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View Full Version : College Nano Tank: need help stocking/ tips on transporting


npeters1989
06/10/2011, 01:46 PM
Hi everyone,

I've just set up a new 10 gallon nano that I plan to take with me back for my last year of college. I was planning on putting some corals in it, but I'm not sure if there are any corals that could handle the transit (3.5 hour drive... I'm thinking that I'd have to drain the tank down to around 1/3 water level to transport it, leaving most everything exposed to air). Are there any corals that can stay out of water this long?

Alternatively, does anyone have any better ideas for transporting?

Or option 3, should I just hold off on the corals for now and put something different in this tank until after I finish college (after which time I'll be in one place for the following 3 years)?

Any tips and/or stocking suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

thegrun
06/10/2011, 01:53 PM
Many of the easy to care for corals would be fine (xenias, zoas, frogspawn...). The best way to transport them would be in a couple of the 5 gallon buckets home depot sells with lids. If you place your live rock and corals in first, you can fill the buckets 3/4 or more with water and keep it all submerged. Open the buckets hourly to get fresh air.

npeters1989
06/10/2011, 03:10 PM
I won't be able to take out any of my rockwork- it's all cemented together in 1 large formation with pond foam. Is it possible to peel the corals off? I don't know that much about them yet...

npeters1989
06/11/2011, 07:58 AM
Anyone?

drywall_guy87
06/11/2011, 08:20 AM
go to walmart and pick up a bin that fits you rock hopefully you can get one that isnt much bigger than the rock and if you can sumerge it all the way get a towel wet with your water and cover whatever is not in the water . as for coral im not sure but if you do get some dont glue them in till you make the move. hope all goes well

drywall_guy87
06/11/2011, 08:21 AM
and if you can't sumerge it all the way get a towel wet with your water and cover whatever is not in the water .

lordofthereef
06/11/2011, 08:26 AM
If you are absolutely sure you cannot remove the rockwork, you are going to have a few problems, the biggest of which will be bacterial die-off. In 3.5 hours time, the outside of the rock will certainly be completely dry. When reintroducing this rock to water, it will start a tank cycle. For this reason I wouldn't recommend adding anything now if you KNOW your only option is to keep the rock in the tank.

If you can move the rock into buckets, you will have much more success.

There is something I don't follow. College is starting back up in a few months for you, right? Are you wanting to drop corals in for a couple months and THEN move them down in August/September when school starts or are you worried about a year down the road? Knowing that you will be moving the tank in a few months, I wouldn't introduce anything today. It's just more work/worry. Get the tank situated where it will be able to sit long term (in your case about a year) and add corals then.

As a direct answer to your question though, many polyps, zoanthids, etc. would probably do just fine out of the water for that long. I have had some shipped to me in a moist paper towel and they did just fine. Again, the polyps are not the number one worry here IMO.

npeters1989
06/11/2011, 02:02 PM
If you are absolutely sure you cannot remove the rockwork, you are going to have a few problems, the biggest of which will be bacterial die-off. In 3.5 hours time, the outside of the rock will certainly be completely dry. When reintroducing this rock to water, it will start a tank cycle. For this reason I wouldn't recommend adding anything now if you KNOW your only option is to keep the rock in the tank.

If you can move the rock into buckets, you will have much more success.

There is something I don't follow. College is starting back up in a few months for you, right? Are you wanting to drop corals in for a couple months and THEN move them down in August/September when school starts or are you worried about a year down the road? Knowing that you will be moving the tank in a few months, I wouldn't introduce anything today. It's just more work/worry. Get the tank situated where it will be able to sit long term (in your case about a year) and add corals then.

As a direct answer to your question though, many polyps, zoanthids, etc. would probably do just fine out of the water for that long. I have had some shipped to me in a moist paper towel and they did just fine. Again, the polyps are not the number one worry here IMO.

Thanks so much! Yeah, unfortunately I just have one giant formation that is a mixture of pond foam and rock along the back wall. I don't think there's any way to un-attach it short of wrecking the whole formation and/or tank.

Are you wanting to drop corals in for a couple months and THEN move them down in August/September when school starts? That's actually exactly what I was planning on doing. Is this a bad idea?

My dilemma is this: I'm going to have to move this tank one way or the other whether I do it after undergrad (this year) or after Physical Therapy school (3 years from now). It seems like there's got to be some feasible option for moving this thing without die-off.

Does anyone think it would be possible to move this 10 gallon tank full of water without breaking the tank carrying it and or having everything slosh out in the car?

Or would it be possible to just drape a few layers of salt-water soaked paper towels over the exposed parts to keep them from drying?

Thanks everyone!