We're Moving! Tank is Coming! How's My Checklist?

[907_Reefer]

Hey all, so we're about to close on a new house, about 5 hours from our current home. And of course, I'm planning to bring our 55 gallon tank! From start to finish of the tank move I'm anticipating ~8 hours. I'm getting my plan together and have a few Qs, wanted to lay it out here for any ideas or comments. And of course, the move will occur in November in Alaska, below freezing likely the entire time.

Setup is 55 gal long, 90 lbs live rock, 120 lbs live sand. Due to the amount of buckets I plan on having, I'll likely rent a Uhaul van to accommodate since none of this would enjoy riding in the back of a truck in winter here..

Plan of attack:

1.) Prep, setup 2 brute cans at the new house in a prior trip (will have a few trips during the overlap), one with mixed salt water and one with RO - don't want to be short on these and won't have RODI running at new house for a few days after tank move.
2.) Power down, move rocks (many of which have corals attached) to buckets, probably a few each with a few gallons of tank water. Fish and CUC spread amongst the buckets.
3.) Lights, skimmer, pumps etc into a bin
4.) Remove/discard some sand - with 120 lbs, I'll likely need to remove about half so my wife can assist with moving - which I'm fine with since we have a ton in there.
5.) Load all to van, drive anxiously for 5 hours through mountain passes with potentially inclement weather
6.) Install rocks and water, fish/CUC, then heaters, pumps, lights, skimmer, feverishly

Qs:

A.) The pre-mixed SW and RO brute cans will be sitting for 1-2 weeks before the move, do I need to leave pumps running (and/or air stones) in each for cycle the whole time or am I OK dropping pumps, heater, air back in as soon as I arrive with the tank (which would run for about an hour before I'm ready to use to top up)?

B.) I've been looking at battery powered bubblers for the ride, amazon has some for $11 that look fine - should I be concerned if I don't have one in every bucket? Or spread a few around where I have the fish/CUC, and not worry about those with just rock and/or corals?

C.) What if I decided to remove ALL of the sand and use ~60 lbs new during setup? Assume I'd be dealing with cloudy water for a few days, anything else of concern with not cycling the sand bed? Should have plenty of crevices in the rocks to maintain bac however?

D.) I've read that you should leave some water in with the sand during move to keep bac alive, would just enough to cover the sand bed suffice (to keep it light enough to lift with the wife)?

E.) If I use a few smaller containers as well (loose corals, etc), any issues with these and some of the buckets being air tight?

Anything I'm missing?

I have been arguing that this is a good time to pre-setup a new 240 gal tank there before moving our rock and livestock but I'm not winning that battle at this time (blame mortgage rates), so I'll stick with planning the 55 gal move for now

 

[Jekyl]

I wouldn't reuse the sand. Rocks can be wrapped in wet newspaper and bags for the ride.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey all, so we're about to close on a new house, about 5 hours from our current home. And of course, I'm planning to bring our 55 gallon tank! From start to finish of the tank move I'm anticipating ~8 hours. I'm getting my plan together and have a few Qs, wanted to lay it out here for any ideas or comments. And of course, the move will occur in November in Alaska, below freezing likely the entire time.

Setup is 55 gal long, 90 lbs live rock, 120 lbs live sand. Due to the amount of buckets I plan on having, I'll likely rent a Uhaul van to accommodate since none of this would enjoy riding in the back of a truck in winter here..

Plan of attack:

1.) Prep, setup 2 brute cans at the new house in a prior trip (will have a few trips during the overlap), one with mixed salt water and one with RO - don't want to be short on these and won't have RODI running at new house for a few days after tank move.
2.) Power down, move rocks (many of which have corals attached) to buckets, probably a few each with a few gallons of tank water. Fish and CUC spread amongst the buckets.
3.) Lights, skimmer, pumps etc into a bin
4.) Remove/discard some sand - with 120 lbs, I'll likely need to remove about half so my wife can assist with moving - which I'm fine with since we have a ton in there.
5.) Load all to van, drive anxiously for 5 hours through mountain passes with potentially inclement weather
6.) Install rocks and water, fish/CUC, then heaters, pumps, lights, skimmer, feverishly

Qs:

A.) The pre-mixed SW and RO brute cans will be sitting for 1-2 weeks before the move, do I need to leave pumps running (and/or air stones) in each for cycle the whole time or am I OK dropping pumps, heater, air back in as soon as I arrive with the tank (which would run for about an hour before I'm ready to use to top up)?

B.) I've been looking at battery powered bubblers for the ride, amazon has some for $11 that look fine - should I be concerned if I don't have one in every bucket? Or spread a few around where I have the fish/CUC, and not worry about those with just rock and/or corals?

C.) What if I decided to remove ALL of the sand and use ~60 lbs new during setup? Assume I'd be dealing with cloudy water for a few days, anything else of concern with not cycling the sand bed? Should have plenty of crevices in the rocks to maintain bac however?

D.) I've read that you should leave some water in with the sand during move to keep bac alive, would just enough to cover the sand bed suffice (to keep it light enough to lift with the wife)?

E.) If I use a few smaller containers as well (loose corals, etc), any issues with these and some of the buckets being air tight?

Anything I'm missing?

I have been arguing that this is a good time to pre-setup a new 240 gal tank there before moving our rock and livestock but I'm not winning that battle at this time (blame mortgage rates), so I'll stick with planning the 55 gal move for now

View attachment 2867530

A.) The pre-mixed SW and RO brute cans will be sitting for 1-2 weeks before the move, do I need to leave pumps running (and/or air stones) in each for cycle the whole time or am I OK dropping pumps, heater, air back in as soon as I arrive with the tank (which would run for about an hour before I'm ready to use to top up)? Leave the circulation going until ready to fill new tank.

B.) I've been looking at battery powered bubblers for the ride, amazon has some for $11 that look fine - should I be concerned if I don't have one in every bucket? Or spread a few around where I have the fish/CUC, and not worry about those with just rock and/or corals? Walmart has them too and theyre good for the fiish and inverts. Coral ok without.

C.) What if I decided to remove ALL of the sand and use ~60 lbs new during setup? Assume I'd be dealing with cloudy water for a few days, anything else of concern with not cycling the sand bed? Should have plenty of crevices in the rocks to maintain bac however? Ive moved pet stores 4 times due to growth and always left the sand in the tank with enough water to cover it keeping the bacteria alive. Just dont stir it up when refilling

D.) I've read that you should leave some water in with the sand during move to keep bac alive, would just enough to cover the sand bed suffice (to keep it light enough to lift with the wife)? Yes as just mentioned and I never failed doing this

E.) If I use a few smaller containers as well (loose corals, etc), any issues with these and some of the buckets being air tight? No - similar to these being shipped in bags

Anything I'm missing?
Add liquid bacteria such as Micro Bacter XLM when setting tank back up and acclimate all livestock to the new tank as if you just purchased them. This will equalize salinity and Ph

 

[907_Reefer]

I wouldn't reuse the sand. Rocks can be wrapped in wet newspaper and bags for the ride.

Thanks - and wouldn't re-use ANY of the current sand or only note to discard the portion that I take out?

Most of the rocks have corals attached, and I have plenty of buckets so was thinking that would be safest and double as transport for some of the water, then maybe 50% new SW during setup.. But if I could consolidate a bit I could maybe bypass the Uhaul van rental..

 

[907_Reefer]

A.) The pre-mixed SW and RO brute cans will be sitting for 1-2 weeks before the move, do I need to leave pumps running (and/or air stones) in each for cycle the whole time or am I OK dropping pumps, heater, air back in as soon as I arrive with the tank (which would run for about an hour before I'm ready to use to top up)? Leave the circulation going until ready to fill new tank.

B.) I've been looking at battery powered bubblers for the ride, amazon has some for $11 that look fine - should I be concerned if I don't have one in every bucket? Or spread a few around where I have the fish/CUC, and not worry about those with just rock and/or corals? Walmart has them too and theyre good for the fiish and inverts. Coral ok without.

C.) What if I decided to remove ALL of the sand and use ~60 lbs new during setup? Assume I'd be dealing with cloudy water for a few days, anything else of concern with not cycling the sand bed? Should have plenty of crevices in the rocks to maintain bac however? Ive moved pet stores 4 times due to growth and always left the sand in the tank with enough water to cover it keeping the bacteria alive. Just dont stir it up when refilling

D.) I've read that you should leave some water in with the sand during move to keep bac alive, would just enough to cover the sand bed suffice (to keep it light enough to lift with the wife)? Yes as just mentioned and I never failed doing this

E.) If I use a few smaller containers as well (loose corals, etc), any issues with these and some of the buckets being air tight? No - similar to these being shipped in bags

Anything I'm missing?
Add liquid bacteria such as Micro Bacter XLM when setting tank back up and acclimate all livestock to the new tank as if you just purchased them. This will equalize salinity and Ph

Thanks vetteguy!

 

[Jedi1199]

Vetteguy pretty much nailed it. Bubblers are a good failsafe, but should not be "required"

I would reuse all of the sand. If you can save about 1/3rd of the water that would be great as well.

I would definitely keep a circulation pump going in both the mixed SW can and the fresh RODI can while they sit.

Once you get the bed set up (your wife will demand that) let her deal with sheets and blankets and you can start getting the tank set up. Get the sand and water in ASAP. The fish and corals will be fine for a couple days in a larger brute can or a large tote. Just be sure to get a heater and flow maker in there immediately.

 

[Jedi1199]

When I did my tank upgrade in July, I kept all my fish and corals in a pair of 30g totes I picked up cheap at WalMart. I added a heater and flow maker to each and had zero losses in the transfer.

Note: the fish and corals were in the totes for over a week.

 

[907_Reefer]

When I did my tank upgrade in July, I kept all my fish and corals in a pair of 30g totes I picked up cheap at WalMart. I added a heater and flow maker to each and had zero losses in the transfer.

Note: the fish and corals were in the totes for over a week.

Thanks Jedi! I may add a tote or 3rd/smaller brute to my project also to be able to heat them back up immediately upon arrival, while I get the tank, stand and accessories situated/warmed up, then take more time with the rocks then livestock.

Appreciate all the tips! Definitely easing some stress!

 

[Jedi1199]

Thanks Jedi! I may add a tote or 3rd/smaller brute to my project also to be able to heat them back up immediately upon arrival, while I get the tank, stand and accessories situated/warmed up, then take more time with the rocks then livestock.

Appreciate all the tips! Definitely easing some stress!

The issue that jumps out at me with this is temperature control.

In my honest opinion, I would transport all of the living stock in the cab of the truck or car you are driving. It doesn't take long for water to equalize temperature with ambient air. Meaning if its 20* outside, an unheated moving van will also be 20 degrees and a 5g bucket will get there in an hour at best.

Keep the fish and corals in the same temperature controlled environment you are traveling in. Or, be prepared to arrive with buckets full of dead livestock.

 

[Jedi1199]

Try this...

Take a gallon of water out of your display tank and take a temp reading immediately. Place it on the counter and temp it every 10 minutes. Watch how fast it drops. I venture to guess it will be equal to room temp or at least a level that will be lethal to fish and corals within 30 minutes.

 

[907_Reefer]

Thanks - yea the Uhaul idea was for a smaller, heated van, incase I don't have room in the truck cab. Anything in the bed or unheated would freeze or chill severely. I am planning for all items (except stand) in a heated compartment (likely with the heat roasting for 5 hours).

 

[Jedi1199]

Thanks - yea the Uhaul idea was for a smaller, heated van, incase I don't have room in the truck cab. Anything in the bed or unheated would freeze or chill severely. I am planning for all items (except stand) in a heated compartment (likely with the heat roasting for 5 hours).

No need for that level. The ONLY things that need temp control are the actual living stock. (fish, corals inverts...) the tank, stand, rocks ect will be fine.

 

[Jedi1199]

Also, If you have a couple spare heaters, get them into the cans of SW and FW now. You want that water at tank temp.

Quick hack if you dont have spare heaters, bring a couple gallons of your new water to nearly a boil on the stove and then add it back to the cans. That will raise the temp to a workable level quickly.

If you fill the tank with cold water, and rely solely on the heater to bring it up to temp, you will add days to the transfer.

 

[Jedi1199]

Another note...
A rapid change of even a couple degrees, will stress fish. Leaving them vulnerable to parasites and illness.

Be extremely vigilant with your observation of the tank for the first 72 hours at least. If you notice ANYTHING that appears to be related to illness or parasites, create an emergency thread so we can help you. Ich is especially an issue related to temperature swings.

One of those 30g totes from WalMart would be an ideal hospital tank if you need it. For $15, its worth the purchase even if you don't need it. Can always store bedding or Christmas decorations or whatever in it later.

 

[907_Reefer]

Sounds good. I'm thinking:

- Setup the 2 brutes about 1 week ahead with Pumps and heaters running, should be fine unattended
- Following week, transport all fish, corals (and rock) in a heated area of the vehicle
- First move rock, fish, corals to a tote/brute that's empty, load it all from buckets and insert a heater to start to bring it up to temp slowly
- Setup stand and tank, install components
- Move rock and water chunks at a time from the heating tote/brute into tank, equal ratio to keep the rock covered as I build (mix with fresh SW from the big heated brute as needed)
- Throw 1 heater on sand bed so it works while I build the rock base
- Livestock last from the slowly-heated tote to a heated tank

Agree on minimal temperature swings - besides a cool down and warm up during/after travel, that sounds pretty good to me.

And definitely will be monitoring closely, this tank is our baby

 

[Jedi1199]

Sounds good. I'm thinking:

- Setup the 2 brutes about 1 week ahead with Pumps and heaters running, should be fine unattended
- Following week, transport all fish, corals (and rock) in a heated area of the vehicle
- First move rock, fish, corals to a tote/brute that's empty, load it all from buckets and insert a heater to start to bring it up to temp slowly
- Setup stand and tank, install components
- Move rock and water chunks at a time from the heating tote/brute into tank, equal ratio to keep the rock covered as I build (mix with fresh SW from the big heated brute as needed)
- Throw 1 heater on sand bed so it works while I build the rock base
- Livestock last from the slowly-heated tote to a heated tank

Agree on minimal temperature swings - besides a cool down and warm up during/after travel, that sounds pretty good to me.

And definitely will be monitoring closely, this tank is our baby

The livestock needs to be kept as close to temp as possible throughout the process. Here is what I would do.

Break down existing tank at last possible time. pull out all rocks that have no corals on them and put in 5g buckets with tank water.

Move coral encrusted rocks next. Place them in warmest area of the house. then net out the fish. All of these will be fine in 5g buckets for the move. I wouldn't go larger as they become difficult to actually lift and move.

Put all living stock in the temp controlled car or truck and make the drive. Keep the temp inside as close to 78 as possible.. you may sweat a bit, but the fish will appreciate this.

Once you get them to the new house, get at the very minimum 2 30g totes or brute cans set up with SW and heaters and flow makers. and get the living stock in there. This is ABSOLUTELY needed and required!!

Once you have the living stock secured with heat and flow, you can deal with the tank rebuild.

Since you now have the stock secured, this takes the immediacy of getting the rebuild done while you are trying to get the bed put together and the stuff out of the van. off the table.

The fish and coals are safe, You can focus on the more immediate issues of the unpack and get to the tank in a couple days.

You have already done the key part! You did some thinking on the issue and asked advice from others. Amazing how many people blunder through this without any idea of a gameplan.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

You have a deep sandbed, you wont be able to recreate the benefits of the one you have overnight nor would I recommend transferring the existing one without creating a disaster so expect angry corals.

I have done 3 moves in my lifetime, things I have learned along the way:

Bottled bac won't be the magic fix you think it will be, IF you go this route buy the more expensive acutal live stuff that's cold and shipped cold.

The new sandbed will absorb Po4 and this could really upset your LPS. Test often and early, be sure to have a phosphate source on hand to dose if needed (cheap on amazon DIY).

Consider selling/trading the larger corals; the larger the colony the more they will hate the move.

Try to get that new tank setup, if not plan for delays setting up and obtaining the right equipment, this seems trivial but it's the only thing that has bitten me 3 times no matter how well I think I planned.

Wrapping rock in wet paper is going to result in considerable die off and cause nutrient imbalances. Xfering them in water is always ideal IMO.

Try to remove the fish first, and make sure powerheads are off before you move and lift up rock. That bed looks established and you will be amazed how dark and mucky that water will get by simply lifting a large rock or two.

 

[907_Reefer]

The livestock needs to be kept as close to temp as possible throughout the process. Here is what I would do.

Break down existing tank at last possible time. pull out all rocks that have no corals on them and put in 5g buckets with tank water.

Move coral encrusted rocks next. Place them in warmest area of the house. then net out the fish. All of these will be fine in 5g buckets for the move. I wouldn't go larger as they become difficult to actually lift and move.

Put all living stock in the temp controlled car or truck and make the drive. Keep the temp inside as close to 78 as possible.. you may sweat a bit, but the fish will appreciate this.

Once you get them to the new house, get at the very minimum 2 30g totes or brute cans set up with SW and heaters and flow makers. and get the living stock in there. This is ABSOLUTELY needed and required!!

Once you have the living stock secured with heat and flow, you can deal with the tank rebuild.

Since you now have the stock secured, this takes the immediacy of getting the rebuild done while you are trying to get the bed put together and the stuff out of the van. off the table.

The fish and coals are safe, You can focus on the more immediate issues of the unpack and get to the tank in a couple days.

You have already done the key part! You did some thinking on the issue and asked advice from others. Amazing how many people blunder through this without any idea of a gameplan.

This is pretty much the plan! Appreciate all the input. There are too many fantastic resources on this forum to not hear their opinions when doing a big project like this

 

[907_Reefer]

You have a deep sandbed, you wont be able to recreate the benefits of the one you have overnight nor would I recommend transferring the existing one without creating a disaster so expect angry corals.

I have done 3 moves in my lifetime, things I have learned along the way:

Bottled bac won't be the magic fix you think it will be, IF you go this route buy the more expensive acutal live stuff that's cold and shipped cold.

The new sandbed will absorb Po4 and this could really upset your LPS. Test often and early, be sure to have a phosphate source on hand to dose if needed (cheap on amazon DIY).

Consider selling/trading the larger corals; the larger the colony the more they will hate the move.

Try to get that new tank setup, if not plan for delays setting up and obtaining the right equipment, this seems trivial but it's the only thing that has bitten me 3 times no matter how well I think I planned.

Wrapping rock in wet paper is going to result in considerable die off and cause nutrient imbalances. Xfering them in water is always ideal IMO.

Try to remove the fish first, and make sure powerheads are off before you move and lift up rock. That bed looks established and you will be amazed how dark and mucky that water will get by simply lifting a large rock or two.

Thanks 2Wheels! Just to confirm, you are also recommending to keep as much of the existing sand bed as possible and not wipe it out with a fresh bed correct?

I definitely will be testing as usual, have a combo of Hannah and Red Sea on hand, everything except magnesium basically (LFS been out of stock..). I'm not sure how many phosphates will come along on the journey but this tank has been high at 0.4-0.5, picking bubble algae out during every weekly water change (not too much though). Tank has been running for 6 months now. All other levels nominal.

I don't think the new tank setup is going to happen at this time, the move is $$$ and the 240 option I'm looking at is $6000 (plus equip) at the LFS. It is sweet though!

The most fun will be, after the move we'll be ~300 miles from the only LFS..

 

[2Wheelsonly]

Thanks 2Wheels! Just to confirm, you are also recommending to keep as much of the existing sand bed as possible and not wipe it out with a fresh bed correct?

I definitely will be testing as usual, have a combo of Hannah and Red Sea on hand, everything except magnesium basically (LFS been out of stock..). I'm not sure how many phosphates will come along on the journey but this tank has been high at 0.4-0.5, picking bubble algae out during every weekly water change (not too much though). Tank has been running for 6 months now. All other levels nominal.

I don't think the new tank setup is going to happen at this time, the move is $$$ and the 240 option I'm looking at is $6000 (plus equip) at the LFS. It is sweet though!

The most fun will be, after the move we'll be ~300 miles from the only LFS..

Sorry if I wasn't clear, I was saying try to disturb your sand bed as little as possible because it looks fairly established and of course deep (just looking at the picture). The reason I recommended trying to take the fish out first (difficult, task) was because the second you start lifting rocks the water quality will go south quickly and you don't want to harm your fish. The water will also cloud extremely fast making catching them difficult too.

I think no matter what your corals will be angry but as long as they don't die they will get over it.

I also want to be clear and say that I would NOT move the existing sand bed but also wanted to make sure you realize that a NEW deep sand bed has the potential to absorb po4. I was bit by this in my first tank move and ended up killing many corals due to po4 being sucked out of the water. I had to dose it back daily for close to 5 months but my corals pretty much colored right back up once I figured out the issue and dosed po4.