Yet another "Need advice: moving tank" thread...

[Sk8r]

We're approaching a crosstown move.

The tank: 52 g corner bow, lot of live rock, 4" sandbed.
The livestock: LPS, SPS, fishes, sponges, clam.
The gear: skimmer, mh lights, sea swirl, pumps, topoff, etc.

So here's the plan as I have it: please critique and check me on this.

I'm calling the piano movers to move the piano and the tank: 1/2 inch glass, weighs a ton, and we're on the third floor.

I start that morning and drain the tank, putting rock into buckets containing tank water so the sponge won't die.

Fish: into ziplocks with tank water. LFS will hold them for me for a few days. Corals into buckets with tank water. NOW---can I install the corals into the tank that evening with partial new water? Or do I send them to the lfs?

Sand: rinse sand in remnant of water, gather up in net and put in watery bucket.

Take fish [and corals?] to lfs.

Take buckets of rock and sand and gear and stand to new digs. Set up tank, with partial old water, partial new. Start everything up.

Somewhere in here I'm being pressured to paint the stand with waterproofing, which I think is iffy. I don't see how I'm going to do this and get it running expeditiously.

The tank is running with about 50% new water. Over 50 lbs of live ancient rock, well-corallined, full of holes. 4 inches of old sand, maybe a little new added.

How long do you think its going to take before I can reintroduce corals? Any bets I could actually put corals in on the same day, based on the fact I had a piece of bubble coral survive cycling when I set the tank up in the first place---raw water at 40 degrees temp, and it lived. So did the snails and other inverts, sponges, etc. It wasn't my choice, then. It is now---I'm wondering how much risk I'd be running, or whether it's better at the lfs.

And how long before fishes go in? I know, I know, nobody on earth can predict, but I'm very willing to hear bets on this, too. Just wondering whether I'm too optimistic in my own estimates.

 

[alan214]

I think the wild card is going to be your sand. It depends on how much "bad stuff" gets leached back out during the rinse and move. The rest of your plan looks pretty solid.

 

[Sk8r]

What thoughts on replacing much of the sand?

Or getting a diamond goby? Is he compatible with a yellow watchman, does anybody know? The sand in this tank has tended to be a pita, and never gets as clean as I'd like it despite 2 conchs and a raft of nassarius in only a 52g.

 

[alan214]

I think that's the way I would go but I know that involves more expense. I was thinking about this very thing earlier tonight while contemplating moving my tank and decided I'd use some of the old sand to seed the new.

Sorry, no idea on the Diamond Goby.

Do you have any hermits in your cleaning crew? I know some people just don't want them in their reef tanks but they work my sand quite a bit, especially after feeding time.

 

[Sk8r]

My hermits are old hands, and they're going---I have micro bluelegs and scarlets, and they work hard: they've been with me since the tank started in Jan 2006. I'm taking them with the rock, ditto the conchs and snails with the sand. Something has bred in this tank---I have about 1000 microsnails, and they show the long antennae that could be stomatellas, maybe even nassarius, but they look round. They could even be turbos. They live in the sand until dark, and I want to get most of them, at least. There's also eggcrate under the sand as a rock base---I think it probably has collected a bit of crud, but as you say, I'll find that out when I pull it.

 

[mrrrkva]

Why not try to keep most of the tank water. Have some water already made up at the "new" place just in case. I would have about 20 gallons just in case. Try not to disturb the sand bed that much. If you have sponges dont expose them to air. Why not put most of you livestock in big coolers, your LFS may provide those for you. You should be able to tear down and get up and running pretty quickly if you plan well. While your setting your tank back up you can put your heater in the big coolers to keep water the same temp.

 

[Sk8r]

Making up water in advance at the new place---a very, very good idea. The styrofoam coolers a good idea, too.