MUST MOVE 55 GALLON REEF

[dadstank]

hi. i don't usually write, just read as much as possible. however, i need some quick advice from anyone who has already done this, and some support for the rough road ahead. I must move a 55 reef tank from the middle of new jersey (mom sold the house) to the only place i feel safe enough to leave it now. with me in NYC. not happy about it, but it is that, or lose the tank. so...

any words?

 

[Ben1]

55 gal from NJ to NYC isnt to bad. Use some rubbermaids, do it before it gets to hot, and use battery powered airpumps for each rubbermaid.

If you have sand and wish to reuse it scoop it in layers and relay it in layers. A dustpan works well for this chore. I would just chuck it and use new sand though.

What are you talking about, how much LR, coral, fish?

 

[Jolieve]

I'm with Ben. I'd chuck the sand too and replace it with new.

J.

 

[Jamesurq]

I say keep the sand. Throw it in a bucket of the water from the tank and pour out the water. A lot of the detritus should stay in the water - and be poured out with it.

Worked for me.

 

[M@]

If you can keep as much of the water as possible.

Last summer I moved my 55 FOWLR and will be doing this again.

I used three 18 gal rubbermaids filled about half way. More then that and you get spillage and its hard for the rubber to keep its shape when you lift it. I also used two 5 gal buckets and two 5 gal water jugs. I put all the base rock on bottom and the rock w/ feather dusters and sponges on the top. I put the fish in a bucket so that if something shifted they wouldn't get trapped or crushed. I did reuse the sand, but it was only about 7 mo old at the time, and got its own bucket. The older the sand is the more I would recomend replacing it. If you do replace it I would keep about 5-10% of the old stuff to seed with. I let the cleanup crew fend for themselfs.

I only moved down the block, but it was the summer in the evening, so the temps were perfect for a longer trip. You could buy one a DC-AC power converter that way you could put a powerhead in the rock containers and or run an air stone or two. The movement of the car from the trip will circulate water too. Also buy a 12 pack because you will need one or two more people minimum.

Holla back

 

[mattstewart]

i moved a 38 last year.
I individually bagged all corals, fish and inverts and put the bags in a big cooler. I then stacked the live rock into buckets rubbermaids, etc with lids and made sure i covered with water, i just left my sandbed in the bottom of the tank with like 1/4" of water covering it and moved the tank with that in it, maybe not the best idea for a bigger tank, but with another guy i was able to do my 38 this way. i moved like an hour away and didn't have anything die, but maybe i was just lucky. make sure you have plenty of saltwater made up at the new location. you will need it.

 

[cjsrch]

i just went throu moving a 55 gallon tank but i stayed local.
i threw my fish in to my friends mangrove tank that he jsut built ( timing was so perfect) and gave him my rbta. just orderd anew tank and he is stilllooking after my fish.

a new home isnt a good place to keep fish., odds are youll be painting the house and all that. lots of boxes and heavystuff moving around.

just find a good friend to watchthem o

 

[Bojangles]

I moved my 200g two years ago.

Bag the inverts and corals seperately. Personally I think fish move better in buckets or containers rather than bags. The more water the better. I'd ditch the sand, less to move anyway. Put the rock in rubermaids. Make sure the animal bags stay vertical and wont fall over.

Take the best advice from everyone in this thread and get it done. Its not that hard really, and hey have fun