What is YOUR #1 Tip for People Moving Tanks?

[KingTideCorals]

As I had mentioned and now said on my channel, I am going to be moving so the tanks will sadly both be shut down, but in good time the tanks will be back up and running! Going to have my good friend @BighohoReef help me out through this process so big shout out to him and his family! I will be having him hold a majority of my stock, and I will bring my rock south with me in the moving truck for the move and when I arrive to get the tank back up and going.

Now that I have opened the discussion about moving tanks, what are your #1 tips whenever you are moving a tank or system? I am interested to hear from you all about your tips and tricks to help your system have the easiest transition into a new home!

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

Keep the rock wet. How many days will it be down? If possible make a bunch of water at the new place. Before the big move, If you can.

If it’s going to be a while keep your rock wet with a power head and a heater In the bin or brute Can. Ghost feed on occasion. Sounds like a good time make changes or upgrade. Good luck.

 

[KingTideCorals]

Keep the rock wet. How many days will it be down? If possible make a bunch of water at the new place. Before the big move, If you can.

If it’s going to be a while keep your rock wet with a power head and a heater In the bin or brute Can. Ghost feed on occasion. Sounds like a good time make changes or upgrade. Good luck.

Plan was to bring the two separate systems rock with me, get heaters hooked up and bubblers for the travel south, and when I get in to the new spot put a powerhead in until I set the tank back up.

Appreicate the support! Moving a tank is never fun and always makes me worry for the stock LOL

 

[Gp!]

Don't drop it - insert silly emoji that won't display -

 

[brandon429]

Here’s five hundred tank moves

customize the approach at your own risk we r at 100% safety due to no customizing the tap rinse portion.

Official Sand Rinse and Tank Transfer thread

If you are reading this thread to cure a tank invasion from a link I sent you, we do not need to identify your type of invasion here we do not need you to test anything at anytime regarding nitrate, phosphate etc Above all, we do not need to see a microscope slide picture of your invasion at...

www.reef2reef.com

tap water timed correctly earned all that. Tap rinse your new sand, tap rinse the old sand if you use that, doesn’t matter. Tap water is the great equalizer

Common tap water is the hidden secret to successful tank moves. irony

tap water seems random and unrelated, it would be awesome if someone makes a no tap tank transfer thread. public tanks present in so many ways that equalizing them is the safest approach to care for the thousands in coral up top, and common errors happen during moves such that only a thread of a hundred other moves shows the hidden secrets. We anticipate those issues in tap water preps for everyone, even if they’re not bound for a mistake. They’re insured now.

all tank move preps we can study other than that thread are single example events, and for sure they don’t tap rinse. Interestingly, that doesn’t work in tank transfer threads go figure. It would seem easy to assemble a large thread of unrinsed tank moves, please link me to that thread when it gets made.

 

[BeltedCoyote]

I’m having an LFS maintenance team move mine. Just the tank and stand though as it wasn’t ever set up.

my tank is an oceanic 120g so yeah, I need help moving the beast

 

[PeterC99]

Number one tip - pay someone else to move it!

Not being facetious. Any tank above 75 gallons is heavy and awkward to move. Not expensive to hire some pros and move correctly. Very important to have tank properly secured and braced in your SUV or van. Saves your back and avoids those inadvertent cracks you see in people’s setups.

 

[Billdogg]

Figure out how long it will take. Then double that number.

toss the old plumbing. Pvc is cheap and won’t go back together how it was. Buy double what you think you’ll need.

no beer or Neil after the water is circulating leak free. Then you buy all the beer and pizza your help want s!

 

[DED65]

Number one tip - pay someone else to move it!

Not being facetious. Any tank above 75 gallons is heavy and awkward to move. Not expensive to hire some pros and move correctly. Very important to have tank properly secured and braced in your SUV or van. Saves your back and avoids those inadvertent cracks you see in people’s setups.

And make sure they are insured! I bought my SR120 and asked my brother and nephews to help move it. My brother decided that it was not that heavy and thought two people could move it. After he tripped on the pallet, dropped the tank (fortunately it landed on the pallet with no damage), the 4 of us moved it. It was not bad carrying it, but when you need to get it up on the stand, it gets really heavy and awkward.

 

[CMMorgan]

+1 @BeltedCoyote and @PeterC99
goto www.movinghelp.com
We just moved the 6' acrylic tank from my garage to the stand and that was a beast even dry and new. When it leaves, it will go out on the rolling stand to a lift gate. We may need to remove a doorframe in the garage to do it but worth it.
I know your tanks are much much smaller but the point is to be smart... rock, glass, sand ... all heavy. Getting help with a move is like utilizing the right CUC in your tank. Spend a few bucks (it's cheaper than you think) and use the guys that know the best way to do it.
Good luck with the move and congrats on the subscribers.

 

[ultraArcite]

Now that I have opened the discussion about moving tanks, what are your #1 tips whenever you are moving a tank or system?

Upgrade your tank and give yourself 2-3 months of overlap. I know not everyone is in the position to do that, but it's a great excuse to upgrade and you can slowly move your fish and corral without stressing as much.

Also, don't move everything at once. If something goes wrong and you have everything with you, you lose everything... if something goes wrong and you only have a few things with you, you lose only a few things...

Finally, talk to your LFS; a lot of them will hold your fish and coral for a week or two for a small fee.

 

[CMMorgan]

Upgrade your tank and give yourself 2-3 months of overlap. I know not everyone is in the position to do that, but it's a great excuse to upgrade and you can slowly move your fish and corral without stressing as much.

Also, don't move everything at once. If something goes wrong and you have everything with you, you lose everything... if something goes wrong and you only have a few things with you, you lose only a few things...

Finally, talk to your LFS; a lot of them will hold your fish and coral for a week or two for a small fee.

So, you are saying that Blaine should have a designated survivor strategy? I'm here for that! Great advice!!

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Have way more water than you will need for the new setup.

Expect it to take double whatever your best guess is on timing.

Insulated cooler is your friend for transporting livestock.

Take this time to either wash or replace the sand, also take the time to blow off all of your live rock with either a strong pump or turkey baster. Bring as little crud from old to new

Have a backup plan for everything.

 

[Lowell Lemon]

@ReeferBlaine
You are not leaving the Northwest are you? Moving to Idaho perhaps? Sounds like you have it all covered. I have moved tanks from Idaho to Seattle no problem....but that was my business then...hehe. If you are moving glass just keep it wrapped as long as possible. I used floor underlayment foam sheets sold in the roll from Home Depot as an outer cover with stretch wrap as an outer cover to that. move the tanks empty do not fall for the temptation of filling that empty space with anything if you want to avoid damage.
Wishing you great success in your move.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

+1 vote hire LFS with specialized equipment for move

I did to move 180g and it was the BEST decision ever made. Took quite a number of calls to find company to do it, but worth it, worth it, worth it. With the right equipment, two young guys made it look easy while we sat at picnic table outside. WITHOUT right equipment, 6 beefy strong men will hate you and never want to help with anything again... but 6 can get the job done in 1.5x the time and with WAY more effort as the 2 guys with right equipment. Money well spent.

 

[dvgyfresh]

Do not use old sand , do not put a power head into the bin , use battery air stone and heater

 

[TCoach]

Follow @brandon429’s advice. Did a 92 corner move woth no loss. Did a sand replacement with a clean rinse of the new sand.

 

[Arringar]

My #1 tip for moving a tank is simple - don’t. Set up a new tank in the new house, get it up running early, use new sand, seed it with some established rock, carbon and bacteria dose to accelerate the cycle then migrate the rest after it stabilizes.

I’ve done this for my last 3 moves. It’s costly, but it’s much less stressful and far more effective. Minimizes losses, you start with a clean system and you can correct previous mistakes in the process.

 

[MPS]

I’ve had to move my 120g a few times. My recommendation is to hire a pro. It cost me the same to move my tank as it did to move my home but it was worth it.

 

[KingTideCorals]

So, you are saying that Blaine should have a designated survivor strategy? I'm here for that! Great advice!!

Designated survivor stategy LOL here for it... DSS