Moving soon - ideas? (1 Viewer)

[mpalmer67]

Hey guys! Haven't been very active in a few years. I'm moving from my house in Spring, to a small townhome in midtown. I've currently got a 40 gallon breeder with a 20g long sump, on a custom made cabinet. It's been running since April 2012! I'm moving in two or so weeks, and need to start thinking about a tank move. This tank is old, the plumbing is old, the overflow was drilled a bit low. I'm thinking about getting a smaller tank, due to size of my new place. Thinking about a 24" cube.

I'm thinking of looking for a 24" cube that someone has, or, worst case, buy a new one with a stand. I've got to then, start with new sand, and then move everything over the day of the move (i'll have 7 days to move actually, so it will make it easier on me). I guess I'll move live rock in tupperwares with water.

Current livestock:
2 clowns
1 goby with a shrimp
Snails and crabs
12 or so Rose bubble tip Anemones (they keep multiplying every year, maybe i should sell some!? i wont have room in a 24" cube)
8" toadstool leather
25" or so of green star polyps taking up most of one side of the glass
A giant rock full of zoanthis

Any tips, recommendations, available tanks you guys have to trade for my breeder, or sell me? Advice, blabber welcome!

Edit: I will have a garage, and my tank would fit there, but I'd need a chiller. It's a well insulated garage, but was about 90 in there the other day when I checked. Will a chiller work to bring a 90 degree tank down to 78 degrees water?

 

[Biglex]

http://www.marsh-reef.org/used-equi...7914-25-gallon-rimless-tank-kessil-light.html

 

[.Z.]

I’ve got a 24” AIO cube I’m moving this weekend from Nassau Bay to Pearland. I’ve never moved a tank before and it’s just under a year old so I’m no expert, but I’ll share my plan.

I’ve got two 20 gal Rubbermaid totes, one will transport old tank water and coral/rock, the other I’ll use to make new water at the new apartment. I plan to save about half the sand and add new sand. The fish and inverts will ride in plastic specimen bags in a styrofoam shipping box. Also I’ve made a checklist of everything I plan to do in order. So that I remember to turn everything back on and avoid silly mistakes.

Since I have AIO and no real plumbing to worry about I’ve got it pretty easy I hope.

Hope this helps.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[smootie]

Something to consider is that if you set up a new tank with new sand and your current live rock, you'll likely have a "mini-cycle" while your nitrifying bacteria repopulate. Most of your guyzos should be okay but I don't know about the RBTA since I'm not familiar with their care.

 

[PorpoiseHork]

AquaTop has a really nice 24g AIO cube out now. It comes with an amazingly bright 20k light, glass lid, integrated pump, skimmer, and stand. I have seen it for $300 at Aquarium World on 290. For your current stockload, keep only your absolute favorites and sell off the rest is your best bet.

As for transferring, vac the sand you want to keep really well to clean out the detrius and such. Then when you're ready to move using the vac tool suck up your sand you want to keep as well as at least 50% of the existing tank water and rock. When setting the new tank up as soon as you put the sand, rock, and water in treat with SeaChem Stability and SeaChem Prime every 48 hours for any possible ammonia and nitrites, and also. The Stability treatment is a 7 day run and will bulk up the bacterial colonies and help minimize any mini cycle issues you may have. The reason to dose Prime at the same time as Stability and then every 48 hours is it works inline with Stability by converting any ammonia, nitrites and nitrates into less toxic forms and makes it easier for the bacteria in Stability to process.

 

[Reefahholic]

Helpful tips from my many moves:

1. Trash the old sand.
2. Setup a new tank and RODI in the other place ASAP (like the day you receive keys).
3. Buy Dr Tim’s “One and Only” and some “Clear Up” to help the mini cycle and clear the water from new sand.
4. Buy a lot of silicone or plastic tubing to route new or old water. Don’t forget tubing connectors.
5. Try to do it in 2 days instead of one. Lol

 

[Tenny]

Since you are about two weeks out, I'd go buy an aquarium and stand now. Throw some new sand in it and add some old water and a few rock from the "old" tank. Once you get the keys to the new place, drain almost all the water (just enough to keep the sand wet (and move some water with the rocks over) and then put those back in.

You may need to add Tim's One and Done or one of the other "reef starting kits".

As far as the move day. Bring lots of buckets. with the rocks / corals in it, and separate buckets for the fish.

As far as a chiller goes it should keep the temp down. Most have a rating on them for gallon size and how much lower than ambient it can keep it. I think I have a 1/10 or 1/12hp one and it was able to keep the temperature in my tank about 75-76 and the temperature in the house was around the low 90's during the summer. That tank had a water volume of about 50g. I also have a 1/3rd that I used in my garage for about 150g of frag tanks and it was able to keep the temp in the 78 region. Although I ran my lights on the opposite time schedule (midnight to 8am) to keep from having all that additional heat.

Another thing I did was run a fan over my aquarium on a temp switch so that it'd help keep it cooler (and it really did), but it did increase evap. You may want to put one on a temp-based switch.