe that have live stock in them.

11.) now go through steps backwards, except introduce your fish and corals at the end.

From Central Calgary to Okotoks at night - took about 3-4 hours to take down, and set up. My goal was to keep the fish in the original tank as long as possible, and get them water movement and stable heat as fast as possible once home.


that or you can hire people to do it for you - heard of one guy doing it for $250 in calgary

total time to tear down, and set up a new tank