snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
Moving an aquarium is not an easy task, but it can be made as easy as possible through a little preparation and know-how. Besides knowing a little bit about saltwater aquariums, you should also be familiar with moving methods for other furniture.
The first thing that you do is let a small sponge filter “season” in a tank for about a week. This lets all kinds of good critters and bacteria grow on the filter. Keep the filter wet in the move.
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Inspect the system that you are going to be moving. Make sure there are no visible leaks, not tears in the plumbing, and that the electrical systems are safe to use and handle.
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Mix up two times the volume of saltwater of your aquarium. This comes in handy for not only filling up your new aquarium, but also adjusting salinity and washing off all of your live rock.
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Turn off and remove the lighting system and pack it up.
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Turn off the electricity, not only at the aquarium, but at the circuit breaker.
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Remove all the corals and put them in a food grade plastic container out of the weather.
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Drain the tank half way and keep the water that you remove.
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Remove the rest of the live rock from the system and keep it wet in food grade containers that is out of the weather. You can either use new saltwater or old saltwater, it doesn’t matter, for storage.
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Remove the fish and bag them. Keep them out of sunlight, preferably in a food grade tote container in separate bags. At this point, you have to move quickly.
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Drain the rest of the water out of the tank and discard the water.
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Either save or discard the sand if any. Old sand has to be washed with old saltwater or new saltwater to retain bacteria but remove nutrients that may cause a cycle. Using new sand is perhaps the easiest and safest way to go.
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Disconnect any plumbing from the system before you move it. Even take the bulkheads OUT of the holes before you move the aquarium. The last thing you want is a cracked bulkhead or worse – a cracked tank.
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Drain the sump
Pack up any sump gear and equipment such as heaters, skimmers, reactors, scrubbers etc. If you do deal with a scrubber screen, keep it wet in old or new saltwater.
Move the tank, stand, sump, equipment, corals, fish and (maybe) sand to the new location.
Set up the tank as you normally would with a new setup. Make sure all of the equipment is set up properly, including the electrical system – keeping the breaker off at the new location.
Wash the new sand before adding it to the tank.
Put in some live rock for the foundation, then add the new sand around it. Pour in the old saltwater onto a dinner plate or a saucer inside the aquarium to prevent the sand from stirring around too much.
Add the rest of the live rock.
Add the rest of the new saltwater to top it off. Fill the sump up as well. Make sure the overflow is working properly, if any.
Temp acclimate your fish while you turn the circuit breaker on and get the system going again.
Add your new corals about 30 minutes after you put the fish in.
Add the lighting system back onto the tank and keep the lights off for that day. Then, get it all back on your new schedule.
Look back over your tank and see if anything is upset. If it is, test your water parameters for ammonia, nitrite, and pH. Calcium and alkalinity are also important to know for an aquarium with corals.
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This is only a guideline and each aquarium is different. Essentially, use your common sense.
If you would like to read more of my articles and threads, please visit this link: Snake's Methods.
The first thing that you do is let a small sponge filter “season” in a tank for about a week. This lets all kinds of good critters and bacteria grow on the filter. Keep the filter wet in the move.
[list type=decimal]
[*]
Inspect the system that you are going to be moving. Make sure there are no visible leaks, not tears in the plumbing, and that the electrical systems are safe to use and handle.
[*]
Mix up two times the volume of saltwater of your aquarium. This comes in handy for not only filling up your new aquarium, but also adjusting salinity and washing off all of your live rock.
[*]
Turn off and remove the lighting system and pack it up.
[*]
Turn off the electricity, not only at the aquarium, but at the circuit breaker.
[*]
Remove all the corals and put them in a food grade plastic container out of the weather.
[*]
Drain the tank half way and keep the water that you remove.
[*]
Remove the rest of the live rock from the system and keep it wet in food grade containers that is out of the weather. You can either use new saltwater or old saltwater, it doesn’t matter, for storage.
[*]
Remove the fish and bag them. Keep them out of sunlight, preferably in a food grade tote container in separate bags. At this point, you have to move quickly.
[*]
Drain the rest of the water out of the tank and discard the water.
[*]
Either save or discard the sand if any. Old sand has to be washed with old saltwater or new saltwater to retain bacteria but remove nutrients that may cause a cycle. Using new sand is perhaps the easiest and safest way to go.
[*]
Disconnect any plumbing from the system before you move it. Even take the bulkheads OUT of the holes before you move the aquarium. The last thing you want is a cracked bulkhead or worse – a cracked tank.
[*]
Drain the sump
Pack up any sump gear and equipment such as heaters, skimmers, reactors, scrubbers etc. If you do deal with a scrubber screen, keep it wet in old or new saltwater.
Move the tank, stand, sump, equipment, corals, fish and (maybe) sand to the new location.
Set up the tank as you normally would with a new setup. Make sure all of the equipment is set up properly, including the electrical system – keeping the breaker off at the new location.
Wash the new sand before adding it to the tank.
Put in some live rock for the foundation, then add the new sand around it. Pour in the old saltwater onto a dinner plate or a saucer inside the aquarium to prevent the sand from stirring around too much.
Add the rest of the live rock.
Add the rest of the new saltwater to top it off. Fill the sump up as well. Make sure the overflow is working properly, if any.
Temp acclimate your fish while you turn the circuit breaker on and get the system going again.
Add your new corals about 30 minutes after you put the fish in.
Add the lighting system back onto the tank and keep the lights off for that day. Then, get it all back on your new schedule.
Look back over your tank and see if anything is upset. If it is, test your water parameters for ammonia, nitrite, and pH. Calcium and alkalinity are also important to know for an aquarium with corals.
[/list type=decimal]
This is only a guideline and each aquarium is different. Essentially, use your common sense.
If you would like to read more of my articles and threads, please visit this link: Snake's Methods.
