Relocating Aquarium

[kaze]

I'm going to university soon, and I'm quite worried about what to do with my tank. I've spent about 3 years with it and I'm really tied to it.

My parents have no idea how to take care of them, and won't take the responsibility to. And really after 3 years of constant hardwork I really don't want to abandon these fellows to some LFS store.
Therefore I need help, is it possible to relocate my aquarium to another place without killing the fish. Its a 1- 2 hour drive to were I'm going, and I don't know if my fish can survive that long. If possible could you guys give me some precautions or steps I should take to do this?
Thanks.

 

[sir mixxalot]

where do you live? maybe someone can take care of your corals and fish while your gone and when you come back they can frag big portions of the corals for you and give you what fish lived back...

 

[prk543]

Since you are going to university, are you going to be living on campus? If so, you are going to need to find out what the size limit is for fish tanks in the dorm. You also need to know if it is one of the schools that requires students to move out over winter break, if so you are going to be tearing down your tank at least 3 times a year. If not then you just have to take it down twice a year.
What size tank do you have? What live stock?
It is entirely possible to move your tank, and your fish especially if it is going to be 1 to 2 hours. Just don't move the tank on the same day that you (and everyone else) is moving in at school, because you will want to set your tank up right away.

 

[kaze]

Hey thanks for the reply.
It is a 45 g with live rock and two clownfish. I have already given up all my corals to my LFS.

And yes, I'm going away on campus. The room isn't big enough for a 45 g, so I'm probablly going to put them in a 30 g. I would give them away for someone to take care of, but I can't find anyone who wants to take care of that extra responsibility.
I've read that I can pack up the fish like how SWF does when they ship you the fish and corals. Do you think that'll work?

 

[prk543]

Since you only have 2 clowns at the moment, I would suggest downsizing to a 20 long or tall. 20 gal is sufficient for most clown species and it would be less water for you to haul back and forth.
You can take your rock and water and put it in 5 gal buckets and either move some of your sand in one of the buckets or put all new sand in your tank at school. Just put the fish in one bucket just filled with water and they should be fine for the 1 or 2 hours it takes for you to get to school.
Are you going to have a car at school? If so I would wait until after "move in day" to take your tank to school. Waiting will give you time to get everything else placed in your room.

 

[kaze]

I'll be making several trips back and forth from campus and home I'm sure. I'll definatly get everything set up first before relocating them.
Are you sure buckets with water is okay though? Will they be overly stressed from the constant splashing and swirling of water from the movement of the car? Will bagging them up and butting them in boxes be better?

 

[prk543]

The bags might be better if you move your tank in stages, because the bags will allow you to temp accumulate and if need be accumulate to the new tank water.
I am used to moving my tank all at once, so i usually just split my fish between one or two buckets.