SnappyShrimp
New Member
I'm going to be moving in a few weeks, about a 10 minute drive away on local roads, and have been reading up and watching various videos on moving tanks. I luckily only have a IM15 Nuvo fusion AIO so it's not as major of an undertaking as say a 6 foot tank. I have supplies ready, buckets, storage containers, plan to mix up some saltwater day of, paper towels, bubble wrap, etc.
My aquascape is all glued together so it is one giant chunk and my corals have grown onto the structure now. I'm planning on having it in one of the storage containers with enough water to keep it submerged. I'm also planning to try and get as much of my livestock in the same container (purple firefish, pink streaked wrasse, yasha goby, candy cane goby, candy cane pistol shrimp, fire blood shrimp, porcelain crab, pompom crab, and a bumblebee shrimp along with CUC). I'm thinking if I drain enough water to just keep the sandbed wet then I can move things back pretty easily, obviously trying my best to get the rockscape back down to the bottom glass since I don't want any tunnels from the pistol shrimp to end up bring the structure down and causing a mess.
Based on my current plan, I wanted some opinions from people who either have moved or have knowledge of the tank moving process. First, I've been reading mixed info about keeping the sand bed. It seems some people suggest to get rid of the sand bed and start over but I've also been reading its ok to keep it and its obviously where a lot of life exists, but may be worth it to stir it a bit in case any pockets of dangerous gas have accumulated. Second, I've also seen some people suggest that since it is a nano tank, to really just drain some water and basically move the whole tank as is. If this route seems doable, I may consider it and cover things with some paper towels to keep everything damp, use some bubble wrap to minimize movement during the trip, and quickly set things up once the tank is set in its new home. I'd appreciate any insights, this will be the first time I'm moving a tank and it also happens to be my first saltwater tank. It's almost a year old now so it's unfortunate I have to move it but I'm not planning on moving again any time soon so hopefully this will be a one and done for a bit.
My aquascape is all glued together so it is one giant chunk and my corals have grown onto the structure now. I'm planning on having it in one of the storage containers with enough water to keep it submerged. I'm also planning to try and get as much of my livestock in the same container (purple firefish, pink streaked wrasse, yasha goby, candy cane goby, candy cane pistol shrimp, fire blood shrimp, porcelain crab, pompom crab, and a bumblebee shrimp along with CUC). I'm thinking if I drain enough water to just keep the sandbed wet then I can move things back pretty easily, obviously trying my best to get the rockscape back down to the bottom glass since I don't want any tunnels from the pistol shrimp to end up bring the structure down and causing a mess.
Based on my current plan, I wanted some opinions from people who either have moved or have knowledge of the tank moving process. First, I've been reading mixed info about keeping the sand bed. It seems some people suggest to get rid of the sand bed and start over but I've also been reading its ok to keep it and its obviously where a lot of life exists, but may be worth it to stir it a bit in case any pockets of dangerous gas have accumulated. Second, I've also seen some people suggest that since it is a nano tank, to really just drain some water and basically move the whole tank as is. If this route seems doable, I may consider it and cover things with some paper towels to keep everything damp, use some bubble wrap to minimize movement during the trip, and quickly set things up once the tank is set in its new home. I'd appreciate any insights, this will be the first time I'm moving a tank and it also happens to be my first saltwater tank. It's almost a year old now so it's unfortunate I have to move it but I'm not planning on moving again any time soon so hopefully this will be a one and done for a bit.
