R33f_Hacker
Active Member
Hi Reefers,
I will be relocating my SPS dominate reef tanks (~160g total – 90g DT and 40g frag all connected to same sump) from Ga to South Florida in the coming months. I am looking for advice from other reefers that have had success with long-distance moves with large amounts of delicate coral. Happy to give away some frags for helpful advice.
The tanks, rocks, and system have been well-established for several years, although I do have low to medium-grade issues with aptasia, vermitid snails, nuisance palys and mushrooms, and algae (only in the frag tank).
I will get access to the new place in FL 15 days before I give up the current place in GA. I can get a new tank setup prior to driving livestock down. I will move my furniture and things first, then tank / livestock on another trip. My goal is NOT to start fresh and not to bring over problems.
Ideally, I can bring my fish, sps, and other coral into their new home with little time in temporary tanks w/ 8 hour drive and have an established healthy tank in FL to put them in promptly. May build a new aquascape for the new tank in fl but I can always have a secondary sump (tub) with old live rock to seed the system with. I have seen posts about rip cleaning before moving, as well as other techniques and not sure all that’s necessary.
I am looking for the best practice answers on the details of what is required and not required in order to transfer the ecosystem correctly with the best possible outcome. Ha, straightforward questions, right? I am on the fence about going to bare bottom, or, with new sand, or a mix of new and current sand.
My initial thoughts and questions are the following. Seems like I will need two car trips no matter but open to suggestions -
Thanks in advance for any advice.
I will be relocating my SPS dominate reef tanks (~160g total – 90g DT and 40g frag all connected to same sump) from Ga to South Florida in the coming months. I am looking for advice from other reefers that have had success with long-distance moves with large amounts of delicate coral. Happy to give away some frags for helpful advice.
The tanks, rocks, and system have been well-established for several years, although I do have low to medium-grade issues with aptasia, vermitid snails, nuisance palys and mushrooms, and algae (only in the frag tank).
I will get access to the new place in FL 15 days before I give up the current place in GA. I can get a new tank setup prior to driving livestock down. I will move my furniture and things first, then tank / livestock on another trip. My goal is NOT to start fresh and not to bring over problems.
Ideally, I can bring my fish, sps, and other coral into their new home with little time in temporary tanks w/ 8 hour drive and have an established healthy tank in FL to put them in promptly. May build a new aquascape for the new tank in fl but I can always have a secondary sump (tub) with old live rock to seed the system with. I have seen posts about rip cleaning before moving, as well as other techniques and not sure all that’s necessary.
I am looking for the best practice answers on the details of what is required and not required in order to transfer the ecosystem correctly with the best possible outcome. Ha, straightforward questions, right? I am on the fence about going to bare bottom, or, with new sand, or a mix of new and current sand.
My initial thoughts and questions are the following. Seems like I will need two car trips no matter but open to suggestions -
- Start keeping the water I am removing during water changes. Bucket it up and take it on the first trip down to start the new tank in fl (thinking a 210 gal plus frag tank). How much water is necessary to keep the established ecosystem? Do temp and the amount of storage time of water matter?
- Take out some rock from the existing tank and transport it on the first trip to fl in order to help establish the new tank.
- Ditch the sand and go bare bottom or get new sand or half new / half rinsed.
- For frags and colonies – bag um up or modify coolers with frag racks in them and rubber band on bottom of plug so they stay in place in cooler? Thinking I will need a mix – some bagged, some can be on rack etc
- Rocks with overgrowth of palys or “nuisance coral” – toss the entire rock, kill it off, or chisel off the bad parts
- I will be moving in June, so it will be hot – what’s the best way to temp control buckets with fish, bags w/ frags, or coolers w/ frag racks
- Will certainly be selling some of the coral, fragging some of the colonies as just in case backups
- 90g Display tank (sand bottom, good amount of live rock that I have had for a while, some rocks have nuisance palys and mushrooms)
- 40g breeder for frag tank. Has some algae growth, as I recently replaced the rack after an aptasia outbreak
- Trigger system platinum 39 sump that filters both tanks
- Full apex system, trident, dos pumps, etc
Thanks in advance for any advice.
