I’m moving… what’s the best route?

[jmichaelh7]

I have a 150 gallon display with SPS growing 1 year in.

Im moving.

Plan A: Should I transfer tank and leave bottom tank with a little bit of water to keep beneficial bacteria, set the tank back up and hope for SPS frags to hopefully thrive?

plan b: Sell frags local with live rock , start tank over due to too much beneficial bacteria dying?

Please provide your input on what is the best method.

 

[AydenLincoln]

How long is the move? If it’s shorter it’s easier and I’d keep everything. If it’s longer I’d sell it or just keep my favorites. If you do move it and it’s been done successfully many times you should transfer everything into buckets of saltwater and ideally have nothing in the tank then set it back up before you get the fish there so have a quarantine tank or have someone like a LFS or friend in the hobby house them temporarily so they can be added back in the tank asap. The other option could be to hire a lfs to move it for you.

 

[jmichaelh7]

How long is the move? If it’s shorter it’s easier and I’d keep everything. If it’s longer I’d sell it or just keep my favorites. If you do move it and it’s been done successfully many times you should transfer everything into buckets of saltwater and ideally have nothing in the tank then set it back up before you get the fish there so have a quarantine tank or have someone like a LFS or friend in the hobby house them temporarily so they can be added back in the tank asap. The other option could be to hire a lfs to move it for you.

The move is in same city so within 10 minutes

I was just concerned that the beneficial bacteria dying during the transfer, setting it back up and the Corraline algae drying on the bottom of the tank would cause spikes

 

[Max93]

This is what I would do since it’s only ten minutes:

1. remove all rocks that have encrusted acros and put them in a cooler, zip tied to egg crate (put egg crate on bottom of cooler).
- run a heater and a flow pump in there

2. corals that would be easier to transport by snapping off, put those in their own cooler as well with a heater and flow pump.

3. Remaining live rock and sand that you can scoop out, put it in one of those big brute trash cans.

4. Don’t worry about the bacteria as long as you setup the tank again that same afternoon you should be good. Add microbacter7 to help re-establish bacteria.

done

 

[AydenLincoln]

The move is in same city so within 10 minutes

I was just concerned that the beneficial bacteria dying during the transfer, setting it back up and the Corraline algae drying on the bottom of the tank would cause spikes

Then you will be fine just make sure everything stays in water or moist but the tank being completely empty is best and dose some bacteria when you set it up again.

 

[jmichaelh7]

This is what I would do since it’s only ten minutes:

1. remove all rocks that have encrusted acros and put them in a cooler, zip tied to egg crate (put egg crate on bottom of cooler).
- run a heater and a flow pump in there

2. corals that would be easier to transport by snapping off, put those in their own cooler as well with a heater and flow pump.

3. Remaining live rock and sand that you can scoop out, put it in one of those big brute trash cans.

4. Don’t worry about the bacteria as long as you setup the tank again that same afternoon you should be good. Add microbacter7 to help re-establish bacteria.

done

Sounds like a plan.

So the tank can be emptied and dried during transfer without causing issues . I like the cooler idea sounds good. I just don’t see moving a Big 5 foot glass tank with any type of water in it. It’s heavy as it is so that’s why I figure the tank would dry up and the Corraline algae / bacteria would die off

 

[Janet Belanger]

This is what I would do since it’s only ten minutes:

1. remove all rocks that have encrusted acros and put them in a cooler, zip tied to egg crate (put egg crate on bottom of cooler).
- run a heater and a flow pump in there

2. corals that would be easier to transport by snapping off, put those in their own cooler as well with a heater and flow pump.

3. Remaining live rock and sand that you can scoop out, put it in one of those big brute trash cans.

4. Don’t worry about the bacteria as long as you setup the tank again that same afternoon you should be good. Add microbacter7 to help re-establish bacteria.

done

This is what I did with my 65 and it worked out perfectly. I used virgin 5 gallon buckets from home depot (6 or 7 of them) and no microbacter. Just collected what I could in buckets, rock, sand, water, fish... inverts.

I leveraged an air bubbler to ensure oxygen for the fishy friends while I waited for the tank to be delivered to the new place.

 

[Max93]

This is what I did with my 65 and it worked out perfectly. I used virgin 5 gallon buckets from home depot (6 or 7 of them) and no microbacter. Just collected what I could in buckets, rock, sand, water, fish... inverts.

I leveraged an air bubbler to ensure oxygen for the fishy friends while I waited for the tank to be delivered to the new place.

The bubbler is a great idea. I added this when I moved my tank 33 hours driving. At a hotel stop, I’d roll in the cooler on the luggage wheeler thing and it looked like I was moving organs with all the cables and tubes coming out of the cooler lol

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Don't reuse the sand!

 

[jmichaelh7]

This is what I did with my 65 and it worked out perfectly. I used virgin 5 gallon buckets from home depot (6 or 7 of them) and no microbacter. Just collected what I could in buckets, rock, sand, water, fish... inverts.

I leveraged an air bubbler to ensure oxygen for the fishy friends while I waited for the tank to be delivered to the new place.

You said you used micro Bacter?

Then you will be fine just make sure everything stays in water or moist but the tank being completely empty is best and dose some bacteria when you set it up again.

Any good additives you recommend when setting back up? Obviously micro bacter 7 is common

 

[AydenLincoln]

You said you used micro Bacter?

Any good additives you recommend when setting back up? Obviously micro bacter 7 is common

I use Fluval Cycle but any saltwater cycling bacteria is good like Dr. Tim’s to add that extra bacteria to be on the safe side but if you keep everything in water at least filter media you shouldn’t need to add it.

 

[Janet Belanger]

You said you used micro Bacter?

Any good additives you recommend when setting back up? Obviously micro bacter 7 is common

Nope, I didn't use any additives.

To reduce die off, I did clean up as much as I could both in the sump and on the glass to ensure it was largely clean without all the coraline on it. Any die off was likely minimal because I cleaned it all out before resetting the tank. I was able to keep all the rock and much of the sand in buckets of tank water and I leveraged as much of the tank water as I could when filling it back up.

 

[jmichaelh7]

Nope, I didn't use any additives.

To reduce die off, I did clean up as much as I could both in the sump and on the glass to ensure it was largely clean without all the coraline on it. Any die off was likely minimal because I cleaned it all out before resetting the tank. I was able to keep all the rock and much of the sand in buckets of tank water and I leveraged as much of the tank water as I could when filling it back up.

My entire bottom is Corraline algae lol I’m thinking as I type of what it would be like scraping that off