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killarsox
12/28/2008, 09:55 PM
Anyone have any suggestions on moving an established aquarium? It should only be about an hour and a half move.

Tylt33
12/28/2008, 10:04 PM
1. Leave your sand and as much water as you can in the tank.

2. Have plenty of water on hand so you can treat the move like a big water change.

3. Buy some $5 rubbermaid containers from your local Walmart, and use those as storage containers for your live stock. Make sure you have heaters to keep your fishies at a good temp.

Tswifty
12/28/2008, 10:35 PM
Here is a good read. ;)

http://www.melevsreef.com/moving_a_tank.html

I would ditch your sand or rinse it EXTREMELY well with RO/DI water... maybe scoop out a cup or two prior to draining the tank to re-seed it. Moving a tank gives you an opportunity to stir up and release all nasty gunk your sandbed has trapped back into the water.

Also... drain your tank... don't leave water or sand in it. The last thing you need is to have weight in the tank, and blow a seam or something from putting an awkward stress on the tank. That's just my opinion though.

The best case scenario would be to have a holding tank (or rubbermaid bin) set up at the future move site ahead of time. That way you can place your livestock in that immediately, and can take your time getting the display back up and running.

Also... try to keep all your live rock submerged... lots of 5 gallon buckets and lids are what I used.

As for moving the livestock... I like bagging everything individually and placing it in a cooler.

once again... everything above is just my .02 :)

aentrop
12/28/2008, 11:47 PM
I agree, start over with new sand, and use a pitcher or two of your old sand to seed it.

Old sand is NASTY

beachbumva
12/29/2008, 02:07 AM
my 2 cents are about the same as Tswifty8

Tylt33
12/29/2008, 04:18 AM
Keep in mind the tank I moved was only 34g and the sand was only six months old. Keeping water in your tank keeps the sand from getting crazy when you take it out and try and put it back in, and you won't lose all the life in the sand bed of your tank. To each their own.

slimy fish
12/30/2008, 03:23 AM
I agree, get new sand.

smsreefer
12/30/2008, 07:16 AM
How deep IS your sandbed ?
If it is only a shallow bed ,there is no need to replace it .You would have more of a cycle in that case ,by replacing it with new.

How large is the tank ?
IF it is on the smaller side ,and shallow bed , leaving the sand in it is not a problem . Just remove all the water and cover with newspaper or saran wrap to keep from drying the bed out.

There are several factors such as above that should be considered in the move that have not been covered yet .
JMO
:)

workinman6009
12/30/2008, 09:53 AM
Why not a BIG cooler for moving livestock? You can get those cheat ones @ the gas station to help hold temp then just tape up the lid with duct/electric tape.