taylorjonl
New member
So I finally got a house and I am buying a big reef tank. I started my passion with a 30g reef tank in my apartment with a couple clowns and an anemone, then I upgraded to a 90g tank, this sent my passion into a fury and I bought a house so I could put a tank in the wall and make a fish room 
When I bought my house I purposefully bought a house with an unfinished basement. I also loved the yard with the 100 year old massive trees...
I wasn't really ready for this but I came across a deal I couldn't pass up, a 140g tank with all the fixings. I wasn't actively looking but just happened to talk to an friend that was motivated to sell. The tank is a 140g tank, with a reeflo dart, custom sump, custom skimmer, uv sterilizer, custom LED array, 2xMP40s, Apex controller, multiple canisters, I mean it is loaded. Did I mention it came with the fish/corals. It took all of 30 minutes to convince me.
My buddy is in a hurry to get it out, so I am rushing to get things ready for the tank. I am not going to put it into the wall just yet, instead I am going to turn my basement into a temporary fish room. This is a 30'x13' foot unfinished areay of my basement.
So I started reading up on how to move a big tank.
This is the first link I started with:
http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/j_wiseman_101898.html
It has basically the following steps:
1) Drain water into a tub until corals are exposed.
2) Put corals in sandwich bags in tub(don't seal bags, just to prevent corals from touching).
3) Put live rock in another tub, fill with water to cover live rock.
4) Remove all equipment.
5) Place fish in another tub with water of course.
6) Scoop sand, being careful to disturb as little as possible.
7) Tear down tank, place in truck, move to new location.
8) Kinda vague, but I assume unpack, place the stand and aquarium, plumb the hardware.
9) Place the sand in the aquarium, careful to not disturb.
10) Place saran wrap on sand, then large plater.
11) Put as much water as possible back into aquarium.
12) Add newly brewed water until close to full.
13) Place rock, twist and turn rock under water to let air escape.
14) Vague again, assuming make sure to turn on pumps, skimmers, heaters, etc.
This sounds pretty reasonable...
Then I found this link:
http://www.reefs.org/library/article/j_meek.html
It was a little different, had the following steps:
1) Drain water into a tub for fish.
2) Remove corals, place in cooler, THEN siphon water into cooler.
3) Remove live rock to some type of container.
4) Place fish in previously prepaired container.
5) Remove as much water as is possible to other containers.
6) Put the sand in another container, no water.
7) Tear down tank, place in truck, move to new location.
8) Move the stand into place and level it, place tank and plumb.
9) Add the sand and rock.
10) Put some water in the tank.
11) Add the corals.
12) Fill the tank with water being careful not to include detritus from settled container.
13) Top it off with the fresh saltwater that you have mixing.
14) Plug everything in and ensure that all is working properly.
15) When the temperature is stable, acclimate the fish as you normally would and then add them to the tank.
I found this link:
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/saltwater/Ziegler_Moving1.html
This one takes a slower approach:
1) Start a couple weeks early
2) Setup some quarantine tanks, basic filtration(aeration, heating/cooling, PVC for hiding)
3) Setup a 32g garbage can, along with power heads for circulation
4) Do the move...
I skipped a lot in this one because it wasn't interesting to me, the other two pages were more indepth.
I think all three approaches have their strengths and weaknesses...
I decided to make a run to my local ranch store, I basically have this at my disposal:
55g water drums x2
100g rubbermaid stock tank
50g rubbermaid stock tank
55g tank(not setup yet)
20g sump(not setup yet)
250 watt metal halide with actinics x2
reef octopus skimmer rated at 75-100g
10g glass tanks x6
I think I may buy another 100g stock tank and another 55g water drum.
On move day I will be renting a uhaul.
I think I would like to merge the three articles into:
1) Setup the 55g tank, the 10g sump with baffles and the skimmer, along with the 100g stock tank as a single system. I will have to buy some hardware(I will clarify details later). Run with culinary water for a day or two, then drain.
2) Day before move, remove corals from rock, place in sand.
3) On move day, drain water into a cooler for fish and a cooler for the corals.
4) Drain water into a 100g stock tank until 1/4 full.
5) When 100g stock tank is 1/4 full, start draining into 55g water drums.
6) Before water level is too low, remove fish to cooler.
7) Before water level is too low, remove corals to cooler(figure out sandwich bag trick).
8) Remove live rock to 100g stock container.
9) Keep draining water as low as possible before gets too much sand/detritus.
10) Carefully scoop sand into some containers, trying to maintain layering.
11) Remove remaining water and junk, discard.
12) Tear down tank, place in truck, move to new location.
13) Move the stand into place and level it, place tank.
14) Put the rest of the stuff in the basement, keeping it cool.
15) Drain storage containers into 55g/100g setup.
16) Top off the system with pre-brewed salt water.
17) Start the pumps and stuff from this system, put the 250w x2 metal halides over the 100g stock tank.
18) Acclimate and place the fish in the 55g tank.
19) Acclimate and place the live rock in the 100g stock tank, lights off for a day.
20) Acclimate and place the corals in the 100g stock tank.
21) Move the live sand into the 140g tank.
22) Plump the 140g tank.
23) Start filling 140g tank with newly brewed water.
24) Turn on the 140g tank's pumps, skimmers and filters, light later.
25) Let the 140g stew for a few days, skimmer work its magic, etc.
26) Slowly start combining the two systems into a single system.
27) After I am comfortable, move live rock, corals and fish into the 140g.
So, I said I would clarify the 55g+10g+100g system, basically the 55g and the 100g would overflow into the 10g tank(with skimmer) , each having their own return pumps. I am guessing that the entire system would contain 140g. I am hoping I can recover around 70-100g from the original water, so we are talking about a 30-50% water change.
When I merge the systems, I would likely get a couple pumps that would just transfer between the two systems, and on a saturday run them for 12 hours, before calling it good. This is of course after I make sure they are very close.
After I have the 140g up, I would remove the extra stuff, make the 55g a quarantine tank, then in the future use the remaining hardware to have fun
I have a lot of anxiety over this, I want this move to go smooth and for everything to survive. I hope I didn't miss steps, let me know how you would do it.
When I bought my house I purposefully bought a house with an unfinished basement. I also loved the yard with the 100 year old massive trees...
I wasn't really ready for this but I came across a deal I couldn't pass up, a 140g tank with all the fixings. I wasn't actively looking but just happened to talk to an friend that was motivated to sell. The tank is a 140g tank, with a reeflo dart, custom sump, custom skimmer, uv sterilizer, custom LED array, 2xMP40s, Apex controller, multiple canisters, I mean it is loaded. Did I mention it came with the fish/corals. It took all of 30 minutes to convince me.
My buddy is in a hurry to get it out, so I am rushing to get things ready for the tank. I am not going to put it into the wall just yet, instead I am going to turn my basement into a temporary fish room. This is a 30'x13' foot unfinished areay of my basement.
So I started reading up on how to move a big tank.
This is the first link I started with:
http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/j_wiseman_101898.html
It has basically the following steps:
1) Drain water into a tub until corals are exposed.
2) Put corals in sandwich bags in tub(don't seal bags, just to prevent corals from touching).
3) Put live rock in another tub, fill with water to cover live rock.
4) Remove all equipment.
5) Place fish in another tub with water of course.
6) Scoop sand, being careful to disturb as little as possible.
7) Tear down tank, place in truck, move to new location.
8) Kinda vague, but I assume unpack, place the stand and aquarium, plumb the hardware.
9) Place the sand in the aquarium, careful to not disturb.
10) Place saran wrap on sand, then large plater.
11) Put as much water as possible back into aquarium.
12) Add newly brewed water until close to full.
13) Place rock, twist and turn rock under water to let air escape.
14) Vague again, assuming make sure to turn on pumps, skimmers, heaters, etc.
This sounds pretty reasonable...
Then I found this link:
http://www.reefs.org/library/article/j_meek.html
It was a little different, had the following steps:
1) Drain water into a tub for fish.
2) Remove corals, place in cooler, THEN siphon water into cooler.
3) Remove live rock to some type of container.
4) Place fish in previously prepaired container.
5) Remove as much water as is possible to other containers.
6) Put the sand in another container, no water.
7) Tear down tank, place in truck, move to new location.
8) Move the stand into place and level it, place tank and plumb.
9) Add the sand and rock.
10) Put some water in the tank.
11) Add the corals.
12) Fill the tank with water being careful not to include detritus from settled container.
13) Top it off with the fresh saltwater that you have mixing.
14) Plug everything in and ensure that all is working properly.
15) When the temperature is stable, acclimate the fish as you normally would and then add them to the tank.
I found this link:
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/saltwater/Ziegler_Moving1.html
This one takes a slower approach:
1) Start a couple weeks early
2) Setup some quarantine tanks, basic filtration(aeration, heating/cooling, PVC for hiding)
3) Setup a 32g garbage can, along with power heads for circulation
4) Do the move...
I skipped a lot in this one because it wasn't interesting to me, the other two pages were more indepth.
I think all three approaches have their strengths and weaknesses...
I decided to make a run to my local ranch store, I basically have this at my disposal:
55g water drums x2
100g rubbermaid stock tank
50g rubbermaid stock tank
55g tank(not setup yet)
20g sump(not setup yet)
250 watt metal halide with actinics x2
reef octopus skimmer rated at 75-100g
10g glass tanks x6
I think I may buy another 100g stock tank and another 55g water drum.
On move day I will be renting a uhaul.
I think I would like to merge the three articles into:
1) Setup the 55g tank, the 10g sump with baffles and the skimmer, along with the 100g stock tank as a single system. I will have to buy some hardware(I will clarify details later). Run with culinary water for a day or two, then drain.
2) Day before move, remove corals from rock, place in sand.
3) On move day, drain water into a cooler for fish and a cooler for the corals.
4) Drain water into a 100g stock tank until 1/4 full.
5) When 100g stock tank is 1/4 full, start draining into 55g water drums.
6) Before water level is too low, remove fish to cooler.
7) Before water level is too low, remove corals to cooler(figure out sandwich bag trick).
8) Remove live rock to 100g stock container.
9) Keep draining water as low as possible before gets too much sand/detritus.
10) Carefully scoop sand into some containers, trying to maintain layering.
11) Remove remaining water and junk, discard.
12) Tear down tank, place in truck, move to new location.
13) Move the stand into place and level it, place tank.
14) Put the rest of the stuff in the basement, keeping it cool.
15) Drain storage containers into 55g/100g setup.
16) Top off the system with pre-brewed salt water.
17) Start the pumps and stuff from this system, put the 250w x2 metal halides over the 100g stock tank.
18) Acclimate and place the fish in the 55g tank.
19) Acclimate and place the live rock in the 100g stock tank, lights off for a day.
20) Acclimate and place the corals in the 100g stock tank.
21) Move the live sand into the 140g tank.
22) Plump the 140g tank.
23) Start filling 140g tank with newly brewed water.
24) Turn on the 140g tank's pumps, skimmers and filters, light later.
25) Let the 140g stew for a few days, skimmer work its magic, etc.
26) Slowly start combining the two systems into a single system.
27) After I am comfortable, move live rock, corals and fish into the 140g.
So, I said I would clarify the 55g+10g+100g system, basically the 55g and the 100g would overflow into the 10g tank(with skimmer) , each having their own return pumps. I am guessing that the entire system would contain 140g. I am hoping I can recover around 70-100g from the original water, so we are talking about a 30-50% water change.
When I merge the systems, I would likely get a couple pumps that would just transfer between the two systems, and on a saturday run them for 12 hours, before calling it good. This is of course after I make sure they are very close.
After I have the 140g up, I would remove the extra stuff, make the 55g a quarantine tank, then in the future use the remaining hardware to have fun
I have a lot of anxiety over this, I want this move to go smooth and for everything to survive. I hope I didn't miss steps, let me know how you would do it.
