How do I move my tank ??

MoneyPit · Jul 11, 2011

In about 3 weeks I am going to be moving almost 500 miles. What advice can you give me on how to transfer my 75 gal tank? I have 6 fish, 50 or so corals, and 100 lbs of live rock. I was planning on putting the fish and smaller corals into bags and the live rock (some of which have corals growing on them) into 5 gal buckets with tank water. Now it will be an 8 hour drive to my new home so I am concerned with the heat in the back of the truck. I know I can use cold packs with the corals that I put into bags but what about the LR in the buckets? I considered sealing a cold pack in a bag and I could tape it to the inside of the lid. Is an 8 hour drive in the back of a moving truck not even long enough to worry about the heat ? So fire away, I'll take all the advice I can get :)

fish&corals · Jul 11, 2011

i would get some brute trash cans for your water .. bag your corals and fish with OX .. just keep your rock wet when moving with salt water unless you want to put them in your trash cans with the water you take out of the tank .. inverts will live out of water for a good amount of time so you would not have to worry about them .. just remember to re-ox your fish and corals about every 7 hours and they will be fine .. but if you save all your water and add it when you get to your new place you will be fine .. i wouldnt use ice packs just in case they leak .. go out and get a bunch of RO/DI water and freeze it into zip lock bags to keep your corals cool in the drive .. you know how hot it is right now in FLA you dont want to bake anything ..
i do move tanks all the time .. just moved a 90 gallon from vero to satellite beach the only thing we had to do was add some Ro water with salt lost about 5 gallons in the mover from splashing and evap.

if you have any more questions please feel free to ask ..

Salty Dog · Jul 11, 2011

wow very risky,, good luck

cdness · Jul 11, 2011

Extra large cooler, Have ice packs with you if needed. Run a battery powered air pump or use a plug in one with an inverter. The cooler will protect you from the changes in temp too fast. Check the water temp every hour and toss in an ice pack if needed to cool it off a bit. The rock you could have in buckets if you wanted, but the costs of a cooler is small in comparison to livestock costs. Also they don't leak as easy and have wheels for easier moving...

Your original idea just has too many risky points... Just my opinion though.

Good luck.

Reef Keeper 18 · Jul 11, 2011

buy a mini generator xD

MoneyPit · Jul 11, 2011

Risky, yes but I have to move and I love my tank so I have to take it with me. I keep telling myself it's kind of like everyday shipping, it's done all the time all across the country. (Fingers Crossed) The trash can is a good idea, it sure would hold a lot more water and LR. I thought of the 5 gal buckets for a few pieces of LR with corals growing on them. I figured I would only be able to put 1-2 large pieces per bucket . I do like the cooler idea for insulation and I do have a small generator :) I also have a small battery powered air pump I could use.

fish&corals · Jul 11, 2011

money yea i would do the trash cans they work the best thats what i use when i move tank from one place to a other place .. i have 5 of them just in case there tank is bigger then 55 gallons .. n like i said i would use RO water frozen then ice packs the do get holes in them and if they leaks on your corals and fish you would be out of luck ..

your tank sure is nice looking .. keep us posted once you do the move too ..

MoneyPit · Jul 11, 2011

What do you do with the ice packs strap them to the inside of the lids ?

fish&corals · Jul 11, 2011

no float them in the water as long as they are ro or ro/di water .. i have a ro di unit so when i know im moving a tank i freeze them 24 hours before the move and pack them in a cooler to get me where im going ..

MoneyPit · Jul 11, 2011

So I have some great answers so far anyone else have any other ideas ??

Salty Dog · Jul 11, 2011

I was thinking,

Anyway you could take everything out of your existing tank and put it into a temporary rubbermaid container so that you could move your existing tank and equipment prior to the final move. That way you could have it ready for the live stock to go in. Remeber setting up a new deal comes with new problems so If you had it set up for a week or two prior you could fix any new issues and that tank would be ready for the live stock to go back in with out further stress.

MoneyPit · Jul 13, 2011

That is a good idea and I wish that was an option but I'm not so sure. I need to transport everything at once. I did talk to my LFS today and they told me they would save me some of the shipping boxes they get with their shipments. They are about 2' square, and I would be able to put my bagged corals in styro for shipping.

MoneyPit · Aug 14, 2011

So I successfully moved my 75 gal tank and all of it's inhabitants. So far it has been a week and everything still looks good. I still have to rearrange a few pieces but all in all it was a very successful move.