Will be moving soon need some advise?

Jason McKenzie · 09-06-2004, 05:15 PM

Well the condo is on the market, and we are looking for a house. We are not planning to leave the South Delta area but it will be a drive.

So I need some logistical advise on how to move my 75G 2 1/2 year old Reef.
Do I leave the sand bed in during the move? or do I take it out and kill it by cleaning it
Would it be best to just replace it with new.

How would you suggest I move each coral? Break it off the rock? or try and transport it on the med-Lg rocks I have mounted it on

What would you say is a safe "down" time for the Coral and fish to be in holding containers?

Thanks

Jason

reefman_MC · 09-10-2004, 04:28 PM

I say you should leave the SB in. You should try to transport the corals on the rock that they are on. If that is possible. I would suggest you setup a small aquarium at your new place and take the water in your current tank. Take all the corals and fish that will fit straight to your new place and put them in this small tank. The corals and fish should last 3-4 hours. After that the chances of life after acclimation are slim. If you could add pure oxygen in the bags they would last about a day. Make sure when you pack the corals and fish they are in complete darkness in their containers. I recently moved my tank four feet from one wall to the other and it took me almost 24 hours to get that sucker back up and running. I got no sleep at all for 24 hours. I still lost every critter I had during the small move. I would suggest once you start moving the tank don't stop until it's back together. You've got a job ahead of you. If I lived in Vancouver I'd come help out of pity, but unfortunately for you I don't.

Matt Rogers · 09-12-2004, 09:11 AM

I second the recommendation on pure oxygen. That really extends the time you can keep stuff in bags. A lot of lfs have that and should be cool on letting you fill your bags. Double bag everthing.

That's interesting about that coral on rock. Not sure what I'd do. Probably leave it on the rock and try to find some small styrofoam coolers that I could fit the rock in with some water.

If you just put the sand in a bag/bucket it should be fine still damp. That's all I did. Seems like a lot of people are swapping it out though if it's old.

When I stop doing other stuff and actually transfer my stuff from my hex to my 20 long I was thinking I would siphon most of the water out into 5 gallon bottles to save and the last few inches above the sand I would leave. Then I was going to stir the sand up and siphon the rest of the water out and toss it. Then put the sand in the bag or bucket to transfer to my new tank and since I have a bigger footprint with my new tank, I was going to add some new sand too.

Your stuff should be fine. As you know, I did a 2 day trip from NYC to Chicago. All was fine, even fish. Extra water in bag and room for pure oxygen was key.

hope that helps,

matt

JohnO · 09-12-2004, 08:36 PM

Jason,

When you are moving the rock work, make sure you check for large sponges. They often grow under rocks or around the back where you can't normally see them. If you find any, remove them and scrub that part of the rock.

I didn't do this on my last tank move and had to say bye bye to some animals :-(

John

Jason McKenzie · 09-13-2004, 12:53 AM

Thanks Guys Great suggestions. I will let you know when to book your flights.

J

JohnO · 09-13-2004, 11:43 AM

Jason,

I only travel first class, so I hope you have room on your credit card :-)

John

somethingfishy · 09-13-2004, 02:28 PM

If you can get a hold of some oxygen great. *If not go spring for some breathable bags they do work. *I would also bug you lfs for some stryo's and leave the coral on the rock. *I'm not sure how far you are planning to drive but I would buy some battery operated air pumps.

BTW, I go to a cichlid auction twice a year and I would say those fish are in bags for about 16 hours. The ones that don't survive are the one improperly bagged.

somethingfishy · 09-13-2004, 02:53 PM

Quote:

I would siphon most of the water out into 5 gallon bottles to save

Well I was think about what Matt wrote. *A wise man once told me that this should not be done. *Why you ask, what happens is without biological filtration the dissolved organics in your water will turn into ammonia. *Even though this water appears to be clean and free of fish wastes it isn't.

I also thought I would mention that it is a good idea to fast your fish for a couple of days.

Matt Rogers · 09-21-2004, 09:55 AM

Wasn't a problem for me.
SOme old water is better than all new water IMO.

BayNights · 02-11-2005, 03:10 PM

What's with all this bag stuff? My 125 gallon tank alone I've moved 7 times and counting. I rarely lose any fish in the move. Here's my #1 suggestion, don't use bags for the fish, live rock, or corals! Find some plastic lock-top boxes, they hold 10-15 gallons of water. You can buy them from target or you can pillage them from your local supermarket (hey, I know nothing about that...) Just make sure you rinse them with clean water. Fill them about 3/4 full with your aquarium water and put live rock and corals in one, maybe delicate corals in another, and fish in another. It's best to move them in the back of a truck because the lids aren't water tight, or at least put plastic down if you are worried about anything splashing. Don't worry about the fish splashing out on a bumpy ride, when the water gets choppy all the fish know to hang tight at the bottom of the bucket (based on fish farm experience with MUCH bumpier rides). Try to use as much of the original water and sand as you can. I've kept large numbers of fish overnight like this with no problems, just keep the temps close to normal and if you can, set a filter in the box or aerate it.