Life decisions - move tank or tear it down?

[Foogoo]

Currently, my setup is as follows:

40 gallon main tank with tons of base and live rock, very well stocked with softies and LPS and a single clown and an urchin somewhere connected to an 18 gallon skimmer sump which is then hard plumbed to a 20 gallon fuge. Running a 250 watt SE in a Luminarc.

Pretty foolish of me to build such a huge permanant setup knowing I eventually will have to move. I know I will be gone for 5 weeks next summer then another 2 weeks and probably moving out a few months after. So should I move the tank, transfer to a nano, or tear it down? Here's my thoughts:

Move the tank
Pros:
I already have all the equipment and livestock.
Will be losing nothing or very little of what I've worked to put together.
No loss of sentiment.

Cons:
Do I have to mention how much trouble it was moving just the rock and livestock?
Moving tanks suck... big time.
Die off = waste of time and effort.

Transfer to nano
Pros:
Be able to maintain hobby at a much reduced cost.
Be able to hold on to livestock I don't want to let go.

Cons:
I'll be getting rid of 90% of what I had anyway, what's the point?
It's like losing everything but I'll still have to devote time and money to the hobby I'll barely have anymore.

Get rid of it all
Pros:
I can make a nice wad of cash selling everything off.
Simplifies moving.
Simplifies my life and my wallet from that point on.

Cons:
Will eventually suffer from reef withdrawl.
I have corals I've had since my very first SW tank 5 years ago.

Advice? Experiences? Suggestions?

Here's an older pic of my tank. And before you ask, I was just holding all those toadstools for a friend so they aren't mine to sell

 

[GinaSofia]

Move the tank,next summer is long way away.You're going to need a hobby-why not keep the one you really enjoy and have already invested some cash into?

 

[All Delight]

Move it!

 

[hiero4life]

I'd move it. If it was a 100g+ tank then I would downsize. Off topic do you still live in TC, because I grew up there and my sister just moved back to TC.

Chris

 

[Foogoo]

Dang I'll have to think about this because moving was my last choice considering how much trouble moving it here was. I'm going to sleep on it.

Chris, yup I do. Did you/your sister go to TCHS?

 

[NicoleC]

Move the tank. A 40g across town is a piece of cake and with 50% attention nothing at all should die or even be stressed. Most everything but the fish and deep water corals are perfectly well adapted to low tide, and conditions for a move won't be nearly so stressful. Bag the livestock and place in cooler, wrap the rock with wet newspaper in tubs (or submerge) and drain the water to buckets. Move hardware, reverse.

You know I'm moving my tank 2000+ miles in 3 days, right?

 

[Scissorhand]

Break it down man. It's more fun to start a new set-up, anyhow. *Getting in line for the dibs*

 

[bennyinca]

Another vote to move the tank.

I am also in the process of downsizing my 100g to a 40g, and I plan on moving the 40g when the time comes.

 

[bromion]

If I were to move across town, I would move my tank. Longer than that, I'd sell most livestock, rocks, etc, sell the tank and sump, and bring the easily movable equipment. Then start with a new (bigger!) tank at my new place.

 

[laverda]

Moving is not that hard and you know your set up now. If you dont have much time to take care of it a smaller tank will be less stable and take time to sort out. I moved a 240 including making a lot of plumbing changes in bascly 2 days. All you really need is a few big rubber maid tubs or trash cans you can get to less the $10.00 each

 

[BeeBoo]

you should definitely tear it down. dibs on your ric's!

 

[GTR]

Sell it and get the monkey off your back. :lol:

SteveU

 

[roader247]

Move it yea it's a pain but at least its only one

 

[hiero4life]

I went to Arroyo and my brother and sister both went to La Salle in Pasadena. Lived in TC for 20+ years.