Bought a used tank, what are my chances!

[chprbytheglln]

I am not really, really new just new again. We had and maintained a nano reef tank for quite awhile. We decided to get back into the hobby and purchased a used 75 gallon salt tank yesterday. I guess I am curious after moving the tank more than 30 miles having to add more than 50% new water and having a less than fancy set up what are the chances the fish are going to make it?
It came with a long tentacle Anemone, chocolate chip starfish, horseshoe crab, 2 pepermint shrimp, 2 clown fish, 1 damsel, 1 goby and a VERY large shrimp which I can not identify at the moment. 5 pieces of large live rock and I added live coral as substrate.
The water was filthy complete with algae The set up is rather incomplete but these fish had lived in here for sometime. Do these poor guys even have a chance? Is there anything I can do to increase the odds of survival?

 

[stdreb27]

Originally Posted by chprbytheglln
http:///forum/post/2505428
I am not really, really new just new again. We had and maintained a nano reef tank for quite awhile. We decided to get back into the hobby and purchased a used 75 gallon salt tank yesterday. I guess I am curious after moving the tank more than 30 miles having to add more than 50% new water and having a less than fancy set up what are the chances the fish are going to make it?
It came with a long tentacle Anemone, chocolate chip starfish, horseshoe crab, 2 pepermint shrimp, 2 clown fish, 1 damsel, 1 goby and a VERY large shrimp which I can not identify at the moment. 5 pieces of large live rock and I added live coral as substrate.
The water was filthy complete with algae The set up is rather incomplete but these fish had lived in here for sometime. Do these poor guys even have a chance? Is there anything I can do to increase the odds of survival?
As someone who has moved fish several times. Your chances are good. Personally I'd setup a temporary tank at the house ready for your new arrivals. If not some buckets or a rubbermaid tub will be ok. When you get to the tank, take the animals out and put the fish in buckets and inverts in buckets while you empty the tank, make sure your stuff is going to stay warm. 3 gallons of water can get very cold very fast. Then when you get back to your house, acclimate and transfer your fish over to the temporary tank, then set up the main tank, clean everything really well. And wait for it to cycle.

 

[chprbytheglln]

Originally Posted by stdreb27
http:///forum/post/2505441
As someone who has moved fish several times. Your chances are good. Personally I'd setup a temporary tank at the house ready for your new arrivals. If not some buckets or a rubbermaid tub will be ok. When you get to the tank, take the animals out and put the fish in buckets and inverts in buckets while you empty the tank, make sure your stuff is going to stay warm. 3 gallons of water can get very cold very fast. Then when you get back to your house, acclimate and transfer your fish over to the temporary tank, then set up the main tank, clean everything really well. And wait for it to cycle.
Thanks, that gives me a little hope, this whole concept has me a little nervous. I guess all I can do is try, thanks for your words of wisdom.

 

[stdreb27]

Originally Posted by chprbytheglln
http:///forum/post/2505453
Thanks, that gives me a little hope, this whole concept has me a little nervous. I guess all I can do is try, thanks for your words of wisdom.
If you think about it most of your fish came from half way around the world. A 30 mile drive from one place to another is a drop in a bucket. Just keep in mind these concepts

• stable water
  Make sure there is enough water for the fish to swim in./ and they aren't getting sloshed around to much.
• tempurature
  Make sure you don't have problems with it getting to cold you don't want a fishcicle or boiled fish
  oxygen
  They have to be able to breath.

I used to by my fish from a lfs that was about 50 miles away. They will be ok in a bucket for a couple hours of setup time.

 

[matt boyer]

When i moved my 90 gallon down stairs i just put some of the crushed coral in a 30 gallon tub with heater and hang on the back filter and my fish lived fine until the main tank was ready and thats as cheap as it gets . since you already have all the other stuff prolly even the tub hope it helps

 

[spanko]

and this is just my opinion so take it for what you will but do not add the horseshoe crab back into the tank.
Here is a quote from Calfo and Fenner:
"Horseshoe crabs are not true crabs at all, but actually much more-closely related to spiders. They are also inappropriate for mixed invertebrate aquariums for many reasons. These "crabs" need to be kept in large, specialized (non-reef) systems that are have great open surface area and sand of depth. Definitely not recommended for casual keeping in small home aquaria with coarse sand and dense rockwork. The most commonly available species, Limulus polyphemus commonly ranges from Nova Scotia down to the Gulf of Mexico and grows to 2' long X 1' wide (60 cm X 30 cm).
It is estimated that Limulus grows approximately 25% with each successive molt for roughly the first decade of life until they reach maturity. Molts occur every 7-10 months naturally.

 

[heatheryjoy]

We did exactly the same thing with our 55. It had been established for 2 years. We drove 100 miles to get it and set it back up. It was also in pretty rough condition and had not been maintained for several months before we bought it. It took me a few weeks to get everything in top shape. We didn't loose any fish, except for the damsels which we just gave away So I bet it will work out just fine for you too!

 

[alabama reefer]

I have moved several established tanks and only one casualty. One move was 330 miles and 8 fish along with several corals. So I would say the odds are in your favor. Good luck.

 

[mathwhiz]

We moved last summer 2 hours away. The tank was probably the last thing we moved. I bought some styrofome coolers (very inexpensive) from Wal Mart and lined them with black plastic bags; siphoned the tank water into them I used a plastic cooler to put the fish in (The styrofome helped maintain the water temperature some.) I kept a about 4 inches of water in the tank to keep the live sand moist. Once we arrived at the new house, First thing I unloaded the plastic cooler with the fish and set a filter on it (one that hangs on the back of tanks) and plugged it in. This kept the fish 'maintained' the best we knew how and gave us time to set the tank back up. (To get the water from the styrofome coolers into the tank, we carefully lifted the bags and held them over the tank and cut a hole in the bottom to let the water flow into the tank, so we save most of our water. All the fish survived their adventure.

 

[sh00tist]

Moving tanks is always a good time to get rid of some unwanted critters and such. The first thing that comes to mind is the crushed coral substrate you mentioned,if this is what you plan to use or are allready using I would remove it asap or you will pay later,go with either sand/live sand or bare bottom. Next on the list is the damsel,get it out now while you have the chance or the day will come when you have to trap it,hook it or tear apart your tank to get rid of this devilfish. As another poster mentioned horseshoe crabs are really not suited for a reef tank and should not be included on your stocking list,good luck with the big move,dont let the water your creatures are in get too hot or cold and make sure your display is at the same temp as your fish container when you add them back in. A cheap rubbermaid container(around 4 bucks)works great,throw in a heater and a powerhead for circulation and your creatures will be fine for days. I just moved my tank 2 weeks ago,went pretty smooth as long as you stay on top of the temperature issues,also look to start adding more liverock,doesnt sound like you have nearly enough,if you can get some local buy a little bit every week or two until you have at least a pound a gallon. If you have to get it through the mail place it in the tub you were using for your fish during the move,toss in the same heater and powerhead and let it run for a couple of weeks doing some water changes here and there. The buy/sell boards are a good place to maybe find some rock local.