Moving

[marine bio 101]

I am going to be moving from Florida to Texas within the next 4-6 months. I really don't want to give up my livestock because they have personal meaning to me and have raised them since babies. Is there anyway to make this transfer happen without starting over? Here is my setup:
120 gallon tank w/sump and protein skimmer
120-130 lbs live rock
100 lbs live sand
1 emperor angel who is currently changing..this fish is the whole reason I got into this hobby and have been waiting patiently to watch this transformation
1 blonde naso tang
1 maroon clown
1 yellow headed sleeper goby
1 flagfin angel
1 BTA
1 fire shrimp
1 cleaner shrimp
bunch of cleanup crew
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I was thinking of taking my livestock to my LFS to hold for me. Then I was hoping to be able to transfer all my water over to Texas and get it started again right away. Would I lose my cycle and have to start all over again?

 

[maryg]

You can get ALOT of buckets! Those rubbermaid totes are great. Also you can purchase some of those battery operated air pumps from Wally world (fishing/camping dept.) for the fish and anenomes. The rock and stuff should be ok. Hopefully you can drive straight through and get your corals and stuff under some lights in under a day.
Where abouts in Florida do you live?

 

[marine bio 101]

I live in Boca Raton and moving just outside of Houston.

 

[marine bio 101]

Originally Posted by MaryG
http:///forum/post/2855814
You can get ALOT of buckets! Those rubbermaid totes are great. Also you can purchase some of those battery operated air pumps from Wally world (fishing/camping dept.) for the fish and anenomes. The rock and stuff should be ok. Hopefully you can drive straight through and get your corals and stuff under some lights in under a day.
Where abouts in Florida do you live?
I live in Boca Raton and moving just outside of Houston.

 

[cowhelmet]

Thats how I did it, rubbermaid buckets. A couple for live rock, the rest for fish. Keep you fish and corals in a safe place in the vechicle and you should be fine. Keep those air pumps pumping!!!

 

[ophiura]

How are you planning to go - in a truck, car, sending stuff with movers?
Do you have a good relationship with an LFS you trust?

 

[marine bio 101]

Originally Posted by ophiura
http:///forum/post/2856035
How are you planning to go - in a truck, car, sending stuff with movers?
Do you have a good relationship with an LFS you trust?
My company I have worked for over 14 years was bought out. I will now be working with the new company in Houston. The company is paying for the relocation and I will be using professional movers. They will also be moving my automobiles. We will probably be flying as it is quite a drive from South Florida to Houston. I do have a good relationship with my LFS. However, I was just in there a couple days ago and they will not hold my livestock. They do not want the responsibilty if anything should happen. They would be willing to oxygenate them and pack them for shipping. What should I do?

Has anyone made a move like this on here and successfully transfered their livestock?

 

[rotarymagic]

Make sure when you put the sand in the tank again its done under very little water so it settles quickly... if its all stirred up all the stuff in it could be toxic to the water column.

 

[ophiura]

Originally Posted by Marine Bio 101
http:///forum/post/2861920
My company I have worked for over 14 years was bought out. I will now be working with the new company in Houston. The company is paying for the relocation and I will be using professional movers. They will also be moving my automobiles. We will probably be flying as it is quite a drive from South Florida to Houston. I do have a good relationship with my LFS. However, I was just in there a couple days ago and they will not hold my livestock. They do not want the responsibilty if anything should happen. They would be willing to oxygenate them and pack them for shipping. What should I do?

Has anyone made a move like this on here and successfully transfered their livestock?
Well, I think you may have an issue to some degree.
If you were willing to do the drive, you would have some options...even though it is a long drive. If you are flying...it is an issue. Most movers will take a fair amount of time to get there too, so rock and sand is toast.
I will suggest you google marshreef, which is the local houston club. It is possible that someone may be willing to help you out by setting up some sort of (even rubbermaid) system so that you can ship the fish there. They often have a good deal on rock and such when people are taking down tanks.
You may be left shipping the fish, sending the tank and such with the movers, and then effectively "starting over" ideally by buying someone elses established LR here.
It is worth brainstorming at least.
What is the timeline like? Will you, for example, come out to buy a house before moving here? Or are you in an apartment?

 

[aquaknight]

Originally Posted by Cowhelmet
http:///forum/post/2855933
Thats how I did it, rubbermaid buckets. A couple for live rock, the rest for fish. Keep you fish and corals in a safe place in the vechicle and you should be fine. Keep those air pumps pumping!!!
Agreed. Keep everything in large containers. I found those extra large coleman cooler (north of 50qts) work great was they are insulated as well and help with temperature control as heaters aren't always going to be able to be used. Keep all the liverock in one or two. You're going to have to keep it filled with water so it's going to be heavy as sin. Use duct tape around the lid seam so water doesn't slash out. For fish, I'd use coolers as well, but you won't be able to seal it as you'll have to have battery-powered air pumps in there. I'm pretty sure the moving guys will be able to accommodate them.
I would just ditch the sand. When you're setting the tank up, use dry sand (pre-rinsed). It obviously wouldn't be live, but it's not going to spike your tank like reusing old sand would, and over time will become live sand. If you have corals that are not attached to the live rock, I would have the LFS bag them up. Leaving them loose in a cooler/container makes them very susceptible to damage from banging around in there. The next biggest thing is when you're setting up the tank, making water fast enough. If you just have fish and just use tap, that's fine, but be aware of how many trips that's going to be to the LFS for water or how long it's going to take your RO/DI system to make 140'ish gallons of water.
Either way, please keep us informed/updated on how everything goes and what you end up doing. If it comes down to an emergency and need somewhere for the fish, let me know, I might be able to take a couple.