Tank transfer tips?

ReeferC77 · 06/25/2016, 09:30 PM

I am purchasing a 175 gallon Red Sea tank but I need to move my 120 gallon reef tank out to put the 175 gallon in the spot where the 120 sits. What should I do? What should I avoid doing? Do I need to start a qt/holding tank for my fish but what about my corals?
Thanks

Capiross1 · 06/25/2016, 09:39 PM

First ditch the old sand if you have it then I would use a good bit of the old water just to make it as close to what it was not to stress any thing and last I wouldn't add excessive amounts of sand right off the bat, if everything is heathy now you'll be fine people have moved whole systems across the country with minimal loss also a few air pumps and I'd get everything in as fast as possible and worry about fine tuning your aquascape later

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daquan44 · 06/25/2016, 09:51 PM

Get some Rubbermaid bins to put your fish and coral in temporarily. Take down the old tank and move it. Move your new tank in position. If you run into issues that prevent you from being able to set up the new tank immediately, put your tank inhabitants back in the old system. I put the old tank water in my sump and a couple brute trash cans, just in case I had issues during the transfer. Unsurprisingly I did, so I set up my old system in the garage using the water I saved and a minimal life support system, and worked on my new system for a couple days. No fish or coral casualties.

ReeferC77 · 06/25/2016, 09:56 PM

How long can the fish survive in the bins with circulation pump, heater, and air pump? Would rinsing the sand help?

Capiross1 · 06/25/2016, 10:04 PM

You could rinse the sand I've done it before, and the fish could survive in the containers for quite a while depending on the size of the fish and the container there in its a matter of ammonia levels kinda the same when you have a fish in a small quarantine tank if you don't change the water frequently the ammonia will rise but a transfer of this size really shouldn't take more then a few hours and you could even throw some of your live rock in there to help combat that, just make sure you have enough water to get the new system up and running and you'll be alright

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mpderksen · 06/25/2016, 11:01 PM

If you use temporary holding bins, I suggest keeping coral and fish separate for nitrate reasons. One long weekend isn't any different than the stress of a typical shipping event.
Rinsing and reusing sand seems like a gamble. With the money you have invested, it doesn't seem worth it to me.

formsix · 06/26/2016, 06:24 AM

I think I've posted about our inner-city move before, but what we did was set up a 100g rubbermaid bin with new saltwater, heater, and powerhead, and put all of our live rock, fish, inverts, and coral into it (moved from the old place to the new place in 5g buckets b/c it was 15 minutes away, and kept everything wet the entire time). Our tank was only 3 months old at that point so we did keep all of the sand -- put that in buckets after the important stuff was safely in the 100g rubbermaid, moved sand, moved tank, then put sand back in tank with as little old water as possible. We initially filled the display tank w/ about 30g of new saltwater, and did a few massive water changes over the first few days to let the sand settle and prevent a mini-cycle. Over this time we also added more water, brought the refugium online, and all that stuff that always takes longer than you expect it to!! About 5 days later -- once we were sure the new tank was stable -- we moved all the live rock and critters back in. No notable losses or issues.

I did feed very sparsely in the 100g rubbermaid and checked the ammonia levels twice a day just in case, but never had even a hint of ammonia. Honestly, if I had added lights for the corals, and some regular water changes, everything could have lived in that bin indefinitely. I even put some pieces of egg crate wrapped in 1/4" netting on the top to prevent jumpers. It was really nice to have the time to set up the new tank properly and work out any kinks from the move before adding everything.

I would suggest making as much new salt water as you possible can in advance and then keep a steady supply going b/c I can almost guarantee that you'll need it all! Good luck!

06/25/2016, 09:30 PM	#1
ReeferC77 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Posts: 19	Tank transfer tips? I am purchasing a 175 gallon Red Sea tank but I need to move my 120 gallon reef tank out to put the 175 gallon in the spot where the 120 sits. What should I do? What should I avoid doing? Do I need to start a qt/holding tank for my fish but what about my corals? Thanks

06/25/2016, 09:39 PM	#2
Capiross1 Registered Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 224	Tank transfer tips? First ditch the old sand if you have it then I would use a good bit of the old water just to make it as close to what it was not to stress any thing and last I wouldn't add excessive amounts of sand right off the bat, if everything is heathy now you'll be fine people have moved whole systems across the country with minimal loss also a few air pumps and I'd get everything in as fast as possible and worry about fine tuning your aquascape later Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

06/25/2016, 09:51 PM	#3
daquan44 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 75	Get some Rubbermaid bins to put your fish and coral in temporarily. Take down the old tank and move it. Move your new tank in position. If you run into issues that prevent you from being able to set up the new tank immediately, put your tank inhabitants back in the old system. I put the old tank water in my sump and a couple brute trash cans, just in case I had issues during the transfer. Unsurprisingly I did, so I set up my old system in the garage using the water I saved and a minimal life support system, and worked on my new system for a couple days. No fish or coral casualties.

06/25/2016, 09:56 PM	#4
ReeferC77 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Posts: 19	How long can the fish survive in the bins with circulation pump, heater, and air pump? Would rinsing the sand help?

06/25/2016, 10:04 PM	#5
Capiross1 Registered Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 224	You could rinse the sand I've done it before, and the fish could survive in the containers for quite a while depending on the size of the fish and the container there in its a matter of ammonia levels kinda the same when you have a fish in a small quarantine tank if you don't change the water frequently the ammonia will rise but a transfer of this size really shouldn't take more then a few hours and you could even throw some of your live rock in there to help combat that, just make sure you have enough water to get the new system up and running and you'll be alright Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

06/25/2016, 11:01 PM	#6
mpderksen Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Manteca, CA Posts: 1,853	If you use temporary holding bins, I suggest keeping coral and fish separate for nitrate reasons. One long weekend isn't any different than the stress of a typical shipping event. Rinsing and reusing sand seems like a gamble. With the money you have invested, it doesn't seem worth it to me.

06/26/2016, 06:24 AM	#7
formsix Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: St Louis, MO Posts: 341	I think I've posted about our inner-city move before, but what we did was set up a 100g rubbermaid bin with new saltwater, heater, and powerhead, and put all of our live rock, fish, inverts, and coral into it (moved from the old place to the new place in 5g buckets b/c it was 15 minutes away, and kept everything wet the entire time). Our tank was only 3 months old at that point so we did keep all of the sand -- put that in buckets after the important stuff was safely in the 100g rubbermaid, moved sand, moved tank, then put sand back in tank with as little old water as possible. We initially filled the display tank w/ about 30g of new saltwater, and did a few massive water changes over the first few days to let the sand settle and prevent a mini-cycle. Over this time we also added more water, brought the refugium online, and all that stuff that always takes longer than you expect it to!! About 5 days later -- once we were sure the new tank was stable -- we moved all the live rock and critters back in. No notable losses or issues. I did feed very sparsely in the 100g rubbermaid and checked the ammonia levels twice a day just in case, but never had even a hint of ammonia. Honestly, if I had added lights for the corals, and some regular water changes, everything could have lived in that bin indefinitely. I even put some pieces of egg crate wrapped in 1/4" netting on the top to prevent jumpers. It was really nice to have the time to set up the new tank properly and work out any kinks from the move before adding everything. I would suggest making as much new salt water as you possible can in advance and then keep a steady supply going b/c I can almost guarantee that you'll need it all! Good luck!