Moving with garden eels

[johnf3]

Hey everyone, needing some advice for a very daunting task ahead of me. I’m moving my aquariums from california to arkansas in a few months and I am trying to put a game plan together. I have read up on how to move an aquarium and know I should keep the live rock and coral in containers with fish in bags floating in the containers. I will use heaters as well as be in a vehicle with AC control. Most of my aquariums are <20 gallons except my 50 gallon AIO. I’m prepared to break everything down for the most part but I do have a few garden eels in the 50 gallon, probably 6-7 total that live in the deep sand bed. I know I should in theory use all new sand when I get the tank set back up in arkansas but would it be possible to keep the tank filled with just enough water to cover the sand bed plus an inch or so above, probably 6-7” total? I would also use a heater and a bubbler in the tank. Would this be enough to keep things going in the tank or would the eels experience an ammonia spike/mini cycle during the move?

I would use the wooden pallet the tank was delivered to help with weight distribution. I’ve also thought of them jumping so I would definitely have a lid on the tank.

Guessing when it comes down to it I either have to empty the sand and catch them all, hoping they don’t die from the stress or risk just moving them as is and remove everything else in the tank.
Needing some opinions/thoughts or if anyone has experience with this specific task that would be fantastic

Thanks

 

[johnf3]

 

[brandon429]

There is no time in reefing that moving unrinsed sand is safe or wise when that much money is on the line. In every tank move or upgrade the sand going into the final setup needs to be pre rinsed cloud reef and double checked with a sample put into a clear glass of water to ensure zero cloud

so, your options for safety would be to move them in no sand like they came to your tank, or, just pre rinse and cloud check the sand you want to move them in. Simply transfer no unrinsed sand, it’s that simple. The way you handle their ammonia waste during transfer is the normal way: water changes, some bottled bacteria put into the holding containers, or use of active bio media in the holding transfer containers such as improvised filter setups like bubblers and sponge filters that were pre cycled before the move.

 

[Tired]

Please do not transport live fish in an aquarium full mostly of sand. Beyond the concerns with disturbing the sandbed, that water will slosh violently, and will both batter their little heads if they try to stick their heads out and collapse their burrows on them. That is by no means safe.

 

[Roadkillstewie]

I can't think of any 'safe' way to try to transport a tank and it not be empty... an empty 50gal is 100lbs. Water, 8+lbs per gallon... 6" depth, 236lbs. That's 236+ lbs that needs to equally distributed across the bottom.

Consider the forces involved and stress on the glass/seams in transit.... then livestock and sand in it. You've got to seal it, or you're going to have water splashing out all over the truck, as well as livestock potentially getting sloshed out ..presuming the seals hold. You seal it, your limiting the oxygen.,,,and putting the livestock through the mother of all sandstorms while getting bounced against tank walls etc.

Personally, I'd be surprised if the aquarium itself survived the trip with any appreciable amount of water inside it.


...lil off topic, but if I may, what part of Arkansas are you moving to?

 

[Tired]

Oh, yeah, that's the other concern, isn't it. I had a 10gal bust because my dad tried moving it (by hand!) with a few inches of water in it, let alone that much sand and water sloshing around in a car. You'd have a horrendous mess and a bunch of suffocating eels.

Catch the eels. If that tank has to move, they cannot stay in it.

 

[johnf3]

I can't think of any 'safe' way to try to transport a tank and it not be empty... an empty 50gal is 100lbs. Water, 8+lbs per gallon... 6" depth, 236lbs. That's 236+ lbs that needs to equally distributed across the bottom.

Consider the forces involved and stress on the glass/seams in transit.... then livestock and sand in it. You've got to seal it, or you're going to have water splashing out all over the truck, as well as livestock potentially getting sloshed out ..presuming the seals hold. You seal it, your limiting the oxygen.,,,and putting the livestock through the mother of all sandstorms while getting bounced against tank walls etc.

Personally, I'd be surprised if the aquarium itself survived the trip with any appreciable amount of water inside it.


...lil off topic, but if I may, what part of Arkansas are you moving to?

Thanks for the reply everyone!
Yes after putting some more thought into it I’ve realized the only safe way to do the move is with the tank completely empty and eels in buckets with sponge filters running. I’m going to set up a heater in the back of the van with an auto on/off feature to keep everything around 76/78 F

I still have a couple months before the move thankfully so just trying to get a game plan in mind beforehand.

And I’ll be with family in southeast Arkansas! I’ll be in Little Rock and northwest AR pretty often as well.