View Full Version : Moving a Reef Tank
saleen385
03/19/2014, 10:50 AM
Has anyone moved a 180gal Tank?
I came across a really good deal on a complete 180gal set up. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Jim
hijinks
03/19/2014, 11:20 AM
have a lot of buckets to keep everything wet.. take as much water as you can and toss out the sand and start with new sand. I take it you don't have far to move it but for the livestock buy some airstones and have enough heaters to keep things warm while you break it down/move and put it back up
leveldrummer
03/19/2014, 12:10 PM
make lots of new water at the new destination and get it mixing and heated and ready to go.
lots of buckets and plastic totes, put any corals that are small enough and fish in bags, in a cooler, and rocks/corals that are larger, put in buckets/totes and fill with tank water, dont put too much so its too hard to lift. once tank is empty of animals, drain and toss the sand. break the tank down, move it. when you get to the new destination, you can combine fish and corals into larger totes/buckets/holding tanks for ease.
Setup new tank. plumb, add new/washed sand. fill fill with rock and old water. add new water till rock is covered, aquascape as needed. add fish and corals. top off with old water/new water as needed. sit back and good luck.
thegrun
03/19/2014, 01:31 PM
5 gallon buckets with lids work great for transporting water, rock and fish. For longer distance moves where time and temperatures come into play ice chests work well, but be careful not to put too much water or rock into a single container due to weight considerations. Long hauls require a plug in dc/ac converter to power heaters and air stones. To move the tank first half fill a couple of buckets with water from the tank and then place the rock in the buckets. Keep a couple of buckets half full of only water, no rocks, to transport the fish. If you are dealing with fragile corals you can bubble wrap the rocks to help minimize shifting and breakage, but understand there will be some damage to corals. After you have the rocks and most of clean water out of the display tank, catch the fish. After you catch the fish save as much clean water as you can, but near the bottom it is going to be fouled with detritus that comes from moving the rocks and disturbing the sand bed. Don’t use the murky water. I would not try to reuse the old sand, it’s easier and safer to use new dry sand, washed to remove dust. I would keep a cup or two of the old sand to reseed the new sand, but the rocks in your tank that are in contact with your sand will do the job. Have plenty of pre-mixed, aerated, heated water on hand at your new home, plan on half the DT volume to be safe. Lastly disconnect as much plumbing and electrical as necessary for the move. Move the tank to the new location, get the plumbing and electrical reconnected. Place your rocks to your liking, add the sand and then the old water. Top off the tank with new saltwater. Turn on the pumps, heaters and the rest of your equipment. Once things are up and running, add the fish. The process always takes me longer than I think, plan on a full day!
erickcooper
03/19/2014, 02:06 PM
+1 on new sand!!!
saleen385
03/24/2014, 10:46 AM
Went and looked at the tank on Saturday. This might be a very easy move. The tank is less than 5 minutes from me in the same neighborhood. There won't be any fish to move, my wife didn't like what they have. There is only about 100-150lbs of live rock and about 10 types of coral attached to the rock.
He has a 75gal that he just set up so we might put all the rock & coral in there till the tank is moved then move the rock & coral after I get it filled.
I would like about a 4" sand bed. How much sand do you think I would need(it's a 24" wide tank)? Should I use all live sand or a mix?
Thanks for the advice,
Jim
TruReef
03/24/2014, 10:54 AM
http://reefcentral.com/index.php/sand-bed-calculator
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