Moving a tank

[blue dog]

Hi folks.
I am moving a 220g tank about 200 hundred miles, i will being tearing down as
little as possible and will being trying to keep everything as wet as possible (live rock and sand).
Will i have to recycle the tank, and if so, how long should i wait before putting fish back in

 

[revhtree]

I would say that if the rock remains wet and the travel time is not prolonged that there would be minimal cycle. I moved a 125g, rock, corals, fish, etc. over 300 miles and it took us all day. We set the tank up the next day and added the contents of another tank and everything was just fine including a couple delicate tangs and corals that made the trip. One thing we did was use large rubbermaid tubs and put them in the vehicle, added water and then put the Live rock in and transported it that way. Just keep the water temp from dropping to much and you should be good to go!

 

[ReeferBob]

It'll be dicey for sure. A lot depends on substrate - how much substrate and how old is the tank? A 220g tank is like 350 pounds plus by itself. With another 200 pounds of substrate left in it I don't see how it can be safely moved. That means removing it. An established tank with a DSB will crash if the substrate is disturbed too much. I'd say definately setup a quarantine tank at the new place and be prepared to move inhabitants into it at the first sign of trouble. And if you have a DSB or even just a very established tank consider replacing the substrate.

 

[Dixie_reefer]

I would ditch the sand if it were me. I am going to have to do the same thing but the drive itself is 21 hours plus pit stops and overnight hotel stay. Good luck!

 

[blue dog]

Hi there thanks for the reply.
Few other replys, they seem to think i should throw out the substrate ( it is not sand). there,s gotta be away
to clean it up if need be?

 

[Eric B]

I would definitely not use the substrate again, but if you just transport the rest like REV said above I think you will be fine.

 

[Sage]

ugh i just moved up to nj RIGHT before the storm from fl and everything in my 155 bow made it ok. i just got new rubbbermade trash cans and put all the water and rock in those left the sand in the tank with under an inch of water. one can had only rocks with coral on them, frags and fish and the rest about half full with water and as much rock as we could lift. lost it all after the storm when we had to evac..... :cry: but i hope this helps

 

[blue dog]

I was planning on emptying the tank and putting rocks in bins, and putting substrate in pales, then putting it back into
the tank and let the filter do the rest, maybe put the fish in the next day

 

[Sacohen]

200 miles should not be more then 3-4 hr drive.
Things should be fine, but if you want you can get a power inverter and plug in a couple of power heads to keep the water circulating.

You may want to get a couple of bins and set them up as mini tanks with some rock, water and fish in each and then a power head keeping the water moving around.

 

[ReeferBob]

I was planning on emptying the tank and putting rocks in bins, and putting substrate in pales, then putting it back into
the tank and let the filter do the rest, maybe put the fish in the next day

This is the worst way to move substrate. If you are going to save it, the only safe way is to leave it in the tank undisturbed or thoroughly clean it before using it again. A lot of nasties get locked up in substrate over time.

 

[blue dog]

I cant leave it the tank, have to put tank in end to get down in the basement. Dont really have the cash to buy new substrate. That is why i need to
find a way to clean it.I have about 225lbs.

 

[glamisracers]

I've always put mine into containers and rinsed it out really well


Sent Via the R2R Forum APP