Long drive for tank move

[JHawlz9989]

So I'm moving my 20 gallon long tank in a couple of weeks. There is no sump or refugium. Just tank, HOB skimmer, media reactor which is HOB currently, and lighting fixture. It will be coming with me to Houston for my internship, from Oxford MS, which is roughly a 10 hour drive. I will be in Houston for three months or so, and I didn't want to burden/trust my tank to my roommates who have little to no knowledge of a saltwater aquarium. It's kind of an awkward time table having to move the tank there with three months and then back to MS, but it is what it is. The tank and livestock will be inside the cab of the truck if at all possible. It's a single-cab Ford Ranger, so I'm not working with a whole lot of room.

My two concerns are keeping the sand bed living. Would a small amount of water in the bottom of the tank keep the bacteria and other micro organisms alive during the move? All of the live rock is going to be transferred to five gallon buckets with water, but I was thinking maybe an inch or two of water in the tank wouldn't hurt.

My other concern is my clownfish and snails. I was thinking a five gallon bucket with roughly 3 gallons of water and a piece of live rock or two, along with two PVC pipes that I use in the QT for some sort of shelter. I am planning on putting a lid on it, drilling a hole and putting an airstone in there with them. Haven't decided on the heater or not. I usually keep my heater in the car pretty warm. Would residual heat from the atmosphere keep the water at a decent temperature? Would it help to put the livestock in the bucket a day before hand so he gets used to the bucket?

All of the other drygoods and tank stand will go in the bed of the truck.

Thanks in advance,

Josh

[ThaNgBOm321]

Put all LS with no water in trash bag and tie them off. It will be okay. LR, put those in a ice chest no water needed. If your paranoid, get some clean heavy duty paper towel and soak them in tank water and drape or wrap your LR before placing them in the cooler. As for the fish, I would keep them with ~ 4 gals of current tank water in a closed 5 gal bucket. Try and keep the bucket in a dark area so the critters inside don't/can't see each other. no need for pipe or rock inside bucket. You don't want those to slide or fall and crush you critters. When you get to the new place, reset up old tank with 5.5 gals of new mix of saltwater and your good to go (4 + 5.5 = 9.5 gals in 10 gal tank, most likely less due to water displacement from rocks and sand). I did something similar to this when I moved my tank from jersy.

GL

[ThaNgBOm321]

Put all LS with no water in trash bag and tie them off. It will be okay. LR, put those in a ice chest no water needed. If your paranoid, get some clean heavy duty paper towel and soak them in tank water and drape or wrap your LR before placing them in the cooler. As for the fish, I would keep them with ~ 4 gals of current tank water in a closed 5 gal bucket. Try and keep the bucket in a dark area so the critters inside don't/can't see each other. no need for pipe or rock inside bucket. You don't want those to slide or fall and crush you critters. When you get to the new place, reset up old tank with 5.5 gals of new mix of saltwater and your good to go (4 + 5.5 = 9.5 gals in 10 gal tank, most likely less due to water displacement from rocks and sand). I did something similar to this when I moved my tank from jersy.

GL

[schristi69]

If you bag up your sand bed you are going to disturb it and will have a cycle when you put it back in. Plus exposing the anaerobic bacteria to air will kill it off and probably expose sulfides when you set it back up. I would transport the tank with sand bed intact with just enough water to cover the sand. Keep you LR wet or you will have more die off. Cover them in wet towels or newspaper. Just stick your snails in a container. I have transported snails in food storage containers with no air stones with no issues. You could probably bag your fish for the trip with no issues. Water will balance to the temp of its surroundings. Plastic does not transmit heat well. Start your bucket off at the right temp and you should be ok. Just check it during pitstops. Make sure you acclimate your critters before putting in the tank and make sure your water params are as close to the original water as possible. I would keep them in the tank as long as possible and move them only before you start to tear down.

[Ron Reefman]

The above suggestions are all good. If your sand bed is less than 4" deep, you won't have any anerobic bacteria, but if you bag it, it will still cause a cycle because it will be all mixed up. I'd leave it in the tank with just enough water to cover it and lay a towel over it to help keep it from shifting around. I'd cover the LR with wet towels as well and the towels can wick water up from the bottom of the bucket.
Good luck.

[billsreef]

10 hours is a breeze. I recently moved nearly 1400 miles, with 2 pairs of clownfish and the last brood of juveniles from one of those pairs :) The two main concerns are O2 and temperature control. With the LS and LR, just merely damp (no water) is best, as this allows good O2 penetration. For the fish, a decent volume of water with a lot of air. Basic rule of thumb for shipping fish is 1/3 water and 2/3 air. A cooler works well from both the standpoint of holding water and fish, as well as temperature...along with a couple of ice packs if needed. For a 10 hour drive, the sloshing will handle aeration of the fish well. A dose of amquel will handle any ammonia.