I am looking at a move out of state next month, done by myself (U-Haul, in other words). It is a fairly short move distance wise (a 6 hour drive) but my tank is a 6-foot long, 210 gallon tank. The one positive is it is fairly lightly loaded with fish and coral (mainly frags). Please look for my mistakes, or poor planning, and find what I am missing!
I am tight with timing, due to job requirements; I basically have only 3 days to "physically" move.
My plan is a week or two before beginning the move, I am going to move the fish (2 Occ Clowns, a2 1/2" Kole Tang, PJ Cardnial, a bi-color blenny and 3 Dispar anthias into a tall 45 gallon tank I used as a large QT/Hospital tank. I will also move my frags into there. I will then drain the tank, cleaning off an area of bubble algae and a small patch of Aptasia (I swore I would never let it back in, and got there somehow!) I will discard all of my sand/substrate. The tank will be broken down, ready to load up, on moving day.
I will transport the fish in a large insulated cooler with 2 battery powered air pumps for the 6 hour transport, and set the QT tank back up, and replace them all during the day of the move. That will give me a weekend to set up the large tank, with new substrate (already have Reef flakes ordered) and the 2 1/2 days I will need to make enough RODI (I have a 90 GPD Spectrapure RODI hooked up into a 55 gallon mixing station.) I realize I am going to cycle again, and will probably use Dr. Tims to expedite the process, although I will have a small amount of live rock in the "temporary" tank to help seed with, too. Once the cycle is stabilized, I will move everybody (Frags and Fish) back into the large tank.
I simply do not have the time, extra barrels, and moving equipment space to keep all of my rock alive for the transfer, so I am hoping this plan works. Like I said, please tell me what I am forgetting, or not thinking about.
I am tight with timing, due to job requirements; I basically have only 3 days to "physically" move.
My plan is a week or two before beginning the move, I am going to move the fish (2 Occ Clowns, a2 1/2" Kole Tang, PJ Cardnial, a bi-color blenny and 3 Dispar anthias into a tall 45 gallon tank I used as a large QT/Hospital tank. I will also move my frags into there. I will then drain the tank, cleaning off an area of bubble algae and a small patch of Aptasia (I swore I would never let it back in, and got there somehow!) I will discard all of my sand/substrate. The tank will be broken down, ready to load up, on moving day.
I will transport the fish in a large insulated cooler with 2 battery powered air pumps for the 6 hour transport, and set the QT tank back up, and replace them all during the day of the move. That will give me a weekend to set up the large tank, with new substrate (already have Reef flakes ordered) and the 2 1/2 days I will need to make enough RODI (I have a 90 GPD Spectrapure RODI hooked up into a 55 gallon mixing station.) I realize I am going to cycle again, and will probably use Dr. Tims to expedite the process, although I will have a small amount of live rock in the "temporary" tank to help seed with, too. Once the cycle is stabilized, I will move everybody (Frags and Fish) back into the large tank.
I simply do not have the time, extra barrels, and moving equipment space to keep all of my rock alive for the transfer, so I am hoping this plan works. Like I said, please tell me what I am forgetting, or not thinking about.