Moving 8 hour drive from TN to MI in 10 days

[vegamedic]

Where's the community? I live in Madison Heights

small world (redford)

michiganreefers forums

 

[ZoWhat]

Don't have any water in a glass tank in the vehicle during travel....

If you unfortunately get pulled over by a State Trooper.....they'll make you dump the water on the side of the Hwy....bc the tank is viewed as a projectile potentially killing passengers

Zero grace or mercy from State Troopers

 

[kayla s]

I know this is old, but I’m crossing my fingers here. With your mini cycle- did you set up s temporary small tank and do 100% WCs daily? Or use Prime in the large tank? Moving 8 hours with a pair of clowns and a nem next week...

I've not moved a tank that many hours but it is just logistics and planning. You will have a mini cycle though - no way around that(bring a bottle of Dr. Tim's one and only with you - will help). Having moved a tank less distance here is what I did with regards to fish, rock, and corals:

1. Fish - separate container, water only, so if I stopped suddenly I wouldn't crush them. You could fabricate or glue PVC pipe in place to give them refuge.
2. Rocks - separate container, water just to top, no more, racked, stacked, and packed best as possible to prevent movement
3. Corals - separate container, egg crate holding cells to prevent movement has much as possible, water just enough no more
4. Pre-made water moved with us in 44 gallon brute containers
5. Packed aquarium supplies together, clearly marked, to setup quickly
6. Placed tank, added water, rocks, corals, then fish - did not aquascape until later in the week
7. No losses but did have a mini cycle

You could do similar, add air stones, use Styrofoam chests where applicable (although environmentalists will get angry I'm sure), and make it work. Ice chest packed to use as you see fit. Keep out of direct sunlight so add shades to windows. Don't leave unattended. 8 hours isn't bad really and maybe only need one or two stops for gas and food. Eat in the car though while on the road.

Oh - plan for traffic. Drive at night if you can - may be better but check gas stations along the route and make sure you have a co-pilot to swap driving. That way you are moving along at a faster pace without speeding. Oh - one more thing. Check car before you leave. You don't need a flat tire or overheating or other mechanical issue to muck up your plan. Anyway - you get the idea.

 

[OrthoVet05]

I know this is old, but I’m crossing my fingers here. With your mini cycle- did you set up s temporary small tank and do 100% WCs daily? Or use Prime in the large tank? Moving 8 hours with a pair of clowns and a nem next week...

Everything has been going well! I used Prime in the large tank every other day and kept all of my power heads on. Long story short, the controller blew out of my truck for my main return pump for the DT. I didn’t set up any sort of other QT. Continued to check nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia which were all 0.

 

[User1]

I know this is old, but I’m crossing my fingers here. With your mini cycle- did you set up s temporary small tank and do 100% WCs daily? Or use Prime in the large tank? Moving 8 hours with a pair of clowns and a nem next week...

I did not do a 100% water change after the mini cycle - no. It was only a 10 - 15% change that was necessary a couple days after.

I guess if I look back though it was like a 100% water change when it was first set up. I didn't move a lot of water just enough to cover everything in their respected containers. But it did get the sand I carried forward, rocks, etc so enough for a bacteria foundation and not start from scratch. The mini cycle was probably due to some worm or bristleworm - possible the adding of the older sand and its dust storm or whatever cloudiness it does.

Pre-made water was key. Then having the tank set up and ready. Carefully setting rocks, corals, fish in the new tank and leaving it helped. Once it was clear the next day I was able to reset scape accordingly. Wait another day and do it again until it was right. Skimmer was running and I believe I had one power head in there at the time - a smaller RW4 or 8.

 

[kayla s]

I did not do a 100% water change after the mini cycle - no. It was only a 10 - 15% change that was necessary a couple days after.

I guess if I look back though it was like a 100% water change when it was first set up. I didn't move a lot of water just enough to cover everything in their respected containers. But it did get the sand I carried forward, rocks, etc so enough for a bacteria foundation and not start from scratch. The mini cycle was probably due to some worm or bristleworm - possible the adding of the older sand and its dust storm or whatever cloudiness it does.

Pre-made water was key. Then having the tank set up and ready. Carefully setting rocks, corals, fish in the new tank and leaving it helped. Once it was clear the next day I was able to reset scape accordingly. Wait another day and do it again until it was right. Skimmer was running and I believe I had one power head in there at the time - a smaller RW4 or 8.

Your fish survived the mini cycle in tank? And you reused sand?
I was hoping to reuse LR but use new sand and nutrisea water upon resetting the tank up. Reuse filter media?

 

[kayla s]

I did not do a 100% water change after the mini cycle - no. It was only a 10 - 15% change that was necessary a couple days after.

I guess if I look back though it was like a 100% water change when it was first set up. I didn't move a lot of water just enough to cover everything in their respected containers. But it did get the sand I carried forward, rocks, etc so enough for a bacteria foundation and not start from scratch. The mini cycle was probably due to some worm or bristleworm - possible the adding of the older sand and its dust storm or whatever cloudiness it does.

Pre-made water was key. Then having the tank set up and ready. Carefully setting rocks, corals, fish in the new tank and leaving it helped. Once it was clear the next day I was able to reset scape accordingly. Wait another day and do it again until it was right. Skimmer was running and I believe I had one power head in there at the time - a smaller RW4 or 8.

Your fish survived the mini cycle in tank? And you reused sand?
I was hoping to reuse LR but use new sand and nutrisea water upon resetting the tank up. Reuse filter media?

 

[kayla s]

I did not do a 100% water change after the mini cycle - no. It was only a 10 - 15% change that was necessary a couple days after.

I guess if I look back though it was like a 100% water change when it was first set up. I didn't move a lot of water just enough to cover everything in their respected containers. But it did get the sand I carried forward, rocks, etc so enough for a bacteria foundation and not start from scratch. The mini cycle was probably due to some worm or bristleworm - possible the adding of the older sand and its dust storm or whatever cloudiness it does.

Pre-made water was key. Then having the tank set up and ready. Carefully setting rocks, corals, fish in the new tank and leaving it helped. Once it was clear the next day I was able to reset scape accordingly. Wait another day and do it again until it was right. Skimmer was running and I believe I had one power head in there at the time - a smaller RW4 or 8.

Your fish survived the mini cycle in tank? And you reused sand?
I was hoping to reuse LR but use new sand and nutrisea water upon resetting the tank up. Reuse filter media?

 

[OrthoVet05]

Your fish survived the mini cycle in tank? And you reused sand?
I was hoping to reuse LR but use new sand and nutrisea water upon resetting the tank up. Reuse filter media?

Noo I did not use the live sand. I heard it was too risky. I only moved my rock for 8 hours and it was immediately submerged back in water when I got to MI. Ran to grab some spring water and made saltwater on the spot. Less than ideal I know but again.. I had mostly hardy species.

 

[User1]

Your fish survived the mini cycle in tank? And you reused sand?
I was hoping to reuse LR but use new sand and nutrisea water upon resetting the tank up. Reuse filter media?

Yes, they did. I only used 2 cups of the sand from the previous tank to seed. Live rock, corals, fish, 2 cups of sand, a bit of water. Sounds like an adult cocktail but yes. I didn't want to move the water fearing it would make a huge mess. Literally no loss outside my hammer colony breaking. It was about 12 - 15" but snapped at some point. I had two 29 gallon bio-cubes that I had to move. I consolidated them into a single 40 breeder.

To put it into perspective I upgraded that 40 breeder into a 210 gallon back in April. I started the 210 cycle in Feb, it completed in March, I left it alone until April 1st then fired up lights and skimmer. On the 15th of April I moved the 40 breeder into the 210. Similar in moving 2 cups of sand from the breeder into the 210 to help seed spaghetti worms and other live stuff. No die off but I did lose those hammers I noted above. They didn't like something and never recovered.

I just found it odd that I moved them in brute containers, in a SUV, 20 some odd miles away, set them into a tank, kept mucking around with it with regards to aquascape, and they did fine. New tank properly cycled everything did great but the hammers.

 

[kayla s]

Yes, they did. I only used 2 cups of the sand from the previous tank to seed. Live rock, corals, fish, 2 cups of sand, a bit of water. Sounds like an adult cocktail but yes. I didn't want to move the water fearing it would make a huge mess. Literally no loss outside my hammer colony breaking. It was about 12 - 15" but snapped at some point. I had two 29 gallon bio-cubes that I had to move. I consolidated them into a single 40 breeder.

To put it into perspective I upgraded that 40 breeder into a 210 gallon back in April. I started the 210 cycle in Feb, it completed in March, I left it alone until April 1st then fired up lights and skimmer. On the 15th of April I moved the 40 breeder into the 210. Similar in moving 2 cups of sand from the breeder into the 210 to help seed spaghetti worms and other live stuff. No die off but I did lose those hammers I noted above. They didn't like something and never recovered.

I just found it odd that I moved them in brute containers, in a SUV, 20 some odd miles away, set them into a tank, kept mucking around with it with regards to aquascape, and they did fine. New tank properly cycled everything did great but the hammers.

Thank you again so much for the experienced information! That’s unbelievable that you had almost no losses!!