How to break down a reef tank

[wasabi bean]

I have had my reef tank for 4 years and i still love it and its doing great now, but unfortunately my parents are moving house and i am at university so i am having to break it down by maybe just after this easter coming. I dont want to rush it, how should i go about breaking it down as i want to keep the tank and equipment to set back up down the line?

 

[mmorrison55]

Seems the obvious would be try and rehome your corals and livestock.

Since you have some time, you could try and sell them off to make a few $$$ or if it starts getting close to your deadline switch to offering things for free. Once you’ve rehomed the things you want to, then either rip the bandaid off and drain it all in one day or remove some equipment in stages and clean it to put it away for reuse down the road.

Best bet is to buy some bulk citric acid. In the states, Amazon sells it. Then soak all your equipment in the citric acid solution, rinse well, dry and put into storage.

What equipment do you have? That might help everyone provide their opinions on how you best go about it.

 

[mmorrison55]

Your rock is probably the hardest. Unless you find someone who wants it, you have to decide if you want to reuse it. If you do, do you try and keep it alive while the tank is down or do you bleach it, rinse it and let it air dry in the sun to become usable down the road?

 

[wasabi bean]

Seems the obvious would be try and rehome your corals and livestock.

Since you have some time, you could try and sell them off to make a few $$$ or if it starts getting close to your deadline switch to offering things for free. Once you’ve rehomed the things you want to, then either rip the bandaid off and drain it all in one day or remove some equipment in stages and clean it to put it away for reuse down the road.

Best bet is to buy some bulk citric acid. In the states, Amazon sells it. Then soak all your equipment in the citric acid solution, rinse well, dry and put into storage.

What equipment do you have? That might help everyone provide their opinions on how you best go about it.

I have skimmer, reactor, fuge light, ato, dosing pump thats about it for equipment. Where would i sell it all, i am in the uk so dont know if there is a website, whether i would do it on here or just try to get my LFS to get me in touch with some people?

 

[wasabi bean]

Your rock is probably the hardest. Unless you find someone who wants it, you have to decide if you want to reuse it. If you do, do you try and keep it alive while the tank is down or do you bleach it, rinse it and let it air dry in the sun to become usable down the road?

Yeah that will be difficult, might just try and give the rock away with the coral as lots of the coral is very well attached

 

[mmorrison55]

Yeah that will be difficult, might just try and give the rock away with the coral as lots of the coral is very well attached

That would be the easiest.

 

[mmorrison55]

Does the uk have an equivalent like Craigslist that people use to sell their items to the public in their area?

Ive found a few local tank teardowns that way.

But your LFS might have some idea, they may even take your items on consignment.

And of course you could post items for sale here, and you should get some inquiries as ive seen a few member from the UK posting.


Google search for UK reef clubs returned:

Major Online Communities & Forums

• Ultimate Reef: One of the longest-standing and most active dedicated online forums for marine and reef aquarium hobbyists in the UK.
• Reef2Reef UK Club: A dedicated regional forum space (including the United Kingdom Reef Club Forum) for UK-based reefers to share tank builds, local shop tips, and equipment help.
• UK Reef Market: A platform aggregating livestock and dry goods from around 80 UK marine retailers into a single searchable index. [1, 2, 3, 4]

In-Person & Social Groups

• Reef Meets UK: A Facebook community focused on organizing real-life meetups, store-hopping tours, and group visits to marine fish shops across the country. [1]
• Regional Facebook Groups: Active communities such as The Real Reefers UK and local regional sub-groups (e.g., London Reefers, North West reefers, Northern Ireland groups) handle local networking and livestock discussions. [1, 2]

Conventions & Trade Shows

• Finest Fest: Hosted annually in April by Finest Aquatics, serving as a major trade and public show for marine fish keepers in the UK.
• Reef Conservation UK (RCUK): An annual networking and conference event held in collaboration with organizations like the Zoological Society of London for coral reef science, research, and conservation enthusiasts