Moving house with a tank

[siniang]

I wasn't sure where to exactly put this, mods please feel free to move to a more appropriate sub-forum if necessary.

We'll be moving house next month and I've started thinking about strategies to move my 40 gal FOWLR tank. It's not far far, but I do have some logistic considerations I need to make decisions on.

- Fish: I only have two fish. Keep them in separate 5 gal buckets with a bubbler. How long can I keep them in there? Probably a couple hours?
- I was hoping to repaint my stand, but obviously it's the last thing to go and the first thing in the new place. Hence question above: how long can I "park" my fish in the buckets?
- I was thinking of using the opportunity of completely draining the tank to clean and possibly redo all silicone seals. How would I clean them from algae that's been resistent to scrubbing with a tooth brush? How do I check the seals for possibilities of future leaks? Would I have to remove the old silicone before applying new one? How long would it need to dry?

Thanks in advance for all and any help!

 

[Kryptonian]

- You gotta think that if a fish can live in a small plastic bag being shipped cross-country for 48 hours (that happened to me with a delayed package) then a fish can live in an aerated bucket with a bubbler for at least that long. If you do water changes on the bucket water, there's no reason they can't live in the bucket as long as you need. They just might not be huge fans of the bucket but they'll be fine.

- I'll leave the silicone question to someone else who has experience with this.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Fish will be fine with short trip. Salvage water into buckets and leave tank 1/5 filled which will keep bacteria alive and set right back up at new house (like doing a water change when all is said and done)

 

[Rjukan]

I've redone the inside silicone on my tank prior to starting the system (was a used tank and previous owner took nicks out of the silicone, was an eyesore). I removed the bead inside the tank with a razor but not in between the glass panels. Cleaned well, then put new black silicone beads in. It's been 2.5 years running with no issues.

I'm pretty sure you will want at least 24hrs for the silicone to cure before filling, i can't remember how long I waited, but I think it sat in my garage for a few days until I was ready for it. Fish will be fine in buckets for a couple days as long as it's bubbled and kept at a proper temp. Also depends on the type and size of the fish tho.

 

[siniang]

Thank you for the replies!

Will re-think redoing the silicone, but if I could at least clean it, that would be nice, so still looking for any suggestions. The edges are a little frayed at this point, but I think overall it should still be sealed. Will definitely investigate in detail when clearing it out, just to make sure. No bubbles between the panes as far as I'm aware...

Will probably spray paint the stand immediately, let it dry for a couple hours which should be sufficient, and set back up. So maybe alltogether 4hrs for fish out of the water. Good to know they'll be fine. Maybe I'll also just not feed them that day and the day before to reduce any waste they might produce. Obviously will need to monitor temperature in such a small space... Hawaii does get hot, so will make sure the car is cooled down before transporting them and the buckets won't be standing outside any prolonged amount of time.

Salvage water into buckets and leave tank 1/5 filled

I will salvage as much water as I can of course, as well as the sand, but I was under the impression that a tank under no circumstances should be moved with anything in it? Sand and even 1/5th water makes it heavy...

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you for the replies!

Will re-think redoing the silicone, but if I could at least clean it, that would be nice, so still looking for any suggestions. The edges are a little frayed at this point, but I think overall it should still be sealed. Will definitely investigate in detail when clearing it out, just to make sure. No bubbles between the panes as far as I'm aware...

Will probably spray paint the stand immediately, let it dry for a couple hours which should be sufficient, and set back up. So maybe alltogether 4hrs for fish out of the water. Good to know they'll be fine. Maybe I'll also just not feed them that day and the day before to reduce any waste they might produce. Obviously will need to monitor temperature in such a small space... Hawaii does get hot, so will make sure the car is cooled down before transporting them and the buckets won't be standing outside any prolonged amount of time.



I will salvage as much water as I can of course, as well as the sand, but I was under the impression that a tank under no circumstances should be moved with anything in it? Sand and even 1/5th water makes it heavy...

Ive done it 4 times successfully with sand and minimal water in it and it really made a difference setting it back up , with little to no affect on water tests. If it was long distance, that would change this whole process

 

[NY_Caveman]

I will add you should definitely make more saltwater than you think you will need. I have moved tanks several times and usually ended up needing more. With the slow production of RO/DI water, at least have that made and ready. I also always recommend to people, try and do major tank projects, like a move, when the LFS and the hardware store are open. You never know what may come up or what may fail along the way. As you move into the new space you may be inspired by a different or creative way to do something.