I don't know what to do

[fallout]

I just got a job offer in Salt Lake City. Theres a good chance I will be moving in a month or so. My problem - I own a saltwater reeftank set up that has just finished cycling. I've added my snails, crabs, cleaner shrimp, and a golden headed sleeper goby. I was planning on adding more fish next week. Now that I may be moving everything is on hold. If I move what should I do with my existing stock. I'm assuming there is no way to move from Sacramento California to Salt Lake City with live stock.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by fallout
http:///forum/post/2575048
I just got a job offer in Salt Lake City. Theres a good chance I will be moving in a month or so. My problem - I own a saltwater reeftank set up that has just finished cycling. I've added my snails, crabs, cleaner shrimp, and a golden headed sleeper goby. I was planning on adding more fish next week. Now that I may be moving everything is on hold. If I move what should I do with my existing stock. I'm assuming there is no way to move from Sacramento California to Salt Lake City with live stock.
I strongly recommend selling off all livestock, your sand and your rock and only shipping dry goods.
Some have had success with having a trusted LFS or fellow hobbiest hold their livestock until they settled in and then have them ship the livestock.
Very very few have had success with moving their livestock and setting up the tank at the destination.

 

[fishfreak1242]

Originally Posted by fallout
http:///forum/post/2575048
I just got a job offer in Salt Lake City. Theres a good chance I will be moving in a month or so. My problem - I own a saltwater reeftank set up that has just finished cycling. I've added my snails, crabs, cleaner shrimp, and a golden headed sleeper goby. I was planning on adding more fish next week. Now that I may be moving everything is on hold. If I move what should I do with my existing stock. I'm assuming there is no way to move from Sacramento California to Salt Lake City with live stock.
You can sell the livestock that you have right now since theres not much, ship your tank and the water (if you can) to your new home, and if you have to cycle the tank again. How big is the tank? You dont have to save all of the water. If you can you want at least 70% of the total water volume and then just add more saltwater to that. Good luck with your move.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by fishfreak1242
http:///forum/post/2575054
You can sell the livestock that you have right now since theres not much, ship your tank and the water (if you can) to your new home, and if you have to cycle the tank again. How big is the tank? You dont have to save all of the water. If you can you want at least 70% of the total water volume and then just add more saltwater to that. Good luck with your move.

What's the purpose of shipping the water? I think they still have water in California and shipping water is really really expensive.

 

[atrialfib22]

If I was you I would sell the livestock...depending on your tank size and amount of LR, maybe ship it to the new location (I am not sure how widely available or expensive LR is in Utah compared to CA). Then start over. At least your tank is fairly new, so restarting shouldn't be TOO bad. I wouldn't bother moving the water...at ~ 8 lbs per gallon I wouldn't even wanna take on that logistical mess and cost. You can let it re-cycle while you get settled in your new place/job. Good luck with all that.

 

[sly]

I have moved a tank several times and have never lost anything but never that far. Most of the moves were 20 miles or less. I put the fish in sealed 5gal buckets and the sand and rocks in other buckets. I would be concerned about heat and asphyxiation in your situation. According to google, that's about a 9.5 hour drive. You might need to go to a LFS and have the bag everything up for you with oxygen and put it all into styrofoam boxes just like they were going to ship it. You can take your rocks with you. Either wrap the up in wet news paper or put them in sealed buckets.
You will probably have to cycle your tank again as I'm sure the live rock might have some dieoff. When you get to your destination setting up your tank would have to be priority. You can use some buckets or a cheap 10 gallon tank for a quarantine tank for your livestock. Put your fish into quarantine while you are setting up your main tank. You would need to do everything as usual such as premixing the water and acclimating everything.

 

[m0nk]

I'm not sure why shipping water was suggested, water holds no value for tank cycling. The beneficial bacteria builds up on solid surfaces only, not in the water, so using "cycled" water makes no difference.
I'm with Bang Guy, if you do end up moving, tear everything down and start again when you get moved. The cost in the end will be far less than trying to move it all, hope it all survives, etc. Best of luck, and I hope that whichever route you choose, that you stay in the hobby, it's very rewarding once you get things established.

 

[fallout]

thanks for all the advice. I sell it back to the LFS if they let me. The hardest part is working soo hard and waiting so long to get to this point to have to start all over. I will not let it discourage me though. I will definitely start over new in SLC.

 

[lesleybird]

If you are driving your car cross country you could stick your live rock in a couple of rubbermaids with a few inches of saltwater in the bottom. And the live sand could go in one also. Only problem is that if you stop to eat somewhere during the day when the sun is out the car will heat up too much and kill the bacteria and things on the rock and sand. If you could leave the windows down when you stop to eat then it could work. They would probably be ok locked up in the car if you stop at night. In order to keep the top of the live rocks damp you can drape them with towels or pillow cases etc. that have been rinsed well and the ends hanging into the water will keep the rocks on the top moist. Make sure if you do this that you have washed the rags or towels in clear water to remove any soap residue. You can add dechlorinated fresh water to replace for evaporation. I would sell or give back the livestock to the fish store or something. You might be able to save a few snails on the rocks but they may die if the temperature gets too high like greater than 90 or below 60. You can save a lot of the good bacteria this way but you may still have to cycle the tank for a few weeks when you get to your destination but not as much as if you did not have the rock and sand with bacteria on it already. As someone else pointed out it is not the bacteria in the water but the bacteria growing on the live rock, sand and surfaces of the tank that make the tank cycled. When you get to your destination fill the tank with the live rock and sand and new saltwater within a day or two and pour in a bottle of Cycle bacteria to help it along. Your cycle will only be about two weeks before you can start adding a crab or a fish or two. It will not take the month or two as when you first started your tank if you take good care of your rock and sand.
If there is a lot of die off on your live rock you may have to wait a whole month like the cycle when the tank was new. Good luck, Lesley

 

[mike murphy]

Who is paying for the move? I worked for General Motors several years ago and I left my livestock behind at a local fish store and had them ship it to me after I got moved and settled. My employer paid the entire cost of boarding, shipping etc. It is also a tax deductible expense if more than 50 miles.

 

[beth]

Man, finding a new home for my reef tank was the hardest thing I did when I moved 3 yrs ago. Fortunately, yours is not yet fully stocked or matured.