Moving 20 mins. away - How to transport?

[noodlemmy]

My husband and I are moving next week to a new house about 20 minutes from where we currently live. I want to make sure our plan for moving the tank is a good one.
We've got a 20 high with about 10 pounds of live rock and maybe 4 pounds of base rock with things starting to grow on it. There's also 2 yellowtail damsels, a royal gramma, 2 false percs, and a hi-fin goby. Inverts are 8 hermits, 2 bumblebees, an astrea, a pretty big brittle star, and 2 mushrooms that have made one of the rocks their home (but aren't cemented or attached in any way).
I was planning on taking 3 5-gallon covered buckets of water in the back of my Explorer. I have a couple of 1-gallon ice cream buckets with lids that I wanted to put the more fragile pieces of live rock in so they don't get too beat up. The base rock could of course just go into one of the 5-gallon buckets of water, along with the fish.
There would be a little water (a couple inches, I'm thinking) left over in the tank to cover the sand.
How should I divide up the fish in the buckets? Do I need to worry about an air pump or anything like that?
Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this subject.

 

[fighting0]

Originally Posted by noodlemmy
My husband and I are moving next week to a new house about 20 minutes from where we currently live. I want to make sure our plan for moving the tank is a good one.
We've got a 20 high with about 10 pounds of live rock and maybe 4 pounds of base rock with things starting to grow on it. There's also 2 yellowtail damsels, a royal gramma, 2 false percs, and a hi-fin goby. Inverts are 8 hermits, 2 bumblebees, an astrea, a pretty big brittle star, and 2 mushrooms that have made one of the rocks their home (but aren't cemented or attached in any way).
I was planning on taking 3 5-gallon covered buckets of water in the back of my Explorer. I have a couple of 1-gallon ice cream buckets with lids that I wanted to put the more fragile pieces of live rock in so they don't get too beat up. The base rock could of course just go into one of the 5-gallon buckets of water, along with the fish.
There would be a little water (a couple inches, I'm thinking) left over in the tank to cover the sand.
How should I divide up the fish in the buckets? Do I need to worry about an air pump or anything like that?
Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this subject.
I'd be afraid that the fish in the buckets *might* get crushed by the rocks if you had to slam your brakes on quick, trapping the fish against the side of the bucket.
In my experience, I've never moved a salt tank, but have moved freshwater tanks.
I've just taken the bigger items out and left a low water level and fish in the tank. And drove extremely carefully...
Hope this kinda helps!
Good luck with the move, I know what that can be like!!! :scared:
-Scott

 

[saltfan]

20 gallon...No problem. Set all the LR evenly across the bottom of the tank, so it can't fall over onto anything, remove 5 gallons of water, and throw it in the truck. Good to go. If you are still going with the bucket theory, I would put the fish in a bucket, the LR in a bucket, and the substrate in another bucket.

 

[noodlemmy]

Originally Posted by SaltFan
20 gallon...No problem. Set all the LR evenly across the bottom of the tank, so it can't fall over onto anything, remove 5 gallons of water, and throw it in the truck. Good to go. If you are still going with the bucket theory, I would put the fish in a bucket, the LR in a bucket, and the substrate in another bucket.
If we did that, there would be 15 gallons of water and 15 pounds of rock still in the tank when we try to pick it up? :scared: Is there a trick I don't know about for lifting a tank that heavy?
I think you guys are right about the rocks smooshing the fish. I guess I could still put the 2 delicate rocks in their own small buckets, all of the other rocks left in the tank (?) or put in one of the water buckets, and the fish either in the tank (depending on how much water is left in it) or in one of the water only buckets.
Thank you both for your advice and well wishes!!

I hope all goes smoothly.

 

[davidmwj]

The sand is going to cause very muddy water after 20 minutes. I would not leave the fish in the tank. Might be worth it to splurge for 1 or 2 more 5 gallon buckets. Put the fish in the buckets without rocks.

 

[sinner's girl]

Fish in one bucket, lr in another, have fresh saltwater mixed and ready at the new house (chance are you'll lose some water), keep all lr and base rock (if stuff's growing on it, it's live rock now) wet, keep all filter media wet, keep the sand wet, you may want to run carbon when you set it up. Check sg and temp, let tank get to temp before acclimating fish. Try not to add more than 25% fresh water, have heater and ph at the new house to use with the fish in the bucket while you set the tank up, fill it up and let everything settle.
Make sure all buckets are well rinsed.
If possible move the tank when that's your only focus and you don't have movers and other people running about, if anyone is around make sure they know not to do anything stupid, like spray for bugs when open buckets of water (my mother-in-law did that...killed big ol' damsel).
I think you want to move the tank without distrubing the sandbed, so keep the sand and enough water to keep it wet in the tank...but I've never moved with sand.

 

[cgrant]

fish in one bucket w/power head (get one of those cigaret lighter converters from walmart for power)
LR in another bucket

 

[saltfan]

Originally Posted by SaltFan
If you are still going with the bucket theory, I would put the fish in a bucket, the LR in a bucket, and the substrate in another bucket.
2 guys can lift that 20 gallon tank with all the stuff in it no problem. If me and my buddy can lift a 135g tank 1/4 full ( its not easy, no) then a 20 should not be a problem.

 

[jjd0313]

i recently moved my 33 gallon. I bought five 5 gallon buckets- then i drained the water and put the fish in the buckets. I left my eel in the tank with the rest of the water. Then moved everything very quickly to my new house. From start to finish one hour.

 

[agent707]

a 20 gallon tank 3/4 full is going to weigh about 150 lbs. I wouldn't recommend it.
"Lifting" it may not be a problem. "MOVING" it however could be.
I would go with the suggestions of putting everyting in buckets or some sort of plastic containers. It should be an easy task relatively speaking.
I was releaved when I opened the thread and saw "20 gallons". I was hoping not to see "120 gallons".

 

[agent707]

Originally Posted by SaltFan
If me and my buddy can lift a 135g tank 1/4 full ( its not easy, no)...
34 gallons of water... that's 288 lbs itself. plus the tank. total maybe 500-600 lbs?
Yea, Lift. but not really Move (very far anyway). :scared:

 

[fishguy84]

Originally Posted by noodlemmy
Is there a trick I don't know about for lifting a tank that heavy?
I helped a friend of mine move his fish store across the street, and we moved 55's with about 2 inches of substrate, and 2 inches of water. It's heavy, but if you get two strong guys, it shouldn't be too bad. I've moved 20s with a few inches of water off of shelves 5 feet up, so it won't be too bad. But to definately cut down on wieght, take the LR out and put it in seperate buckets from the fish.

 

[xhappyx]

i don't really recommend trying to move any glass tank with water in it.... i've had one seperate at the corner..

 

[swnewbie10]

Where in Ohio do you live?

 

[stanlalee]

with a small tank like that just go to home depot or lowes and buy three five gallon buckets with tops. Put the substrate in one bucket and fill it with tank water until the waterline is just higher than the substrate. Use the next two buckets to put the liverock in and do the same thing with the tank water. put the lids on and transport. Individually bag the livestock and place the bags inside the tank. may have to fill some empty bags or use something soft to keep them from rocking around in the tank too much. If its going to be a while before you set up you can use a cheap airpump and stick an airline in each bucket. I did this on my 30gallon last yr when I moved 30 minutes away. Suffered no cycle or losses and I used 100% new saltwater (although somebody is going to come on here and tell you it will cycle your tank if you do). you'll have to reacclimate the livestock to the new water (you'd have to do that with old water too since the bag water would deteriorate and change pH from what the water was when you put the livestock in it).