Moving Advice

[glblguy]

Need some advice.

We're moving in 2 weeks to a home about 3 1/2 hours away. Our movers will be here one day, we'll then drive to our new town spend the night at a hotel, close on the house the next morning and and meet the movers at the house that afternoon to move in.

I need to move my 75g reef tank and looking for any suggestions/advice you may have on the best way to do this. Here's what I am planning thus far:

The day the movers arrive:

* Remove live rock and place in foam coolers. Wrap with newspaper and and put a few inches of tank water in the bottom.
* Catch livestock and place in bags. Separating them as needed (crabs in one bag, snails in another, etc.). Place bags in cooler to keep temperature stable.
* Drain water into 5g plastic containers (10-15 of them)
* Leave sand bed in the tank just covered with water. Cover with saran wrap and transport it in my Expedition.

The day we close:
* Set-up tank, pour water from containers into the tank, add rock and then livestock.
* Install heater, skimmer, etc and get in running.
* Set-up RO/DI filter and get it making water so I can do a partial water change the next day.

Questions:

* Will my fish/corals be ok in bags overnight? If so, what's the max time?
* Will the newspaper and a little water in the bottom of the foam coolers be enough for my live rock?

Any thoughts, advise, suggestions for containers, etc, etc would be most appreciated. I'd really like to make this move without losing any livestock/rock, etc.

Thanks!

[Iraf]

Fish SHOULD be ok same with corals

Rock will have die off unless it's totally submerged though, when I had to move I used 5g home depot buckts, put rock as much rock in them as you can handle then fill with enough water to keep them submerged

[glblguy]

Originally Posted by Iraf

I used 5g home depot buckts, put rock as much rock in them as you can handle then fill with enough water to keep them submerged

Didn't the water slosh out?

[cannedmulder]

Put an ad on craigs list for 5g buckets wanted with lids

[wastemanagement]

Originally Posted by glblguy

The day the movers arrive:

* Remove live rock and place in foam coolers. Wrap with newspaper and and put a few inches of tank water in the bottom.
* Catch livestock and place in bags. Separating them as needed (crabs in one bag, snails in another, etc.). Place bags in cooler to keep temperature stable.
* Drain water into 5g plastic containers (10-15 of them)
* Leave sand bed in the tank just covered with water. Cover with saran wrap and transport it in my Expedition.

The day we close:
* Set-up tank, pour water from containers into the tank, add rock and then livestock.
* Install heater, skimmer, etc and get in running.
* Set-up RO/DI filter and get it making water so I can do a partial water change the next day.
i would do thid order
* Set-up tank, pour water from containers into the tank,* Install heater, skimmer, etc and get in running.
add rock and then livestock.
* Set-up RO/DI filter and get it making water so I can do a partial water change the next day.


Questions:

* Will my fish/corals be ok in bags overnight? If so, what's the max time?
I think that this timeline will be ok for fish (if of average sizes 1-3")biggers fish will consume their oxegen supply faster.
* Will the newspaper and a little water in the bottom of the foam coolers be enough for my live rock?
I would say this will be ok but you could put it in 5gl bucketts fully covered with water that way and you will encounter less die-off.


Thanks!

JMO hope it helps and good luck

[Av8Bluewater]

What about one of those battery operated air pumps? A lot of people use the 18 gallon tubs from wal-mart. Big Lots has them cheap. I hope the closing goes well. sometimes there's unexpected issues.

[PackLeader]

Is it possible to get into the new home before the next day? If it is, maybe put your livestock in 5g buckets and drop airstones in those overnight.

[Av8Bluewater]

Don't forget to have the power hooked up early.

[PharmrJohn]

Originally Posted by glblguy

Need some advice.

We're moving in 2 weeks to a home about 3 1/2 hours away. Our movers will be here one day, we'll then drive to our new town spend the night at a hotel, close on the house the next morning and and meet the movers at the house that afternoon to move in.

I need to move my 75g reef tank and looking for any suggestions/advice you may have on the best way to do this. Here's what I am planning thus far:

The day the movers arrive:

* Remove live rock and place in foam coolers. Wrap with newspaper and and put a few inches of tank water in the bottom.
As Iraf stated, there will be some die off, but not a lot. As long as you keep them moist, most of it will live.
* Catch livestock and place in bags. Separating them as needed (crabs in one bag, snails in another, etc.). Place bags in cooler to keep temperature stable.
I would try to avoid the bags. I would use 5g buckets for your fish and corals. Just fill them half way full and buy a few of those battery operated airstones to make sure they have O2. They will slosh around a bit, but you can put lids on the buckets with holes drilled in them to avoid the airtight environment.
* Drain water into 5g plastic containers (10-15 of them)
Perfect
* Leave sand bed in the tank just covered with water. Cover with saran wrap and transport it in my Expedition.
I tried this. It was soooooo heavy. Hundreds of pounds. Couldn't do it. If you can do it, great. But if you can't, place the sand in two 5g buckets with water. When you get it home, rinse until the water is clearish coming out. It will be very dirty at first. The waste products must be removed IMO. Most bacteria will remain or reseed. This will be your main problem in terms of the mini-cycle that you will undoubtedly experience.
The day we close:
* Set-up tank, pour water from containers into the tank, add rock and then livestock.
If you have to put the sand in, get it level and place saran wrap over it. Then trickle the water from your buckets on top of the wrap. The wrap will raise with the water level and the sand will hardly move at all. The water will be clear by the time you have it filled. It worked like a charm for me.
* Install heater, skimmer, etc and get in running.
Get it heated up and put the fish in. Don't worry about the skimmer or the plumbing for the sump yet, unless you have a drilled tank, in which case I have no idea. I am clueless with drilled tanks. I just got the water up to temp, installed the powerheads put the rock and livestock back in the tank and did the plumbing over two days. No problem.
* Set-up RO/DI filter and get it making water so I can do a partial water change the next day.
Good idea.
Questions:

* Will my fish/corals be ok in bags overnight? If so, what's the max time?
See above
* Will the newspaper and a little water in the bottom of the foam coolers be enough for my live rock?
See above
Any thoughts, advise, suggestions for containers, etc, etc would be most appreciated. I'd really like to make this move without losing any livestock/rock, etc.
See above
Thanks!

Originally Posted by glblguy

Didn't the water slosh out?

You can buy the lids that cover it tight at any hardware store.

Good luck dude. What you are doing is big. No doubt. But it is possible with no death if you have all your ducks lined up in a row. If you need time at the house to set up the stand and tank, you can get a few 10g tanks, fill with your tank water, heat it up, put in one little powerhead and place your lifestock in there. They will live for three days easy in that environment. Just dose with Prime daily to detoxify the water. If I think of anything else, I will post.

[glblguy]

Awesome, thanks guys. Keep the info coming! Thank you so much!