Moving soon, tips?

[infamousxtc]

Hello all, My girlfriend and I got our first saltwater tank a few months ago its 52 gallons with a 2 snails, 2 hermit crabs, a starfish, an anenome, a crab that lives on the anenome, a feather duster, a clown fish, and a fish with a sail lookin thing above its head. Anyways, I know that saltwater fish are really delicate, but we are planning on moving in the next month or so and we were wondering if anyone can give us some tips on how to move our entire setup safely? We are going to be moving about 3 miles.
Thanks
Joey

 

[ak_reefer]

Hey Joey,
You will need to make sure you have some water made up to the same water chemistry as your DT. So same ph, temp, salinity. Transfer as much of the DT water you can but have the standby water ready.
Have a container ready with a heater and powerhead for your fish/inverts/corald to sit in while you set your system back up. Since your tank is fairly young you shouldnt have to rinse your sand before adding it or your water back to your tank. HTH
Sent From my Frontal Lobes via TapaTalk!!

 

[flower]

Don't transfer the display water. The only thing in that water is nitrates, not much good bacteria at all. The sand, if it has not been disturbed, may have toxins locked deep in the layers...IF that's the case, rinse your sand in saltwater before resetting the tank.
Make sure the tank is 100% EMPTY....do not attempt to move the tank with sand in it, it's way too heavy, it would bust the seals and you will have a leaky tank to replace.
Have enough new mixed saltwater in the new place. Place fish in separate bags and any corals...sand in a bucket...the rock can go in tubs with damp paper towel draped over it. You can place the fish in tubs with an air line (no stone) and a small heater if you need it, until the new tank is all settled and ready. Acclimate the fish to the new digs just like you did when they were first purchased. So matching everything is not needed, just mix the water with the SG level you desire.
I have moved many times and in all those years, I have only lost 1 cleaner shrimp in a move....while sitting in the tub with all the other fish, is just fell over dead...the other 2 cleaner shrimp were fine.

 

[ak_reefer]

Interesting I was told when I moved and moved my tank to transfer as much of the DT water as possible and do as I stated above. I never had any issue doing it that way. I mixed about half the amount of water I would need at my new house and had it at temp did this a couple if days before I moved my tank.
I hope you didnt think I implied to move the tank with anything in it but yes make sure it is empty!
How deep is your sand bed?
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[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ak_reefer http:///t/394625/moving-soon-tips#post_3512360
Interesting I was told when I moved and moved my tank to transfer as much of the DT water as possible and do as I stated above. I never had any issue doing it that way. I mixed about half the amount of water I would need at my new house and had it at temp did this a couple if days before I moved my tank.
I hope you didnt think I implied to move the tank with anything in it but yes make sure it is empty!
How deep is your sand bed?
Sent From my Frontal Lobes via TapaTalk!!
I too was told to save as much of the original water when moving...but after discovering this site, I have learned a bit different. I should have explained that, and not make it look as though I just dismissed your post...it sounded bad when I re-read it, and I want to apologize.
Good question on how deep is the sand bed, that will certainly make a difference if the original poster needs to rinse it in saltwater or not.

A shallow sand bed (2 inches and under) isn't going to trap the toxins a 3 to 6 inch sand bed would....the amount of time the sand has been sitting undisturbed also plays a role.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Wet some new towels and wrap your live rock in it. Put them down in 5g containers.
Put your livestock down in a 5g bucket or better yet, buy a styrofoam cooler and wrap the inside of it with a thick garbage bag (or two) and put the top on it. This really depends on the weather outside. If it's in the 70s or low 80's, it may be easier to just put them in a 5g bucket.
If you like your sand and want to keep it - try to wash it with some saltwater. If you know that your sandbed has lots and lots of built up nutrients then remove it completely and start with fresh (washed) course grain aragonite. You can easily wash sand by sticking it in a pillow case and running a water hose in it. Once every corner of the pillow case runs completely clear, it's time to add it to the tank. To keep this move down to a day - you will want to have your new saltwater pre-mixed in a container or two.
Before you start putting your livestock in the tank, you need to check your temperature and your salinity. Those are the two main things to keep in check on tank moves.
Good luck and let us know how everything turns out!

 

[infamousxtc]

Thanks for the information guys. My sand is only a little under 2 inches deep. Im really thinking about maybe getting a bow front tank to replace the square tank I have now and using the square tank to try some seahorses. Im kinda new to the saltwater world but it is very addicting.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by InfamousXTC http:///t/394625/moving-soon-tips#post_3512421
Thanks for the information guys. My sand is only a little under 2 inches deep. Im really thinking about maybe getting a bow front tank to replace the square tank I have now and using the square tank to try some seahorses. Im kinda new to the saltwater world but it is very addicting.
LOL...yep VERY addicting.
A bowfront tank has a hard time getting the flow right for all areas, I wouldn't get one...a member here just had on burst, and replaced it with a regular rectangle tank, that should tell you something.
Seahorses...now your talking. The Captive bred horses are as easy as any SW fish, they eat frozen mysis. If you want seahorses, purchase a column or tall tank...the taller the better, and use the one you have for regular fish or corals. The most expensive thing for a seahorse tank is a chiller. The most expensive thing on a coral reef tank is the lighting.

 

[infamousxtc]

How do you quote on this site? haha
Anyways, What do you mean "getting the flow right?" In my tank, I was told to just put the filter in and go.
Whats a chiller?

 

[ak_reefer]

So do you not have any powerheads in your tank? Flow is created by powerheads to keep the water oxygenated, helps promote stable water chemistry, efficient biologicl filtration, and helps with gas exchange.
Flow iss very important to the animals we keep!
A chiller is a unit that helps keep your water cool kinda like a a/c or frig but for your aquarium. Ive never used one so I dont know to much about them.
HTH
Sent From my Frontal Lobes via TapaTalk!!

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by InfamousXTC http:///t/394625/moving-soon-tips#post_3512470
Hi,
Look at the bottom of each post...it will say "quote" click on it and that quote box will appear in the reply you give.
The wave is the life of the ocean...and your saltwater tank. If you have dead spots where there is little to no water current, then that is where the extra nutrients settle and allow cyanobacteria to grow. A bow front is difficult to get flow to all areas because of the shape of the tank.
A chiller is just what the name implys...it chills the water. Seahorses need a colder tank than the regular fish you would usually keep in a reef tank. To keep corals you usually need the strong lights, to keep seahorses you need a cold tank. Fish only and you can use any light you want and a heater, just like you do on a freshwater tank...However, you need good water flow for the very reasons ak_reefer said.