Moving lrg tank-need suggestions

[abushr]

I'm going to purchase a 120 gal tank from a member in Spokane, WA and transport it to TriCities, WA (about a 3 hour drive). This tank comes complete including the fish and live rock. My major concern is.....the fish from the big tank most likely won't want to live in my current sm 30 gal tank while the big tank re-cycles after re-setting it up. Should I bring back some of it's current water with me to add to a old 20 gal. I have in storage.....and let them hang out there (if they are incompatible with my current fish) until the lrg tank re-cycles? I know to keep the live rock damp during transport..... Should I take some big bins and try to transport as much of the current water as i can back with me? I want to try and make the move as un-stressful for the fish as possible....any suggestions????

 

[reefreefer]

I hate moving, Buckets, buckets, more buckets and I need a bigger bucket or something like a bucket. I would take as much water as you can, I moved down to Ca from Wa and didn't lose a single specimen, got lucky. Ask your L.F.S for a foam box and bags and rubber bands. I used a new 55g trash can for as much water and rock as I could and 5 g buckets for the rest. when you remove all of the sand place it in a bucket of water from the tank, I put mine in another tank when I got down here to avoid the cloudy water in a tank I am rushing to set up. Keep it alive and add it slowly later. keep your rock wet and it wont die off and will jump start the recycle, if you have a lot of die off you may need to "cure" your rock again. The quality of water that the rock is in will be way better than the quality of water from the fish in bags. "The rocks filter the fish poop" I would move as quickly as possible but If it were me I wouldn't be that worried it will only take you around 3 hours to drive and a few hours on each end, Keep EVERYTHING wet and warm and you will be fine. I put my fish into buckets when I got there and a few hours later back in the tank. Easier said then done but you'll be fine if you are prepared.

 

[sunny_mittu]

cycling your 120 gallon tank will need 2 weeks

you may have to change water once in those 2 weeks (i would suggest 75% water change on 12th day)

if rocks are in good condition

if rocks are kept outside the tank for more than 10 hours

it will take 3 weeks to resettle them

if just 3 hours then takes a week

till that time you will need a very clean and compatible environment

 

[1fishkeeper]

Just like reefreefer said, try to take as much water as you can. In the buckets place your rocks to make sure that you keep your rocks wet. But as for the sand I would remove it and start out with new. Moving it will cause it to release alot of bad things and it can cause a cycle to start over again. But your fish should be fine for a couple of hours in a bucket durning the move. You will have to do a water change every couple of days to help keep everything down. Best of luck with the move.

 

[Chichas01]

I'm going to purchase a 120 gal tank from a member in Spokane, WA and transport it to TriCities, WA (about a 3 hour drive). This tank comes complete including the fish and live rock. My major concern is.....the fish from the big tank most likely won't want to live in my current sm 30 gal tank while the big tank re-cycles after re-setting it up. Should I bring back some of it's current water with me to add to a old 20 gal. I have in storage.....and let them hang out there (if they are incompatible with my current fish) until the lrg tank re-cycles? I know to keep the live rock damp during transport..... Should I take some big bins and try to transport as much of the current water as i can back with me? I want to try and make the move as un-stressful for the fish as possible....any suggestions????

This is what I have learned when moving tanks:
Make up LOTS of water at you final location. By LOTS I mean at least 200-250 gallons for a tank your size, maybe even more. No real need to save any of the water other than what you need to transport the fish and the rock. Use new 5 gallon buckets and tote bins from the hardware store or stop by your LFS and see if they can give you any of their insulated shipping boxes they receive their livestock in. That will keep temps more stable on the trip.
The benificial bacteria is in the rock and substrate, not in the water. By doing this you can perform some big water changes if amonia spikes and starts off a cylcle. Also look into some sort of amonia removing filter media.
If the sand is fairly old or smells bad (not that clean ocean smell) ditch the majority or worst part of it and use whats left to seed your new sand bed.
If you do this, you can probably set everything back up the same day you move it. But you need to be on top of it if you notice any signs of amonia adn the starting of a cycle. The other option would be to borrow a tank big enough to hold your livestock until your sure everything is safe. Either way, you will still need all that water.
What kind of critters are in the tank anyway?

 

[abushr]

I've been studying threads and some of them mention replacing the live sand bed when a tank is moved- because all the gases & junk are stirred up and released when you move it. I was thinking this might not be needed since I plan on housing the fish in another tank while the big tank re-cycles itself. Am I correct with this assumption? Thanks for all the input so far. I figured I'd transport rock in a container with some water in it to keep them damp and they'll stay in the vehicle so they wont freeze during transport- that way I can minimize die off of the goodies living in it. I have a power inverter and planned on taking another sm container and plugging in a heater and air pump so the fish stay plenty warm and aireated during my drive. Hmmmm.... Might have to do the same sort of thing for all the live stuff for the sump too....I sorta forgot about them. I better invest in some rubbermaid!!! LOL

 

[Ed Hahn]

Abushr,
Show up at the meeting this week end and lets talk. Part of being a club is working together to support each other in this great hobby. I have a 450 gallon rubber maid. I have a 155 gallon tub in Seattle area a friend has stored for me. I hope he and other friends have been using it also. I look forward to meeting you.
Ed

 

[abushr]

The current fish population in the big tank is a hippo tank, sailfin tang, coral beauty & maroon clown. I have an old tank in storage I plan on setting up to house them while the tank settles. It could work as quarantine tank type set up. I dont want to add them directly to my current tank.

My current tank houses a yellow tang, lawnmower blennie, 5 green chromies & a tomato clown, sand sifting star, serpent starfish, a sm orange starfish & the clean-up crew (cleaner shrimp, 2 emerald crabs & an assortment of snails). I also have some zoas, mushrooms, blue/green muscles, hammer coral, sm monti frag, organ pipe coral, sm long tenticle sea anemone & acouple of feather dusters. Wow- sounds like alot when I list it out....lol. Yes, I am a water testing fiend!

I think the coral beauty is considered reef safe. I've misplaced my fish book so I havnt looked it up yet. I wonder if the two different species of clowns will co-habitat in the big tank? I would think there is plenty of room for them to establish their own territories... I'll have to go back and read the clownfish thread again. If not, I'll keep my current tank set up for the trouble makers....lol

 

[returnofsid]

Keeping existing water will do you no good at all. The beneficial bacteria that we think of, when "cycling" a tank, does not live in the water column. It lives in and on solid objects, like Live Rock, live sand, glass, equipment.

Keep the live rock wet and it'll be just fine for 3 hours, as long as it doesn't get cold.
Toss the sand, for the reasons you've already read about.
Have plenty of saltwater made up, ahead of time, at home.
Use large plastic garbage cans to move live rock and livestock.

The move should be fairly straight forward and all of the livestock can easily be kept alive and healthy, IF you can keep them warm. That's going to be the problem this time of year.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Excellent writing, agree with all Return said and would add, it is often easiest to move the tank ahead of time and get it set up and stabilized before moving fish. Not always possible but worth thinking about. Be sure you have an EXCELLENT skimmer for in the display if all at once and be prepared for frequent water changes as there will be die-off on the rock during the move.

 

[abushr]

I was only planning on keeping enough water to transport fish, live rock (LR), and sump stuff. I was thinking I should start mixing salt water and get my temporary holding tank set up and running today. I would run the holding tank as a bare bottom---should I pull a piece of LR from my current system in temp. tank (since the rock has all the goodies in it). I could even transfer over a green chromis or two if that would help. I will be picking up the tank when I drive over to Spokane for the Spokanes fish group meeting Jan. 16th...so that gives me 11 days to have the temp. tank running before adding the fish.

I'm not worried about keeping it warm....like I said I have a power inverter. I can plug it into my lighter and then plug normal plugs into it. So I can use a heater & sm air pump to keep critters happy & healthy. I won't trailer anything that will be temperature sensative... The tank is 4 ft. long, 2 ft wide and 2 ft tall....it will easily fit into the back of my explorer. I have a container to use for fish that will fit inside the tank. I'll use another container for LR, and sump junk which will also ride inside. I'll stick the stand in the trailer, bring a few other empty totes to stick hood, skimmer, misc. stuff, etc.... into so they won't be bothered by the rain or snow. I'm dragging my girlfriend along too....I'll need the extra muscle!!! LOL

Moving the tank ahead of time would be great, but isn't an option. I think my old 30 gal. freshwater tank will work as a temp. holding tank while the big one settles in. Good grief....if I replace all the sand.....I'll have to get the local fish guy to pre-order that much in....

It's alot of work, but I know it will be worth it. Gotta go and scour the site about sump systems. Never had one of these before.....should be quite educational!! LOL

Again, thanks for all the input...I appreciate it. Keep adding to it if you think it needs it!

 

[estanoche]

One thing to keep in mind - those large tangs will appreciate some space to swim, especially after being moved... The less stressed out they are, the longer their lifespan will be.

I would go buy or borrow a clean 55 gallon garbage can, clean it with vinegar, and use it to house your fish in once you get home. Fish don't need to see out the glass, only we need to see in! That way you can keep them in 1 place while you are setting up your tank and getting everything situated.

I'm sure the tri-cities crew have quite a few treasures down there for you to borrow as temporary habitats. I think that with as many fish as you have, your 30 gallon and 20 gallon are going to be too small.

 

[abushr]

I agree the 30 gal. is too small. I knew I would grow out of it quickly. I knew I would jump to a bigger tank quickly. I just used the 30 gal. because I used to have fresh water fish (icky cichlids) in it and only had to upgrade my lighting & add power heads. I just added the corals this last week....so that doesn't add to my current bio-load. Everyone is still fairly small for the moment and I do weekly water changes, and multiple chemical tests to stay on top of that lovely nitrate monster....lol He reared his ughly head a couple months back....and I'll do whatever is needed to try and keep that from happening again!

My fish guy said that the two clowns (maroon/tomato) wouldn't likely keep to their own corners in the 120... I really like the looks of the maroon as well as the tomato clown. Could be a hard choice... I suppose I'll have to see how they play with others....I've heard that the maroons can be rather aggressive....but I'll research that some more and watch before I make any final decissions. I like big aggressive looking dogs.....lol....so why not have an aggressive fish...lol Of course could always get 2nd maroon clown and have only those in the 30, see if I can get them to bond/breed....hmmmm....could be interesting!

 

[abushr]

Almost forgot....I added to my collection while picking the fish guys brain. I'm like a kid in a candy store....nose pressed up to the glass....ooogling all the goodies.....LOL!!!

I brought home a Forida Ricordia (cool greenish color) and a Yuma Ricordia (orange outside/blue inside) and a cute little goby that is white with bright orange spots. He hangs out chomping on sand all day! I've been wanting one forever!

 

[Steve B]

my most hated thing...lots of good sealing buckets and power convertors for your vehicle to run heaters and pumps to circulate water depending on how far you are moving...


best of luck

 

[scytale]

I've moved my 80 gallon reef twice and, never seen a measurable "cycle"-- my best advice is: "expect the move to last at least 2 days, and then plan accordingly."

For me, that meant:

-making sure you have enough heaters for ALL of your livestock containers and as much of the liverock as possible. (Because if you can keep your LR warm, and fully submerged in tank-water--then you'll have less worry about a post-move cycle afterwards.) Big coolers with trash-bag liners work great to keep things warmer in mid-January...

-test your heaters in the actual move-containers, and cold environment, BEFOREHAND (a 50w heater in a 5 gal bucket will act differently in your living room, than it will in a open trailer...). Leave them setup over-night with a digital thermometer that records min/max temps. (you want to make sure they're stable and that the temp. doesn't swing over-night--in case something has to stay in the bucket overnight on move-day.) Also nothing is worse than losing a whole container of livestock because 1 heater gets stuck "on", or was accidentally set too high.

-plan to have at least 100% of your new tank's volume of fresh saltwater water ready at your destination. Save as much of the original tank water for transport as you want, because knowing you have a full tank's worth of new water (already buffered to match the original tank params) at home is great as you begin to unpack/acclimate live stock. (And If you do use less than 100% of the new water, then you'll have extra for that first WC already ready.)

-I've kept all the live-sand, in the tank, on both my moves--and I've yet to have a noticeable cycle afterwards. (80 gallon glass tank + 1" sand + 1-2" of water is still a manageable 2-man lift.) I always spent at least 45-60 minutes carefully cleaning/siphoning the sand bed on move day. But I usually also leave any delicate specimens out of the tank on the first day because the water can take a long time to clear.

Remember, remember, remember: there's a good chance that you won't get it all done in 1 day, so plan to spend at least 2 days on the move at the outset. This way you don't have to rush, or stay up all night, because of poor planning. So when you put something (rock, fish, etc) in a container at origin ask yourself "can it spend the night in there?" does it have a heater? is that water buffered?, etc.)

For me, a tank move has always been a 3 day process:
Day 1 = tear-down, relocation, then tank/equipment set up, LR/aquascaping and fish acclimation (if I'm lucky).

Night 1: Corals (and/or delicate fish) sleep in their move containers, or temporary tanks. (which have already been correctly temperature cycled; because we planned ahead. )

Day 2: livestock acclimation, coral placement, and LR tweaking.

Day 3: lots of rest.