if you had to move your tank, and anemone, how would you go about it?

TOURKID

TOURKID

New member
My bta is wedged between 3 rocks. possibly 4.

I need to move, and I have 30 days to do it. When i start tearing down the tank, I have to finish it the same day.

So i have a few different thoughts....

set up my ten gal qt tank, and have it ready. start irritating my anemone with powerheads, wait for it to pop out, and put it in the qt with a rock, and the two clowns.

(qt has incandesent lighting)

get that done, and then attack the tank, move it set it up, and get the anemone back in.....

*this way would completely base my move around the nem.. and what if i cant get it to move?*
how long could it stay in the qt without ill effects?

ok... i thought i had more than one idea.. but im really kinda stumped here. Im worried about moving her. and i need her to move without attaching agian before i can catch her. (bta.. how bad does it really hurt to touch them? i dont want to use a mixing spoon or tongs or anything)

anyone try this? what was your method? how bad did the anemone react?

Im hoping everything go's smoothly, but im afraid i might have an issue with my sand. its really dirty and im affraid im going to stir up smelly death when i move it.. so id need to replace it.. and then theres the dust storm....

could i put my metal halide over the qt (really high) or a trashcan, and leave the rock and coral under some old pc's i have?

I can lose anything but my 2 fish and bta.

sorry for all the jumble. i need some advice!! :D

always appreciative
maggie may
 
44gal rubbermaid brutes are your friend.

How far is the move and can you get access to the new location 1 day or more before you have to tear down?
 
traveller.. good questions!!

I have access to the house already, and can start moving in tomorrow. I have to have the tank out of my old place within 30 days (45 if i want to push it)

Its less than 2 miles away

Im going to buy 4 heaters (or so) from petsmart so i have extras if I need them , ill return them if i dont

And I bought 6 rubbermades (ten gallon!!) and 2 5 gallon ones

I also have a stack of 5 gallon buckets. Ill be moving almost completely on my own, with a dolly.. Ill get help with the actual tank.

I plan on waiting till most the other stuff is already moved so i dont rush this. im in planning mode.

Just stressing on the sand, and moving the nem. I think i have the rest covered. Im gonna get at least 25 gallons of r/o over there before the move.. salt it up and heated.. just in case...

Im feeling a little scatter brained lol
 
Sounds like you have the time and prep.

IME:

Have 50% system volume of new saltwater ready to go at the new location.

Drain 50% of the tank water into rubbermaids(3 ten gallons should do a 46gal)
Place fish in bags.
Place anemone and it's rock(s) in a proper sized rubbermaid to allow water coverage.
Shake detritus off remaining rock while in tank and place it in garbage cans/rubbermaids without water.
Drain remaining water to sand level and discard(by now its silty etc)

Move all to new location.

Place tank in great spot.
Put "dry" rock in tank.
Add 3 (10gal) rubbermaids of "clean/old" water into tank without stirring things up too much.
Slowly add the "fresh mixed saltwater" to a level allowing the addition of the last rock(s)/anemone.

Let the tank settle out a bit and start acclimating the anemone and the fish: add a bit of the "fresh mixed saltwater" to the rubbermaid containing the rock the anemone and the bags containing fish. Do this until you have about 50-50 of old and new water.

Add rock/anemone to main tank.t.
Add fish.

Enjoy frosty beverage of choice :)

Side notes

- canister filters/hang on backs/prefilter materials/etc should be changed.
- watch out for the heaters in temp holding, etc., melted plastic or cooking critters in low water volumes is a bummer.
- reduce the lighting interval a bit for the next week, a cleaned reflector/glass put out more light.
- Be prepared for a small "cycle" have a 10-15% water change ready at all times for the next few weeks.

Nice tools to have on hand:

- One of the "kerosene" style hand pump syphons...about few gals a min, easy to control, cheap.
- 8"x20" fish bags, right size, easy to tie, plenty of air
- fish friends, local club?
- little air pump(s) depending on container(s) for rock/anemone and fish.

Cheers and good luck.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7724080#post7724080 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by traveller7
Sounds like you have the time and prep.

IME:

Have 50% system volume of new saltwater ready to go at the new location.

Drain 50% of the tank water into rubbermaids(3 ten gallons should do a 46gal)
Place fish in bags.
Place anemone and it's rock(s) in a proper sized rubbermaid to allow water coverage.
Shake detritus off remaining rock while in tank and place it in garbage cans/rubbermaids without water.
Drain remaining water to sand level and discard(by now its silty etc)

Move all to new location.

Place tank in great spot.
Put "dry" rock in tank.
Add 3 (10gal) rubbermaids of "clean/old" water into tank without stirring things up too much.
Slowly add the "fresh mixed saltwater" to a level allowing the addition of the last rock(s)/anemone.

Let the tank settle out a bit and start acclimating the anemone and the fish: add a bit of the "fresh mixed saltwater" to the rubbermaid containing the rock the anemone and the bags containing fish. Do this until you have about 50-50 of old and new water.

Add rock/anemone to main tank.t.
Add fish.

Enjoy frosty beverage of choice :)

Side notes

- canister filters/hang on backs/prefilter materials/etc should be changed.
- watch out for the heaters in temp holding, etc., melted plastic or cooking critters in low water volumes is a bummer.
- reduce the lighting interval a bit for the next week, a cleaned reflector/glass put out more light.
- Be prepared for a small "cycle" have a 10-15% water change ready at all times for the next few weeks.

Nice tools to have on hand:

- One of the "kerosene" style hand pump syphons...about few gals a min, easy to control, cheap.
- 8"x20" fish bags, right size, easy to tie, plenty of air
- fish friends, local club?
- little air pump(s) depending on container(s) for rock/anemone and fish.

Cheers and good luck.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Precisely what I did when moving my tank.
 
Re: if you had to move your tank, and anemone, how would you go about it?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7723808#post7723808 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TOURKID
*this way would completely base my move around the nem.. and what if i cant get it to move?*
how long could it stay in the qt without ill effects?

ok... i thought i had more than one idea.. but im really kinda stumped here. Im worried about moving her. and i need her to move without attaching agian before i can catch her. (bta.. how bad does it really hurt to touch them? i dont want to use a mixing spoon or tongs or anything)
Click to expand...
Place right sized rubbermaid in tank, vertically. Grab rock the anemone is attached to, move into rubbermaid, turn rubbermaid horizontal and remove from tank.

I should own stock in rubbermaid and tupperware for all of it I have around for such duty :rolleyes:

Acclimated BTAs are really quite durable when the water parameters are kept in check.

Good luck and enjoy the chance to change the rockscape design :)
 
scott... thanks. you rock.

questions...

why put the live rock in containers without water? wouldent this make the chance for a cycle bigger? and kill off the random polyps/zoos/pods/spounges?

I was going to put the rocks in tank water in the ten gal containers and use the water in the tank at the next place.
but after your post im thinking it may get dirty.....

(i was thinking about saving my h20 from 2 water changes and keeping it heated and circulated... i could use that to move the lr?)

rocks and anemone -

are you proposing my just pulling the whole wad of rock and anemone out all in one piece and puting it a container?
I hadent thought of that... and i might be able to.. but with the rocks shifting i would worry about tearing the foot. (the bta is, of course, attached to the 2 largest rocks in the tank, and two little ones on top of the two big ones.. biggest rock is 12 pounds)

thats whats got me.... i need to have everything completely ready to go...and then just wait. till the sucker moves (its close to 9 inches or so nowadays)

sand... Im with you. I really want to leave the sand covered in h20, and leave it in the tank. but i have issues

1. crushed coral on top. that i now know isent a good thing
2. its filthy, and i have narrious snails now and i lightly stir what i can...(only about 1.2 is assessible) but i woory about anerobic pockets (hope thats right)

(when i stirred my sand bed for the very first time, my tank was 4 months old, and i used a gravel sweeper. my nirtates skyrocketed, all my shrimps died, my maroon got a bacteria infection (donno if it was a related insident) and my bta bleached)

Im being told that if i smell a bad funk in the sand after my waters emptied ill need to change the sand. (but ill be in the middle of moving!!!) that could take days to settle..... either way i want to get as much of the crushed coral out as i can

I did have a dsb, but my maroon has made a cookie sized spot where the glass shows thru, and the sand is 6-7 inches high where she moved it all


one last concern im glad you brought up...

biofilters/hang on's etc

i have an aqua clear, with the 3 filters (carbon, a spunge, and ceramic media) im supposed to change them out one each at rotating months so its never all at once and 'shocks' the system. cant i put the media in water and just replace the carbon?

thankyouthankyouthankyou
 
Polyps, zoos, pods will be fine. Just rinse them with old tank water before putting the rocks back into the new tank. This washes off the slime :)

Sponges take a beating when exposed to air. Only real way to avoid that is to bag each rock under water without air. IME not worth the effort, better to conduct water changes on the other end.

IME, not worth keeping more then 60% of the current tank volume around. Better to have water changes for the next few weeks pre-made and ready to roll.

Rocks/anemone: start shifting the rocks it is attached to now. Smallest and least attached first a bit at a time(hours) and it will naturally let go. When time comes you a have a good chance to get it down to 1 or 2 rocks it is actually foot attached within. I would not advocate tearing the foot, but these things survive power head chopping, getting sucked through overflow teeth, etc: the key to survival is good water and stability(see above :) )

Change the sand if it is 2+ years old. Most exposed sand beds will give off some sulfur smell, they work through anaerobic action :) Aeration, waterchanges, aeration, waterchanges, will keep it under control.

Feel free to change sand if you like, I would take one of the 10gal rubbermaids and soak the new sand in current tank water. Leave the new sand covered, aerated with an airstone the night before at the new location. IME soaking has cut down the serious clouding, you'll get it, but it seems to settle faster.

Most of the good bio action in the hang on could be lost, but you could rinse the media in tank water, bag and reuse at the new location. At a minimum, change the carbon, and change it again within a week.

Cheers.
 
I wrote myself directions out, since i doubt my comp will be up and running. (never know)

Im going to get sand and start stocking up on r/o water tomorrow(im getting an r/o d/i machine friday but it wont b hooked up till after the tank move) so i have to lug it from lfs.

thanks for your help. i feel much better about this.
I think after i have sand rinsed, and feel comfortable getting the nem out, Im going to do it sooner than later. start getting r/o water over there this weekend.

thanks agian. Ill take b4 and after shots :) might.. just might go with a 2 island rock piles. not sure. i have it wrapping around the back right now. looks good with a bow front
 
oh.. another question ;)

Ive never had my pumps set up right. but if i tried moving them the nem would move so i left em be but nows my big chance!

I have right now.. a skimmer and a hob on the back of the tank.

a aquajet on the right side top center
a tiny pump on left side top left

whats protocol with pumps? one on the left and one on the right? i have 4 different things moving h20, in no particular direction
 
In general I prefer not to allow dead spots, but flow patterns depend on the type of critters :)

Surge type flows for magnifica, gentle flows for tube anemones, etc.

Feel free to create, be artistic, etc :P
 
tourkid... we are in the same boat... i am moving in about 2 months, have an anemone attached to 2 rocks, and have a crushed coral and sand mixed substrate. this thread has been really informative for me. my tank isnt very old... about 8 months old so the sand/crushed coral isnt really dirty yet. im wondering if there is an easy way to separate the two so i can discard the crushed coral and just use the sand without really messing up the benificial bacteria or causing a nutrient spike?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7727469#post7727469 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DiViNeLeFT
im wondering if there is an easy way to separate the two so i can discard the crushed coral and just use the sand without really messing up the benificial bacteria or causing a nutrient spike?
Click to expand...
IMHO: it is not worth the effort for such a small return(if any). Keep it and move it carefully or just replace it.
 
devine.. technically all you c coral should be on top and anything smaller should be below it.

I have another thread on sand..http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=883571
I have a poll there too...

I havent decided what to do. i went to my lfs to get sand today so i could clean it now. they were out of it. but the owner said i should just take out 1/2 the sand, leaving 2 inches and then just rebuild. I think thats what i might do, as long as it isent to funky

my tanks 7 months old and my sand is descusting. lol
 
I dreaded moving my tank when I moved. But even though it was hard, it was not as bad as I thought it would be.

It's a 75 gal. I moved ALL of the water using 5 gal buckets. I didn't have nem's at the time but did have soft coral. A few were a bit mad, but they all lived fine. My only loss was a single fish that jumped overnight (after arrival) because I couldn't find my glass top in all the move-mess. Stupid error on my part.

I've moved two nem's since then in 5 gal buckets. One move was a 6 hour drive. They both did fine .... a bit deflated for a couple days but recovered fully by then.

Don't worry too much. Just try to keep the temp stable as you can but don't let it stress you.
 
moe... im not concerned keeping the nem healthy on the move, or even getting it to re settle in.

Im mostly thinking about this sscenerio.

Im all ready
friends are standing by ready to start hauling water, etc.

and im standing next to my tank tourturing my nem without it budging lol

I dont want to get it to move earlier than i need... and i dont want it to move to an even worse location

I have lps and a few polyps n zoos. they should be fine (very thankful my epoxy DIDENT work) :D
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7729543#post7729543 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TOURKID
moe... im not concerned keeping the nem healthy on the move, or even getting it to re settle in.

Im mostly thinking about this sscenerio.

Im all ready
friends are standing by ready to start hauling water, etc.

and im standing next to my tank tourturing my nem without it budging lol
Click to expand...



I think that's a real possibility. If I were you, I would use the powerhead and get the 'nem to move the night before. And then I'd put the spare live rock in buckets (the night before .... it won't hurt it) so the anemone would not reattach to it.

That's what I'd do. The anemone will probably be irritated by you moving it to another rock, etc, but it's a necessary thing to do.

If you try to move it just moments before, I think that would be a worse risk, actually. Just my personal opinion.
 
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