WWYD: New Reef Tank But Moving Cross-Country Soon…

[Coral Your World]

How are you planning on moving. Would this be a cross country drive, or a flight with your stuff being shipped from one side of the country to the other.

I’ve moved many tanks many times, not across the country, but several hours apart. It’s been an easy process and I’ve (knock on wood) not lost any live stock in any of these moves. As long as you plan ahead, set aside the necessary time needed to focus on the tank/tank move only (usually means you dedicate one or two full days of the move ONLY to tank related stuff and nothing else), and have adequate means to transport everything efficiently, it’s much easier than many make it out to be, IMO

 

[hexcolor reef]

.New tank, old rock, new or old lights, pumps and instant tank. They generally only have to focus on livestock and not the rest of the household. Sending them ahead to a LFS or hobbyist can probably make it work.

I’m still against it, (makes me tired to think about the effort) but it can be done with planning.

Yea the best thing the OP maybe missing is the person on the other side

 

[LilElroyJetson]

And you’re driving across country with the coral and furniture in the same vehicle?

Me envisioning what you’re telling the coral just before the trip: ….. haha!!

All jokes aside, it may be better if your able to have a friend come along or a trust worthy family member to ship everything for you or even do the driving while your on the other side setting up. The coral doesn’t need to be in a tank just a nice size HDX tote from home depot about a 70gal should do with a flow head.
If your driving coast to coast that’s about 3 maybe 4 day drive with stops and rest time

Oh I also absolutely WILL NOT be driving, would have a moving company handling . Tank and equipment shipped dry. Live rock and any livestock (if any) would be shipped separately via overnight air.

I wouldn’t be setting up the tank within the first couple of days of the move. For one, cross country furniture moves can have indefinite timelines, so that’s why I asked if I were to go that route and have an LFS babysit the coral, would it even be likely it’d survive the transition to an LFS system, then back into mine some week or weeks later.

 

[LilElroyJetson]

How are you planning on moving. Would this be a cross country drive, or a flight with your stuff being shipped from one side of the country to the other.

I’ve moved many tanks many times, not across the country, but several hours apart. It’s been an easy process and I’ve (knock on wood) not lost any live stock in any of these moves. As long as you plan ahead, set aside the necessary time needed to focus on the tank/tank move only (usually means you dedicate one or two full days of the move ONLY to tank related stuff and nothing else), and have adequate means to transport everything efficiently, it’s much easier than many make it out to be, IMO

This is what I am thinking and the practical planning I’m looking to hear anecdotal experiences of. Tank would be shipped by truck with the rest of the furniture with a moving company. Livestock would be shipped (probably by my LFS for me). My issue is that the tank would not arrive and be set up first. I’m not sure how I could make that happen without shipping my tank by freight in a crate. However, that cost might be excessive just to save the livestock and a year or so worth of progress. Any thoughts given the above?

 

[LilElroyJetson]

I wouldn’t setup a tank if I was to move in 12 months. Even with ocean live rock, my tank took about 1 year to stabilize and 2 years to see exponential coral growth. If you setup a tank now and move in 12 months, you might end up going through the first year uglies again.

I get that that’s the smart decision, but would like something up and running even if only for the experience and maintenance/husbandry practice.

 

[LilElroyJetson]

Yup, but the OP is itching for a tank. An unstoppable force.

The live rock will lose some life if a bucket but the bacteria will survive. Same process as folks setting up a tank at a trade show.

New tank, old rock, new or old lights, pumps and instant tank. They generally only have to focus on livestock and not the rest of the household. Sending them ahead to a LFS or hobbyist can probably make it work.

I’m still against it, (makes me tired to think about the effort) but it can be done with planning.

Yeah this is my thought about how it may work. Expensive to do right, and risky, but doable. If an LFS will hold the livestock, I think that’s my best route, and I just have to accept the risk and the fact that I’ll probably lose some stuff.

 

[hexcolor reef]

You can always start a nano tank, 10 to 20gal just for the experience. Less hassle when it’s moving time.

 

[LilElroyJetson]

You can always start a nano tank, 10 to 20gal just for the experience. Less hassle when it’s moving time.

It’s not my first time having a tank for the record, I just look at all reef keeping as gained experience. I already have my tank though and I don’t think a 45 gallon is much more to worry about than a 20. More expense in the livestock to consider but I’d still have the same questions regarding what to do with the rock and livestock.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Given that you will be using a moving company and Not making the drive, that makes this even harder.

You will easily spend as much to ship everything there in water, as it cost you to buy it. I Will be driving Cross country with a dedicated box truck with stock tanks for rock and stock. There's no way I would trust movers. They constantly are delayed.

 

[LilElroyJetson]

Given that you will be using a moving company and Not making the drive, that makes this even harder.

You will easily spend as much to ship everything there in water, as it cost you to buy it. I Will be driving Cross country with a dedicated box truck with stock tanks for rock and stock. There's no way I would trust movers. They constantly are delayed.

100% agreed. Which is why my thought process is unless I can find an LFS to baby sit my livestock for up to a month or so, then I should just plan to start over, sans maybe saving the live rock by shipping it in water. Would the live rock be ok in dark tubs with just heat and water movement after being in a running tank for so long? I would assume most of the bacteria would survive shipping, but I’m not sure.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

100% agreed. Which is why my thought process is unless I can find an LFS to baby sit my livestock for up to a month or so, then I should just plan to start over, sans maybe saving the live rock by shipping it in water. Would the live rock be ok in dark tubs with just heat and water movement after being in a running tank for so long? I would assume most of the bacteria would survive shipping, but I’m not sure.

Yes. A bit of die off of surface algae is to be expected if there is no light for a prolonged period but a few days really should be a non issue.

 

[KrisReef]

100% agreed. Which is why my thought process is unless I can find an LFS to baby sit my livestock for up to a month or so, then I should just plan to start over, sans maybe saving the live rock by shipping it in water. Would the live rock be ok in dark tubs with just heat and water movement after being in a running tank for so long? I would assume most of the bacteria would survive shipping, but I’m not sure.

I think that is a good solution for you and the livestock!

If you plan to go this route and when you are ready to move you find folks at either end who can help you with “holding” then the extra bonus will be available. Otherwise, plan the logistics for the tank and equipment move and execute when the time arrives.

I have noticed a lot of people sell almost everything when they move, usually keeping the expensive stuff (lights, skimmers and such) because the cost of shipping is cheaper than replacing them.

Typically, these folks will sell the tank stand sump rather than moving them. I suspect that they do this to avoid the risk of having a moving truck breaking the glass on the way? Presumably it is safer to buy a new tank at the new location and avoid having to scramble to replace it if it gets damaged in the move.

Without the essentials the new system will not work to save the rocks or anything else that you choose to keep.

Not to be negative, just discussing the logistics of the project.

The other thing is that when you arrive at the new location you may be weary from packing up and leaving and driving. The last thing I would want to do is to face setting up a tank, leveling, filling, and all that stuff when I arrive with my life in boxes. I have a wife, too. Don’t know why I mentioned that last bit?

 

[LilElroyJetson]

I think that is a good solution for you and the livestock!

If you plan to go this route and when you are ready to move you find folks at either end who can help you with “holding” then the extra bonus will be available. Otherwise, plan the logistics for the tank and equipment move and execute when the time arrives.

I have noticed a lot of people sell almost everything when they move, usually keeping the expensive stuff (lights, skimmers and such) because the cost of shipping is cheaper than replacing them.

Typically, these folks will sell the tank stand sump rather than moving them. I suspect that they do this to avoid the risk of having a moving truck breaking the glass on the way? Presumably it is safer to buy a new tank at the new location and avoid having to scramble to replace it if it gets damaged in the move.

Without the essentials the new system will not work to save the rocks or anything else that you choose to keep.

Not to be negative, just discussing the logistics of the project.

The other thing is that when you arrive at the new location you may be weary from packing up and leaving and driving. The last thing I would want to do is to face setting up a tank, leveling, filling, and all that stuff when I arrive with my life in boxes. I have a wife, too. Don’t know why I mentioned that last bit?

Thanks for all your input, it’s much appreciated! This is the route I’ll plan to go. The tank and stand are from Glass Cages, and they’re expensive lol, so unfortunately I’ll have to plan for those to be moved with my furniture. The plus side is the tank is from Glass Cages, it’s internally braced, well made with thick glass, and should survive all hell with the proper precautions (although, of course, there’s always the risk that something could happen, but it’s a risk I’ll have to take). If somehow it doesn’t make sense, then the stand will come with me and I’ll have to part ways with the tank, at which point I’ll consider the rock/livestock donated. Thanks again!

 

[KrisReef]

Thanks for all your input, it’s much appreciated! This is the route I’ll plan to go. The tank and stand are from Glass Cages, and they’re expensive lol, so unfortunately I’ll have to plan for those to be moved with my furniture. The plus side is the tank is from Glass Cages, it’s internally braced, well made with thick glass, and should survive all hell with the proper precautions (although, of course, there’s always the risk that something could happen, but it’s a risk I’ll have to take). If somehow it doesn’t make sense, then the stand will come with me and I’ll have to part ways with the tank, at which point I’ll consider the rock/livestock donated. Thanks again!

Welcome. I think it is fantastic you are planning ahead for success!

 

[vetteguy53081]

What would you do if you were setting up a new tank but knew there was a high likelihood you might move across the country within ~12 months (could be sooner, could be longer)?

Of course the simple answer would be hold off on setting up the tank, but we love this hobby, and nobody wants a tank sitting dry for a year.

My initial thoughts are:
- Don’t buy too much expensive livestock. (If you try to move it, you could potentially ship it to an LFS to hold for you until you’re set up, but it’s not guaranteed, and you still might lose some things anyway. The rest you’ll likely give away.)
- Plan to tear down and start fresh, donating all the livestock but keeping the live rock. (However, would the live rock even make the journey of being shipped in water only to be put into dark tubs with heat and flow until the new tank is set up? Would there be considerable die-off and a need to re-cycle, and if so, is it even worth salvaging the live rock? Is it more cost/trouble than it’s worth to ship the live rock if you’re starting over anyway?)
- Go all out, start your reef tank with the intention of making it work when you move, fill it with your favorite corals and count on being able to find an LFS or a local reefer who will babysit your live rock and coral [and possibly fish], keeping them alive until you can get your tank set up and running. (How high is the likelihood the coral survive the varying parameters/different PAR/lighting than they’re used to, and then an additional transfer back into their home tank?)

Tough to plan for the future, but I figure knowing how you plan to handle the inevitable from Day 1 will increase the chance of a successful move and/or save you a lot of money and trouble by allowing you to make informed decisions of what you should/should not spend on/do/plan for knowing you will be moving a long distance within a short period of time.

What would YOU do? Any tips or thoughts from those who have done this (knowingly in advance or due to changed circumstances) would be greatly appreciated!

Biggest consideration is livestock and managing them with water movement and temperature stability during the trip. Me- I would wait and place coral where they will be stable.

 

[LilElroyJetson]

Biggest consideration is livestock and managing them with water movement and temperature stability during the trip. Me- I would wait and place coral where they will be stable.

Do you see any issue with overnight shipment to an LFS to hold onto for a few weeks while I get settled? This tank is going forward, even if it means giving away the livestock eventually, because the move isn’t guaranteed. For all I know I could be here for 2-3 years, but I’m just thinking planning ahead to be safe.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do you see any issue with overnight shipment to an LFS to hold onto for a few weeks while I get settled? This tank is going forward, even if it means giving away the livestock eventually, because the move isn’t guaranteed. For all I know I could be here for 2-3 years, but I’m just thinking planning ahead to be safe.

I too was to move sooner to Florida and I considered doing this and having them shipped in the morning from LFS for evening pick-up as a viable option but realize it may be easier said than done. My plan was to place them in tubs with a power inverter and run air pumps in the three tubs and have a cooler with ice and dry ice to keep the ice packs frozen if needed and drive straight through.
I will get rid of coral but Not my fish. They are hard to replace especially my yellow tangs.

 

[LilElroyJetson]

I too was to move sooner to Florida and I considered doing this and having them shipped in the morning from LFS for evening pick-up as a viable option but realize it may be easier said than done. My plan was to place them in tubs with a power inverter and run air pumps in the three tubs and have a cooler with ice and dry ice to keep the ice packs frozen if needed and drive straight through.
I will get rid of coral but Not my fish. They are hard to replace especially my yellow tangs.

I hear you! I appreciate the perspective. On the one hand I can’t live my life on pause for what might come, on the other hand, I’d like to do my best to avoid any hasty decisions I may regret later. Tough balance to strike! Lol. I’m sure you will see this all unfold over time.