Hmmm ok,
I think you are defiantly underestimating the task at hand here. This system you are purchasing is not one for beginners. I would honestly re-think purchasing this set up if I were you.
I have moved many big tanks before as I work for a servicing company and this is not a one truck and two guys tank move. The stress that is involved with moving a system like this is extreme even for me. Trying to get everything out of the persons house and making sure livestock is properly stored for transport and the tank and equipment are secure along with keeping electronics dry and organized. Then you have to make a 1.5-2 hour drive to your house. Then set the tank up put sand rock and water in re program lights and apex re plumb.
There is so much work here that I dont think you realize. You are looking at a SOLID and i mean this minimum of 13-15 hours of work.
Do you have everything nessesary to move this stuff?
-tightly sealable containers
-batery powered air pumps
-Towels
-buckets
-new saltwater mixed and prepared at your house
-new saltwater to clean sand
-plumbing parts
Do you know how to function your equipment?
-hook up apex to your network
-write code to program your apex
-how to program the radions
-how to properly use the vortechs
-how to program chiller
-how to run plumbing
If you don't know even one of these things then you can kiss all your livestock goodbye, and thats not only unfortunate for you but its cruel to the livestock involved.
Not to mention you know to remove bulkheads so your tank wont sit on them right? Do you have spare bulkheads ready to replace the ones already on the tank? What if they start to leak when you get it set back up?
Im not trying to be a downer here but you are WAY in over your head here and im just saying how it is. How do you expect to care for the livestock if you are new to the hobby? You dont just start up with tank full of coral. You slowly ad things as you become experienced. This tank is an experienced hobbiest set up. I really think you need to sit down and research the equipment that you are getting and see exactly how much you need to know to operate it properly.
My company moves tanks like this and we would charge a few thousand to move this setup. So honestly please think about it some more before you pick it up. Are you really capable of moving an advanced system like this? Or maybe you should piece the equipment together add some fish, then try coral then upgrade equipment. This is like a 16 year old girl driving a 18 wheeler the day after she gets her licence.
Sorry if this is brutal but im just being honest.
I would love to help you with questions you may have but I would rather answer a question you could understand rather than try teaching calculus to a pre algebra student.
Hi thanks for your comment! I know I am way over my head here but I believe I am adequately prepared for the problems I may encounter. Here's my plan now for the breakdown and set up, please read through and let me know if theres anything else I might need to do.
As for the break down I am arriving at his house at 9 am. I'll be bringing a local reefer i found on the forums here with me that has quite a few years of experience and knows how to use the radions/vortechs etc. Im also bringing another friend of mine driving a second van just in case everything does not fit in the first. I am bringing to the breakdown : 3 pairs of shoulder length rubber gloves, 5 5 gallon food safe water buckets from osh. 5 10 gallon waterproof totes. 3 20 gallon water proof totes. towels, blankets to cover the ground and padding for the tank. During the breakdown I will have the owner helping me so I don't think I will have any problems there. He expects it to take no longer than 3-4 hours to break down with 4 people so I should be back home by around 2 PM. No traffic on sunday so driving time should be less than 50 minutes.
At home I will have 2 trash cans filled with saltwater I am purchasing on friday. I am purchasing 180 or so gallons of saltwater for the 90 gallon tank, 2 40 gallon rubbermaids and a bit extra in case i need. Ill also have a bit of the water from the original tank which i can use in the rubbermaids instead to lessen the stress ont eh fish from changing parameters. I live less than 5 minutes from pasadena tropical fish so I can also head there fast in case I need anything else. I will also have 2 40 gallon rubbermaid containers to house the corals and fish in temporarily. Each tank will have a heater and powerhead, an air pump, also a sponge filter was suggested by the lfs owner. i have already been in the freshwater hobby for a few years so i have all this gear on hand already. I live also 5 minutes to the pasadena osh in case anything else is needed. theyre open till 8 pm so that shoudl be enough time to find any problems with the initial plumbing and buy the needed parts. if not fish and corals will stay in rubbermaid containers overnight.
As for set up the reefer has been kind enough to help me for free, he has been in the hobby for around 10 years and posts here on these forums as well. He knows how to use the radions and vortechs and any other equipment on the tank. He will also help me set up along with another friend(no experience).
I fully expect the set up to take around 8-9 hours and have the commitment of the reefer and my other friend to help me the whole time. I don't expect the set up to cause too many problems either since I do have the experience of the reefer to guide me setting everything up. once all the equipment is set up and running I can learn to program everything and use it myself.
The only thing that could be a problem in my opinion is the weeks following the setup. Break down and setup on sunday will both be guided by experienced reefers so I am not worried about that at all. Time is no problem either. Following the setup i fully expect to be monitoring all the levels in the tank multiple times a day and correcting any problems i find immediately, either by asking the forums here or by calling any of the 6-7 people who have offered their help both in pms and posting here that live in the area who also have experience. I know the extent of what I am getting myself into which is why i posted this thread asking for help.
A few questions about points you brought up which I don't understand. When you say removing the bulkheads so the tank doesnt sit on them are you talking about if the tank is drilled on the bottom? Ill make sure to keep that in mind, i think its actually just drilled in the back though. Also thanks for bringing up the point about the leaking, I am going to ask the owner tomorrow the size for the plumbing and bulkheads, and make sure I either have the bulkheads I might need on hand or that osh or a store near me carries them so I can head over and buy them if I do find them leaking. If the tank is leaking then frankly theres not much I can do, I'll have to keep the livestock in the rubbermaids till i can either fix the leak or buy a new tank, but lets hope the tank doesnt leak :hmm5:
During the breakdown I will be bringing a camera to take pictures of all the coral placement so i can make sure they are getting the same amount of light and flow as they were before. Other than that I can't really think of anything else I can do to prepare more than I have already. I know of the chemistry already and what the water parameters should be. I have read about dosing two part(which is what the owner currently uses) The owner can tell me how much he is currently dosing and I can follow that unless the parameters move out of what they are currently in the tank due to something the move might cause. Owner also has a rodi unit and i already have one at home for my freshwater tanks. Any problems that arise int eh coming weeks will be noticed immediately be me since I will make it a point to stay home and monitor the levels and how all the corals/livestock are doing. I already spend like 3 hours a day just reading these forums because ive been kinda obsessed lately with getting into the hobby. I have no job and no school now so can commit all my time to making sure the tank does well.
Can you think of anything else I might need to watch out for or keep in mind during the break down and set up? The reason I am not so worried is since i have experienced people helping me with both. Thank you for bringing up the plumbing issue I hadn't thought about that and will make sure I am ready if that problem arises. Please let me know if you think of anything! I will be updating the other thread on the new to the hobby forum daily leading up to sunday with my preparations and also on the day of with the build.
I know this was a long thing to read and if you made it through thank you! Hopefully by detailing my plan so far you guys can help me spot any holes or problems. I look forward to being on these forums much more often in the future once I have the tank set up, and I hope you guys can keep on helping a newbie with any questions and problems I might have in the future:bdaysmile:
