moving

thelitone · Oct 29, 2009

Ive never had to move a tank. I'm moving to Tacoma from Renton. i have a 75g tank. mixed reef. and all the equipment that goes with a 75g mixed reef. nothing fancy, no cal reactor or anything. are there any tips anyone has to help make the transition easier? i kinda have an idea of what needs to happen but..... any pointers would be appreciated.

thanks
Wil

NaTe R · Oct 29, 2009

im my opinion, i would NOT move any sand or disrupt while removing things. Just throw it away and re start when you get there.

and of course bagging as many corals as you can throw them in a cooler what not. i threw all my rock in big rubbermaids and ducktaped the lids closed. worked well. and move as much water as you can from your old tank. Also get about 35gal r/o ready temp/sal for when you move thats hom much water at a minimum you will have to leave behind with sand and equipment.

oh and if you pay attention to getting all the sand off your rocks by blowing with a powerhead or dunking what ever works the faster your tank will clear up when you get settled in to your new tank

seattle989 · Oct 29, 2009

You should just upgrade

tcblightning · Oct 29, 2009

There are alot of different opinions on the sand...Mine being keep it in the aquarium with just enough water to cover it during the move and disturd it as little as possible. I have moved three different tanks that way with no problem. I have heard to take everything out except the sand and about 4 or 5 inches of water and stir the sand up as much as possible and siphon all the nasty water out. The logic being that you get as much dirt out as possible...I have never done this but who knows. I cant understand why you would throw it away though...I have heard this from several people though so maybe there is something to it...I just dont see it. The best advice I can offer though is come up with a system with removing your LR. For instance, if you want to keep the layout the same you...well you have a problem...that's gonna be hard! But what I do is seperate it by grade. Put all your really nice rock or rock with corals in one cooler or box, then your medium grade rock in a seperate box, and your base rock in a different one. This way when it comes to setting it back up it's much easier.

Chichas01 · Oct 30, 2009

make up lots of extra water before the move. In your case I would say at least 40-60 gallons. It may not seam like it but you will end up needing it.
It will be a good time to vacuum the sand bed once every thing is out of the tank if you are planning on keeping the sand. You will end up getting rid of a bunch of nasty stuff that way and lose a good amount of water in the process.

bmw-legend · Oct 30, 2009

I just moved 90 gal tank couple weeks ago..It was alot of work, it took me about a week in order to put my live stock back in the tank. My suggestion to have a back up plan with a big 30 to 40gal or bigger rubbermaid container with heater, skimmer and some LR. Take all the tank water if possible and pull half into the rubbermaid and the rest in your tank at new home. This is just in case the ammonia acting up, so you have a temporary place to put your live stock until the bad chemical die down. Make as a RO/DI water as possible, may need to change water next couple of days. GOOD LUCK