Need Help moving soon!!!

[PorscheReef]

I was wondering if any one can advise me on how to move my
85 gal and 55gal full of livestock. In a couple of months I will be moving about 25mins away and i'm dreading moving my tanks.
What is the best way to move all my livestock and what do i need
to know about setting everything back up, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[csb]

I've moved my reef twice ... from my experience, you should plan to dedicate an entire day to the tank, simply because it can take longer than you might expect and you shouldn't be burdened with other moving related issues.

You'll need buckets. Bags for corals, fish. Keep as much water as possible. You'll need to have some new saltwater ready to go at the new site because you will lose some water in the process.

Try to not disturb your substrate when moving. Leave it in the tank if possible. If you have to disturb it (DSB too heavy), you'll need to replace it because it will release a lot of crud into your system.

Watch the temperature in your livestock buckets... you may want to stick a small heater in there to maintain good temps for your critters while you're setting up the tank at the new location.

Fish are easier to catch if you drain the tank down to 3" or so ... remove all the rocks and corals first. Fish last. They're easier netted in shallow water.

Your reef will look great after you set it back up. After a week or so, you'll probably get an algae bloom ... just maintain regular water changes and the system should stabilize without much trouble.

This is also a good opportunity for any upgrades to plumbing, etc.

Good luck moving! 25 mins away isn't too bad ... it's going to be work, but if you have a helper and think out every step before executing, you'll definitely deserve a beer when finished

 

[PorscheReef]

Thanks for the great post, I plan on dedicating a weekend to it
and have plenty of helpers. I do plan on changing the substrate
I wanted to use argonite, can I keep a thin layer of the exsisting live sand and put the new stuff on top?

 

[marduc]

s well as water temperature you will potentially want to address keeping the water oxygenated. I have used rubbermaid tubs for my rock, a few styrofoam coolers for more delicate corals and fish. and a few battery operated airpumps for past moves, then combined everything into a 40 gallon tub with a rudimentary set up of my protein skimmer while getting the equipment back up and running on the display, and overhauling plumbing ect.

Although labor intensive as long as you address the water temp and keep things oxygenated, and try to minimize delicate corals tumbling/breaking there should be no collateral damage at all.

Keep several cups of your sand, perhaps throw it in wherever you store your LR for the move so you can seed the new bed, I personally would add it on top of the new sand.

 

[csb]

Yeah, if you're going to replace the sand, I agree with marduc about mixing some of the old sand on top of the new. That should seed it nicely.

Good luck with your move!

 

[Zucker26]

If you have any fellow reefers in the area, I would recommend asking one of them to take some of your more delicate items and hold them in a frag tank or a prop tank for a while until you get your new setup finished and stable. It's better to be overly cautious then to gamble and lose, IMO.