Best way to move

Narnia17

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#1
Hello, I'm going To be moving in about 2 months and was just wondering what everyone's opinion is for the easiest way on taking a tank down transporting it and the fish and resetting it up. Its a 120 4x2x2 peninsula. only be moving about 30 minutes away.
 

JojosReef

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#3
Don't move. Get a good contractor and build the house around the tank!

Just kidding, I'm in the same boat. Least my tanks are nanos.
 
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#4
..and enough salt water to do 75-100wc in case of spike
and more Water..did I say more water :).

I moved a 300xl (85 gal) and lost alot of my SPS, and a couple fish due to not being prepared.

Enlist help...

Non Reefers can lift to.

Have boxes and containers pre labeled with content so Non reefers can help. No one knows what a "skimmer" or a type of pump is.

Lots of towels.

Also another reefer that can help handle livestock.
 
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#5
Easiest way from my readings is to prepare and do your homework well before the move. Learned that the hard way too lol.. If you get some of those big plastic totes, size dependent on your tank, you can effectively move everything in that tote. It'd be even better if you get multiple totes to separate rocks and other features of your tank from the livestock. It all comes down to how far you are moving and how fast you can get there :ROFLMAO:

I am also moving sometime this year. My plan is to upgrade from my current 20 to a 100 gal. Much easier for me since I am basically setting up a new tank and I will be able to slowly move stuff from my 20 to the 100. Good luck in your move!
 

Narnia17

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#7
Don't move. Get a good contractor and build the house around the tank!

Just kidding, I'm in the same boat. Least my tanks are nanos.
Haha
Easiest way from my readings is to prepare and do your homework well before the move. Learned that the hard way too lol.. If you get some of those big plastic totes, size dependent on your tank, you can effectively move everything in that tote. It'd be even better if you get multiple totes to separate rocks and other features of your tank from the livestock. It all comes down to how far you are moving and how fast you can get there :ROFLMAO:

I am also moving sometime this year. My plan is to upgrade from my current 20 to a 100 gal. Much easier for me since I am basically setting up a new tank and I will be able to slowly move stuff from my 20 to the 100. Good luck in your move!
Yeah I have 10 27 gallon hope totes and a large brute trash can that I use for water changes. I'm moving 30 minutes away and going for a 120 to a 180 but not sure if I'll be able to set my 180 up early or not.
 

Ohiostreetz

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#8
So I’ve had success with tank moves in the past and this is how I’ve done it.


I bagged every coral individually like I was going to ship them. After being bagged I floated them in a Rubbermaid tote with salt water and a heater to keep them at temp while I was disassembling the tank and components.

At the new place I would recommend having 100% the water volume system in fresh saltwater mixed and to temp. When it comes to salt mix make sure you use a salt mix that mix’s as close as possible to your current parameters. Also test phosphorus and nitrate and dose accordingly.

After tear down was complete I would transfer the tank and equipment to the new place and set it up completely. Make sure to clean whatever you can and replace bulk heads and seals as needed if they are old. Add the pre heated saltwater and make sure everything is running smooth. I tried to use as much saltwater and rock from my old system as I possibly could without killing myself hauling water.

Go back and grab your corals and bring them to the new place. Float all the corals in the tank and then add them back after acclimated.

Make sure to run carbon for the first few days. Just to combat the toxins they will secrete after being bagged up for a few hours.

Hope this helps someon
 

Narnia17

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#9
So I’ve had success with tank moves in the past and this is how I’ve done it.


I bagged every coral individually like I was going to ship them. After being bagged I floated them in a Rubbermaid tote with salt water and a heater to keep them at temp while I was disassembling the tank and components.

At the new place I would recommend having 100% the water volume system in fresh saltwater mixed and to temp. When it comes to salt mix make sure you use a salt mix that mix’s as close as possible to your current parameters. Also test phosphorus and nitrate and dose accordingly.

After tear down was complete I would transfer the tank and equipment to the new place and set it up completely. Make sure to clean whatever you can and replace bulk heads and seals as needed if they are old. Add the pre heated saltwater and make sure everything is running smooth. I tried to use as much saltwater and rock from my old system as I possibly could without killing myself hauling water.

Go back and grab your corals and bring them to the new place. Float all the corals in the tank and then add them back after acclimated.

Make sure to run carbon for the first few days. Just to combat the toxins they will secrete after being bagged up for a few hours.

Hope this helps someon
Did you also bag fish?
 
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#10
Mine is somewhat related. I needed to store my fish for 8 weeks while our house was remodeled. I did multiple water changes in the weeks leading up to the breakdown to get the water as pure/clean as possible. I purchased a black water trough from the hardware store and set that up with fresh live sand and then moved over rocks, and cycled it for a week before the move. Used the instant cycle. On the day of the breakdown, I used totes and several 100-120lt ice chests to move the fish (in bags, as mentioned above). Moved the fish, and acclimated them into their new home. The move landed up, taking up 12 weeks due to delays in the construction. I then did the same thing with the new tank, and moved back the same way. Zero fish and coral losses, but my 3 nems died (but they were weird right before the move, I think they liked the dirty water). I moved about 20 fish this way. When I setup my new tank, I ran into some plumbing / setup issues that took a few days to resolve, so very happy that I had the buffer of the temp home.

In your case, set up a temp home at your destination. Then on the day of the transfer, pump the water from the temp home into the new home and slide the fish over.
 

Narnia17

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#12
Mine is somewhat related. I needed to store my fish for 8 weeks while our house was remodeled. I did multiple water changes in the weeks leading up to the breakdown to get the water as pure/clean as possible. I purchased a black water trough from the hardware store and set that up with fresh live sand and then moved over rocks, and cycled it for a week before the move. Used the instant cycle. On the day of the breakdown, I used totes and several 100-120lt ice chests to move the fish (in bags, as mentioned above). Moved the fish, and acclimated them into their new home. The move landed up, taking up 12 weeks due to delays in the construction. I then did the same thing with the new tank, and moved back the same way. Zero fish and coral losses, but my 3 nems died (but they were weird right before the move, I think they liked the dirty water). I moved about 20 fish this way. When I setup my new tank, I ran into some plumbing / setup issues that took a few days to resolve, so very happy that I had the buffer of the temp home.

In your case, set up a temp home at your destination. Then on the day of the transfer, pump the water from the temp home into the new home and slide the fish over.
Great thanks for the advice I appreciate it!
 

drexel

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#13
Sand is the biggest issue when moving, everything else is pretty much straight forward. Buy some USB powered air pumps from Amazon for the fish, which can be carried in old salt buckets with lids. If transferring sand, then take the top layer of sand rinse in old tank water before putting it back in. If it's a shallow bed, less than 1/2", then you can rinse it all without issue. If it's deeper, then only take the top layer and don't use the rest. Add new sand after the move and put your "cleaned" old sand on top.
https://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Por...24852&sprefix=usb+powered+air+,aps,224&sr=8-5
Use these with any mophie style battery pack and you're good to go.
Always have more buckets and containers than what you think you need and always have extra parts for plumbing. Things tend to break when you least expect them to. Good luck!
 

Narnia17

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#14
Sand is the biggest issue when moving, everything else is pretty much straight forward. Buy some USB powered air pumps from Amazon for the fish, which can be carried in old salt buckets with lids. If transferring sand, then take the top layer of sand rinse in old tank water before putting it back in. If it's a shallow bed, less than 1/2", then you can rinse it all without issue. If it's deeper, then only take the top layer and don't use the rest. Add new sand after the move and put your "cleaned" old sand on top.
https://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Portable-Oxygen-Energy-Saving/dp/B08QCMM8DD/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=usb+powered+air+pump+aquarium&qid=1673624852&sprefix=usb+powered+air+,aps,224&sr=8-5
Use these with any mophie style battery pack and you're good to go.
Always have more buckets and containers than what you think you need and always have extra parts for plumbing. Things tend to break when you least expect them to. Good luck!
Thanks appreciate it. Yeah I have 10 27 gallon containers and a 20 gallon brute trash can for a 120 gallon tank.
 
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#15
I'd be very careful about using old sand, a couple of people kept too much and it caused issues. I'd buy mostly new (maybe a little bit of old.) That's just what I've read. I used 90% new sand and all my old rocks. I also bought some of the blocks and balls, kept them in the old tank for 30 days and used them to seed the holding and new tank. The advantage of the blocks is you can seed them in your sump and then not worry about crushing corals or other goodies when you move them.
 

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