Moving an already set aquarium

[remus67]

Hi guys,
My name is Remus and I'm from Romania. Brand new here and also in saltwater aquariums. Despite my extensive experience in sweet water I have a lot of questions regarding marine stuff and I can use some help
I am not going to go into other issues for now. My main concern is a little bit tricky: how should I move an aquarium from somebody located 300 km away from my house!?
Shortly: Red Sea 170 with stand, sump, skimmer, calcium reactor, pumps and pipes, AI Prime light, etc. filled with water, aprox. 9 kilos live rock, some soft corals (zoas, gorgonian and 2 anemonae) and 4 fishes (check the picture attached). I wish to ask what I need, how can I prevent decycling, what I need to prepare at home and imediatelly when I arrive back home.
Right now, I have at home, one 54 liters tank cycling (day 4), with live rock in it, sustained by a Bubble Magus QQ3 hob skimmer and a Seachem Tidal 75 hob filter. No lights for now. Still waiting for a Maxspect 160w 16,000 K bought from Ebay.
Sorry for my English! As you can asume, I'm not a native speaker...
Thanks for reading and for support!

 

[Billdogg]

Welcome to R2R!

You have a project ahead of you!

Things you will need (no particular order, just listing things to have):

buckets - lots of clean buckets. you cannot have too many! If they have lids it will help minimize the mess.

New substrate if possible. If the tank has been up for more than a year or two there will be an incredible amount of gunk in the existing sand(or gravel) bed. Save a liter or so of it to help seed the new substrate. Toss the rest - it's just not worth moving all that weight IMO.

Freshly made saltwater at the tanks new home. Moving old water is a fools errand. There is nothing in it that you want, and potentially things you don't want.

Freshly rinsed sand or gravel waiting for the new tank.



How to make the move (I've made way too many over the last 35 years of reef keeping):

Carefully remove all the corals to buckets with just enough water to keep them covered.

Do the same for the rocks, but instead of water, use a wet towel over them to keep them moist

Now catch the fish and put them in buckets filled about 2/3 with water. (I told you - LOTS of buckets!!!)

Save a small amount of the substrate, toss the rest. It's just easier to start with fresh rather than having to clean the gunk out of old sand.

Move the tank and stand to your vehicle, then the rocks, coral, and lastly the fish. I'm guessing it's cold there this time of year, so cover them with blankets to help keep in some heat.

Drive directly to the tanks new home and bring everything into the house.


To set up the tank in it's new home:

Set the tank and stand where you want them.

Add the live rock, then the sand, not the other way around. Rocks on the glass will be way more stable than if you place them on top of the sand.

Fill the tank with that nice fresh saltwater that you already have ready! A saucer or plastic something will help to avoid disturbing the sand.

CHECK FOR LEAKS!!!

After temperature matching the fish in the buckets to the new water, add them.

Place the corals as you see fit.

Dispose of ALL the old water! Even if it was "OK" before, after several hours of sitting with corals and fish without circulation, it will be funky now.

Finally, sit back, have the adult beverage of your choice, and admire a job well done.


*NOTE*

Allow a whole day for this. Start as early as you can and don't stop until you are done.

Good luck, and post pictures!

 

[Pistondog]

Hi guys,
My name is Remus and I'm from Romania. Brand new here and also in saltwater aquariums. Despite my extensive experience in sweet water I have a lot of questions regarding marine stuff and I can use some help
I am not going to go into other issues for now. My main concern is a little bit tricky: how should I move an aquarium from somebody located 300 km away from my house!?
Shortly: Red Sea 170 with stand, sump, skimmer, calcium reactor, pumps and pipes, AI Prime light, etc. filled with water, aprox. 9 kilos live rock, some soft corals (zoas, gorgonian and 2 anemonae) and 4 fishes (check the picture attached). I wish to ask what I need, how can I prevent decycling, what I need to prepare at home and imediatelly when I arrive back home.
Right now, I have at home, one 54 liters tank cycling (day 4), with live rock in it, sustained by a Bubble Magus QQ3 hob skimmer and a Seachem Tidal 75 hob filter. No lights for now. Still waiting for a Maxspect 160w 16,000 K bought from Ebay.
Sorry for my English! As you can asume, I'm not a native speaker...
Thanks for reading and for support!

Welcome remus67,
@Billdogg has given an excellent plan.
Your English is great!
Good luck with your move and ask your questions.

 

[Lavey29]

Welcome aboard. I suggest bringing a couple buddies with you and a 30 pack of Romanian beer in addition to what was described above.

 

[remus67]

Guys, thanks a lot for your support!
Now, getting back to the point. Totally agree with most of the plan, just a few questions:
- not using the old water (or at least some of it), same for the sand, isn't meaning I will decycle the system!? Will it stay stable only with the live rocks in it!? I presume the filter media can be used to help also...I don't mind cycling again the tank but I'm considering the live stock there (corals, invertebrates, fish)...
- anything else to be added to the fresh water prepared at home?

 

[Bato367]

Guys, thanks a lot for your support!
Now, getting back to the point. Totally agree with most of the plan, just a few questions:
- not using the old water (or at least some of it), same for the sand, isn't meaning I will decycle the system!? Will it stay stable only with the live rocks in it!? I presume the filter media can be used to help also...I don't mind cycling again the tank but I'm considering the live stock there (corals, invertebrates, fish)...
- anything else to be added to the fresh water prepared at home?

You will likely have an ammonia spike and mini cycle. It’s a lot of disturbance to an ecosystem. Use some Brightwell Aquatics NitroBacter 7 or equivalent to help re-populate the bacteria . I did a move recently of an established system. It took a week after cleaning everything before reassembly. Yours likely less but be prepared to add flow and heater to a large tub and keep the critters alive until your system is ready to start up.

 

[Lavey29]

You will likely have an ammonia spike and mini cycle. It’s a lot of disturbance to an ecosystem. Use some Brightwell Aquatics NitroBacter 7 or equivalent to help re-populate the bacteria . I did a move recently of an established system. It took a week after cleaning everything before reassembly. Yours likely less but be prepared to add flow and heater to a large tub and keep the critters alive until your system is ready to start up.

I agree with this. He should be OK though with live rock, some sand and existing media. I don't think the water part will make a difference either way.

 

[remus67]

You will likely have an ammonia spike and mini cycle. It’s a lot of disturbance to an ecosystem. Use some Brightwell Aquatics NitroBacter 7 or equivalent to help re-populate the bacteria . I did a move recently of an established system. It took a week after cleaning everything before reassembly. Yours likely less but be prepared to add flow and heater to a large tub and keep the critters alive until your system is ready to start up.

I am using right now, cycling the other small tank, Red Sea reef mature kit. Shall I add some bacto-start and nitro-bac (according to water volume) once I've prepared the freshly water, before I'm leaving to bring the new tank or shall I add them directly in the tank, after setting it in place and filling with water?
Talking about the smaller tank (day 4 of cycling), can anybody tell me if these are zoantus or what!?

 

[Bato367]

I am using right now, cycling the other small tank, Red Sea reef mature kit. Shall I add some bacto-start and nitro-bac (according to water volume) once I've prepared the freshly water, before I'm leaving to bring the new tank or shall I add them directly in the tank, after setting it in place and filling with water?
Talking about the smaller tank (day 4 of cycling), can anybody tell me if these are zoantus or what!?

Reef mature kit should be good. Just test parameters everyday until everything stabilizes. If you get an ammonia spike in a tank with critters, use Prime or similar to lessen the ammonia toxicity.

 

[Bato367]

Ican anybody tell me if these are zoantus or what!

Looks like closed up Zoa’s or palys to me.

 

[remus67]

Looks like closed up Zoa’s or palys to me.

Thanks Bato367, this is what I guessed also!
Considering they travelled on the live rock for a couple of days before they arrived to me and considering they are now in a tank in full process of cycling, do they have any chance to recover and open or they are doomed?

 

[Billdogg]

If you keep the live rock damp while moving it there will be minimal die off, if any at all. It’s only going to be out of a tank with circulating water for a few hours.

The old sand, while it does have some denitrifying bacteria, just isn’t worth the trouble. By the time you rinse it clean it will be close to sterile anyway. That’s why a scoop or two of the old sand used to seed the new is more than enough.

The old water is certainly not worth the effort. It has little, if any, denitrifying bacteria. That all lives on and in the live rock.

with all the times I’ve moved established systems I’ve never had a need for any additives, but they won’t hurt if you want to add them.

 

[remus67]

If you keep the live rock damp while moving it there will be minimal die off, if any at all. It’s only going to be out of a tank with circulating water for a few hours.

The old sand, while it does have some denitrifying bacteria, just isn’t worth the trouble. By the time you rinse it clean it will be close to sterile anyway. That’s why a scoop or two of the old sand used to seed the new is more than enough.

The old water is certainly not worth the effort. It has little, if any, denitrifying bacteria. That all lives on and in the live rock.

with all the times I’ve moved established systems I’ve never had a need for any additives, but they won’t hurt if you want to add them.

Got it! Will do so!
Appreciate it!

 

[ColoredRock]

@Billdogg Awesome advice.. Only thing I would add is make sure you level the tank!! Learned that the hard way.

 

[Bato367]

Thanks Bato367, this is what I guessed also!
Considering they travelled on the live rock for a couple of days before they arrived to me and considering they are now in a tank in full process of cycling, do they have any chance to recover and open or they are doomed?

I’m sure once parameters are stable they will open. Zoas sometimes melt for seemingly no obvious reasons at all too but odds are, you’ll see them open.

 

[remus67]

Update: last night, around 10pm, arrived at home. At 1am, the stand was in place, the tank filled with sand, rocks and fish. Heater, light and wave pump working. Today, the sump with skimmer, dosage pump, phos reactor, returning pump will be fixed and started.
Here is a picture with the tank. Not very happy with the scape but, considering how tired I was...
2 pairs clowns, 1 tang, 1 shrimp, some snails. Also have one beautiful yellow anemoma (Heteractis) but it's hidden now. Few other small red anemonas (4-5).

 

[remus67]

Need some advice Gents! Attached below is the sump which came with the tank. How can I organize it such way to have a refugium also (considering the bubble magus 3.5 skimmer, phos reactor and return pump)?

 

[remus67]

Guys, considering the difference between you, the western located guys (tropical, may I say) and I, south-eastern Europe area, considering my not knowledge of clear English language: It is a simple question: what is this?