Do I care too much?

[me myself & I]

In the next couple of months I might finally get the chance to move out of state for the first time ever. My wife will hopefully be getting her masters degree after a LONG time in school. I really want to get a job with the airlines but living in the Cleveland area it is almost impossible, 60-70 people show up for a position thats hiring 2-3 people, plus our airport really isn't that big anyways. Now I know in Houston they are hiring like crazy for the position I'm looking to get into. Now to the point, can I move my fish and rock all the way to Houston? I almost don't want to leave the state just because of the fish. I would so feel so guilty if I had to get rid of them. Is there a safe way to move all my fish and corals 1,300 miles? Most likely I would drive down since we have a cat anyways and I really don't want to fly him down at his age. I figure the online fish stores can bag up livestock and get it to a house in 2 days why couldn't I? Suggestions please. Sorry for the LONG post but this is something that is really bothering me.

[ItsMee]

Im sitting in the same boat....IMHO, you have 3 choices:

1. Mail it all to someone driving distance from where you are going to move...maybe someone on RC?

2. Have someone in the area you are now keep it all for you and mail it to you when your established in the new place.

3. Sell all the livestock and start over...in my case 1&2 are not options at the moment, so I am forced to go with this option. :(

[WaterKeeper]

Well the Iron Chef's would make Sushi out of the fish. :D

If you plan on a straight through trip no problem just bagging your critters for the drive. If there is an overnight stay consider taking the bags to the LFS and having them fill the void space with oxygen if they have it. This is the best method for moving fish when the trip is more than a day.

The tank itself is always more fun. LR can be removed, covered with wet newspaper, and placed in shipping containers for transport. LS in a bag with some SW in it should be fine. The big thing here is not to let it get too hot or cold during transport. When you get to Houston get it back into the tank as soon as possible as too much time will sometimes cause a cycle. Do check ammonia levels before you add the critters back into the tank.

[sage1970]

Why not place the fish into a storage container or 5 gallon bucket with a power head or airstone??? You can buy converters that plug into your cigerette lighter.

That is how we moved fish when we got pre existing set ups. And also got fish out of state and brought in by a friend coming this way.

A bit of a pain in the butt, but worth it I think.

[Jeff_edge540]

I was in the same boat as well.. I decided to sell the livestock and move all the equipment dry and re-build once I got settled in my new home.
I wouldn't try and move them. It's not worth the pain and suffering trying to keep everything alive.
One bonus for you - You will probably have a higher household income and can afford better/bigger equipment. Take this opportunity to upgrade!

[smleee]

2 - 60g coolers, powerheads, inverter; that's the bulk of the equipment needed to move our 60g, 900 miles in 2 days. Here's a recent thread on moving:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=806000

eee

[Sk8r]

BTW, you're not crazy to care. By the time you've nursed a tank into life, it kicks some instincts into place that are pretty positive for the human species. That's one unsung benefit of this hobby.

[MCary]

I just moved 350 miles. Now granted this is much shorter of a distance than your talking but the principle I used was sound.

First I carefully bagged up my fish and corals and placed them in a styrofoam box. I then drove to the airport and loaded the boxes into my Cessna 182. I then flew to the new location. It took 1 1/2 hours. I then took the stuff to my new house.

[Z-ReefKeeper]

I would go with the MCary idea. I mean who doesn't have a Cessna 182 to get around with. On a more serious note good luck with whatever method you decide to go with.

[davidhughes85]

i personally would use my superhuman powers and just pic up my tank and fly (right past Mcary's Cessna) to my new home

[mecold]

A little off topic but, you want to work with the airlines? Which airline, and what type of position. I am guessing not a pilot, flight attendant or, mechanic (those jobs are almost always available, or will be with at least a couple airlines soon ;) ). I love my job, and wouldn't trade it for anything, but the airline industry is so fickle right now. I do know that Virgin Airlines seems to be starting up in a big way, and has nice salaries to boot. Goodluck!

[Pete1399]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7033865#post7033865 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by davidhughes85
i personally would use my superhuman powers and just pic up my tank and fly (right past Mcary's Cessna) to my new home

I am still laughing!!!!! :lol:

[WaterKeeper]

Not if Scotty Beams that tank to Houston first. :D