Tank Move Disaster

[vsolovyev]

Hey Everyone,

Logging my Total loss of my 90-gallon SPS dominant display from my move to a different state... Maybe as a lesson learned kind of deal.

We decided to move to a different state and made the move a few weeks ago, I've made a few tanks moves before but not with this much livestock.
Naturally I researched best ways to make the move, supplies needed, etc.. 3 100-watt heaters, portable bubbler and 3 25-gallon totes later, I disassembled my aquarium, corals in 3 bins, fish in other larger containers. Live rock was separated into multiple 5-gallon buckets.

My ultimate plan was to move all of my corals into a buddy's system that lives at the destination, and then setting up my new 8ft long tank, to then transfer my coral and fish after a good cycling.

The drive itself took about 14 hours, with me constantly checking up on the fish and corals to make sure everything was fine. It wasn't until towards the end of the trip, that I noticed the water starting to get murky and things not looking so good, temperature was fine, and bubbles still being made.

Once I arrived at the destination, basically everything was gone. Just bad smell from all of the containers.
Completely devasted from the total loss, took a little while to come to terms with it.

Overall, the lesson I learned from this move is to sell/rehome all of the livestock prior to moving.

 

[acro.jordan]

I would have recommended bagging all livestock separately and putting said livestock into big styrofoam containers (for insulation no heater needed)

Coral and fish are often packed and shipped for 24-48hrs. My guess is that as soon as 1 colony started to decline in the 25gallon bin it spread and nuked all other colonies in the large bin, if they were bagged separately from one another the failing/dying coral would not have affected anything else.

Lesson learned, experience is the best teacher

 

[mousehunter]

My fear this time of year would have been heat, not cold. Did you actively monitor water temp? Your user name mentioned Texas. It is hot enough already this year to kill a person (or pet) locked in a car.

I fear a tank move. I am setting up a tank this summer, knowing I will probably be moving next summer. I am half tempet to build a new tank at the new location, get it cycled, and just move contents - then in a month or two I can have 2 tanks.

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

Yeah, it kinda sounds like maybe the water got too warm. I can’t think of any other reason that an oxygenated system would totally wipe out corals in 14 hours. Unless the containers were contaminated.

Even one or two corals dying shouldn’t wipe everything out that quickly. Water getting really warm on already stressed corals could nuke them. Just a guess, though.

 

[OrionN]

We have to move a bunch of plants from Norfolk to Dallas a few days ago in a big U-Haul truck. We put several open coolers of ice in the truck to keep the heat from cooking the plants. I do think it is the heat that cook the corals moving in June/July
In the 1990's, I have to move my 120 gal tank across the country too. Seattle to Corpus Christi. I got rid of most of my animals and rock. Just keep some priced clams, corals and fishes. I only move frags and animals, no rock or sand. We drove them to Houston, board them with a friend for 1 month while I set up my aquarium in Corpus Christi. Took them home after 4 weeks or so. No death with that move.
I think the problem here is the combination of the heat, or too high density of animals in the container, or not enough care in packing rock/sand that can initiate a small die off. Sand should be discarded and while rock can be kept it need to be fresh and go direct from tank to container without any dry out (can cause some death on the rock in a small container that would be deadly for the rest of the inhabitant).