Tranferring aged LR

[ctripi]

I need y'alls input.

Quick background: I've got a 120g built and ready to roll. I'm taking the content of my 135g mixed reef (equipment, fish, rock and inverts), moving 20 miles away to my office where the 120g is to be located. Coral focus will be zoo's, softies, and anemomes. But its really hard to kick the SPS habit.

The question is what to do with the rock. It hasn't been touched for years. I've got heavy sponge growth that nearly covers all cryptic and semi-cryptic areas of the rock. Relatively mature mixed coral growth that covers the light exposed areas. For example:

I'm afraid that once I go to transfer the contents, break the rock up and rearrange the aquascape (let alone expose nearly all of it to air durig the transport), I'm gonna experience a major cycle and die-off.

I'm worried about lossing fish and corals alike. Remember that I'm planning for zoo's, GSP and anemones.

Should I trade (or sell) everything in to LFS for a new batch of LR and start from scratch (and possibly stick with SPS). Or would y'all suggest to calm down. Make the move and accept loss (or the fact that nothing might actually happen)?

What would you do? What would you suggest?

 

[Chris27]

Bag the rock while it's submersed and then throw it in a cooler, tub or whatever, you don't want to ruin mature rock, so keeping it wet is important. Bag the fish, coral and inverts the same way. Try to save as much display water as possible to limit parameter fluctuation when filling the new tank.

If you keep everything wet during the transfer, you shouldn't have a cycle. If you're moving sand over, make sure to rinse it very well to remove any old "junk" that may have accumulated over the years.

 

[RyanAlan]

As mentioned, you will have some die off with the air getting to the sponge.
It's hard to say how much.

I would try to keep the most heavily covered rocks under water if possible.
I personally would not trade or sell that rock. I would work my plan around keep it alive as much as possible. It is simply just to valuable - IMO.

Good luck with your move.

 

[rysher]

get a big tupperware that will fit the rock without exposing any part of the rock when tupperwre is full of water,
submerge tupperware in tank,
fill up with water,
put rock in tupperware,
take out tuperware with rock and full of water,
closed lid of tupperwre,
put in cooler,
drive tupperware to location,
take out tupperware,
put tupperware in new tank,
submerge tupperware,
take off lid,
take rock out,,,,,,,

no part of the rock is ever exposed to air.

 

[LiveSock]

I bagged small pieces and wrapped the rest in damp newspaper when I moved tank. No noticeable die off, but they were only out of the water for a couple of hours.

 

[EdMan71]

Use a large brute trashcan willed with rock and tank water. I would put in a heater and powerhead and keep plugged in till right before the move and plug back in as soon as you arrive. Of course brute trash can will be very heavy. Large pieces of LR wrapped in damped newspaper of tank water and placed in tupperware container.
Good Luck, just plan and move quickly.

 

[samstersam]

I don't think this is a hard issue at all.

Since it is only a 20 mile move with no time pressure, I would move the rocks via small buckets (salt mix buckets perhaps or rubbermaids if the rocks were too big) in an SUV, filled with tank water, maybe requiring multiple trips.

I would set up a small tank with partial tank water and new salt water and place all your corals in it (at least the ones you can chip off..softees are no problem, they're hardy anyway. Big SPS colonies I'd chip off and place in zip lock bags for transportation) . After moving the rocks in buckets (fully submerged) and aquascaping it, I would monitor the 120 gallon for any spikes, of which I think would be minimal anyway since all the rocks are moved submerged. The only die off i see is minimal: transportation of 20 minutes or so (although submerged) and because the newly aquascaped rocks might cause some cryptic areas to be exposed etc. etc. new environment will cause changes in the lifeforms on the rocks.

After any spikes have decreased, I would put the corals and fish in. All of this I speak with personal experience although my task was easier due to a smaller tank size and my move was 1 hour. I had no die off and no spikes. I made multiple trips and my new tank was already setup with aged salt water. I reused as much tank water as possible in my QT tank and in my new display tank.

It might take multiple trips, and it might be a pain in the *** and a small financial investment to set up a temp QT tank in the office next to the new tank with newly aquascaped rocks, but if you had rock with sponge growth, I would try my hardest to keep such life alive. I think if you can afford a 120 gallon, then the small extra investment in powerheads and QT tank for the corals wouldn't be a problem. I dunno. I'm pretty anal with my lifeforms that I have responsibility for (down to the lowliest sponge) and liberal in terms of financial investment with my tank. Aren't we all?