How to move tank?

[modom1207]

Does anyone have any experience with moving a tank approximately 30 mins across town? 30 gallon filled with live sand and 16 lbs of live rock. I have multiple fish and inverts. I also have lots of coral that are attached to the rock. The tank is fully cycled, so I want to try to preserve all of the beneficial bacteria possible so as not to upset the balance that I’ve taken the time to establish. What works best?? Should I get 4-5 5 gallon buckets and dedicate them to separate tasks. One with the tank water + one with sand and water + one with live rock and water + one with fish and inverts + one with the filters, submersible equipment, water. Do I need to aerate the buckets during the 1-2 hours it’ll take me to take them across town and set the tank up in the new house? Would it be better to bag the fish up, rather than put them in a 5 gallon bucket? Any tips for clarifying the water quickly upon set up?

More importantly, will the tank have to go through another cycle if I take these measures to preserve the bacteria? I don’t want to risk killing all my fish.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I would do it this way:

-Bag fish individually
-Remove water into 5 gallon buckets, adding any of the rock and coral that are attached to the rocks
-Remove sand. I'm not sure if using the same sand is a good idea though.

Drive carefully

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

1. Don't reuse the sand**
2. The rocks are the main biological filtration so if you add all the rock to the new tank, it should support the same bioload as before, but if you want to be extra cautious, add some Fritz turbo.
3. Reusing water is fine but not for cycling/bacteria benefits.
4. Airstones (or stirring the water periodically) and temp regulation are important for the fish, less so for the coral and rock. When I moved, I put the fish in a cooler which helped keep the temp steady.
5. Have plenty of new saltwater ready to top off the tank if needed and for any emergency water changes in the first 24 hours after setting back up.
6. Plan for it to take twice as long as you think it will ;)


** IF (and that's a big IF) you can empty most of the water out of the tank and then transport the tank without removing the sand, you MIGHT be able to do that. You will need to add the water back very slowly to prevent the sand from releasing any bad junk... one way would be to put a piece of plastic over the sand and then add the water, that way the water won't disturb the sandbed.

My strong recommendation is to use new sand (very well rinsed first).

 

[Knucker]

1. Break down the tank. Bag fish, take coral and rocks into buckets with lids. Add tank water to both the bags and the buckets. Toss old sand.
2. You can add the bags of fish to the buckets just keep them secure. This will keep everything at temp.
3. Drive very slowly with hazards on. Avoiding any unnecessary bumps.
4. Set up tank in new place with fresh water and fresh sand. Add rocks and fish. Toss old water like you do when you first add fish and coral. Depending on how long the fish and coral are contained you might want to acclimate them to the fresh tank. The water in the bags and buckets will be nasty.
5. Monitor your tank as if it was a completely new tank.

I did a move over a mountain. Normally takes 30 minutes to drive. Total trip took me about 45min.

 

[modom1207]

Thanks, everyone! I would’ve totally reused the sand because of the potential good bacteria, but after reading everyone’s advice, I’ll just buy some new sand and follow the other recommendations. Should I expect a diatom bloom? Would this be a good time to carefully remove some cyano with a hydrogen peroxide qtip that’s on some of my pumps? Like when the water is drained? Or will the lack of water for a couple hours remove the bacteria by itself?

 

[modom1207]

1. Don't reuse the sand**
2. The rocks are the main biological filtration so if you add all the rock to the new tank, it should support the same bioload as before, but if you want to be extra cautious, add some Fritz turbo.
3. Reusing water is fine but not for cycling/bacteria benefits.
4. Airstones (or stirring the water periodically) and temp regulation are important for the fish, less so for the coral and rock. When I moved, I put the fish in a cooler which helped keep the temp steady.
5. Have plenty of new saltwater ready to top off the tank if needed and for any emergency water changes in the first 24 hours after setting back up.
6. Plan for it to take twice as long as you think it will ;)


** IF (and that's a big IF) you can empty most of the water out of the tank and then transport the tank without removing the sand, you MIGHT be able to do that. You will need to add the water back very slowly to prevent the sand from releasing any bad junk... one way would be to put a piece of plastic over the sand and then add the water, that way the water won't disturb the sandbed.

My strong recommendation is to use new sand (very well rinsed first).

The plastic covering is a great idea! Would’ve never thought of that. I might just try to vacuum the sand really good in a bucket by itself just to save some bacteria that might be latched on there, but if I do that, I probably will only try to save about 1/4 of it simply because now that I think of it, my sand might be kinda nasty from the fish. Any tips on getting difficult fish netted? I have a yellow tail damsel that is quicker than lightning and a couple barnacle blennies.