Frequently moving a small reef tank?

[Corey]

I'm thinking about starting my first SW setup in a 20 gallon I've got laying around.
I know I should start out bigger, but I'm still in college, and live in an apartment and need to keep the tanks in my room because I fear people will mess with them. I currently have a 45g brackish puffer tank, as well as a snail breeding tank, so I really haven't the space for anything more than a 20 gallon (or the money).

Ideally I'd like to just do a basic mini-reef, with LR, a few corals, and maybe a little invert/fish or two. Nothing spectacular.

My main question/concern is this: I go home for Christmas and summer, so the tanks are moved several times a year. It's nothing with the snails, and with the puffers I simply set up an identical tank at home before I bring them home, and when I do I bring their established filter with them. They always transition nicely.

But with a little reef tank (or even a FOWLR), would moving it be possible? Would I just treat the LR/corals like a fish, bring it home in tank water, and acclimate it to an identical tank, or no?
Is there anyway to do it without massive die-off?
I apologize if this a SW noob question. I know my way around FW/BW tanks pretty well, but have never dealt with LR or corals

I was also wondering if a 60w 50/50 PC would support coral growth in a 20g.

Any input is appreciated,
Thanks!

 

[Scottm]

I have a twelve gallon reef that I have moved 4 times since july and its thriving, I don't see why you couldn't do the same.

60 Watts is enough for some corals and marginal for higher light ones. Moving all the time I would suggest hardy lowlight corals like shrooms and zoos anyway so you are probably good there. Good luck, I see no reason why this cannot be done successfully.

 

[Lance M.]

60 watts would be fine for low light corals. I use to have a 65watt pc over my 20 gallon, but I've since upgraded it to a 130 watt pc fixture because I think the 65 watt is too limiting. But I still can't keep high light corals with the 130 watts, so if you go 60 watts I'd stick with mushrooms , zoos, leathers placed midway or near the top.

From personal experience, moving a stocked 20 gallon tank with lr from a dorm room is a pain in the a..........

 

[Corey]

Thanks for the responses.
How long could a small reef tank be left alone for?
Ie., could I come up to school like once a week to take care of it over Christmas? Would an auto-top off lengthen the time I could leave it?

 

[Lance M.]

If you trust the auto topoff then it would be fine as long as there were no fish in the so you dont have to feed. And I would change the water right before you left it and right when you got back. I wouldnt leave it.

AFAIK the college wont let you back into your dorm once the break has started, unless it's one of those dorms that keeps employees (maintenence/security) there through the break.

 

[Corey]

Thanks.
I live in an apartment off campus (I'm a second year senior), so no worries about getting in.
Do you mean I could potentially leave the tank for a month unattended and it'd be okay?

 

[Agnate80700]

you couldnt get away with leaving it for a month. nitrates and stuff would build up way too high over that time in a tank that small, and also you'd need to get calcium and a menagerie of other supplements in during that time to keep the corals happy (via supplements or water changes of the same frequency) probably at least once a week, possibly more frequently since its a small tank (i only have a large one so all i know is the smaller tanks are far more finicky)

As far as christmas vacation goes, I would say if you could set up a kent marine float switch some how and just put it in the tank, you should be ok for top off water. They are 100% plastic and are extremely reliable. However, that will only get you as far as topoff water... no added anything, unless you get a supplement pump which are pretty pricey.

I would say a week is what I would leave my tank alone for at the absolute maximum, and only after many months of it proving to me it doesnt have issues.

The next problem is what about your fish? Your coral will be ok left alone for a week as they just eat the sun, but fish need to be fed at least every other day.

If I were you I would check a local fish store for people to do maintenance on your tank while youre away. You probably gonna put around $500-1000 into a coral tank of 20 gallons, and having the peace of mind that someone who knows what theyre doing is looking after your tank in your absence is well worth the tank-sitting fee.

As far as moving the tank... your not going to be able to take the coral out of the tank and put em in a set up tank at home like you do your puffers. Coral will attach themselves to the rock and at that point you'd have to take out the entire rock, probably even the entire rock stack (since the corals attach them in a specific way, youd have to place them exactly as they were in the new tank to avoid squishing them or inadvertently shading them.) And trying to move the whole tank... forget about it. 20gallons SW * 9lb/gallon = 180lbs + ~25lbs glass tank = 205 + 40lbs live rock = 245 + 10lbs coral = 255lbs. Add to that the fact that, if you DID manage to lift that sucker, it'd be sloshing around like crazy. Trying to manage that kind of weight while being so careful as to not slash water... its just not happening.

 

[Lance M.]

When I moved my 20 gallon, I emptied it halfway and picked it up and carried it to my truck. It had about 60 lbs of lr and half full of water.

How far away are you going to be from your apartment? If you live like 30 mins away I don't see why would cant go once like every 3 or 4 days to check up on it. If there is no fish in there, I dont see why you can't leave it alone (just have to top off) for a month. The nitrates wont climb since there's nothing in there producing ammonia/nitrite. And most people do pwc once every two weeks or once a month with minor problems (except for the people on this forum who know what they are doing and pwc once a week).

You would need a timer on your lights for corals if you had them.

So you could do it like visiting your apartment once a week to change the water, make sure the water topoff is working, etc. if you dont have fish. It's only going to be for a month.

Besides it's already into the second week in September so by the time you get to setup you tank and it's full cycled it'll prob be middle/end of November and then (at least at my college) the winter break started like the end of the 1st week in December so you could wait alittle bit longer before adding anything to the tank and then when you come back in January the tank would have been up and running for about 4 months and then you can add fish/corals.

 

[Agnate80700]

what lance said is true only assuming you had no fish, but according to the OP you want one or two fish, which will produce ammonia and thusly nitrates, which will definitly build up if there is no relief over the course of a month, most assuredly.

As for emptying the tank 1/2 way, that will work too assuming the portion of the tank that has been drained doesnt have any coral. Methinks those coral exposed to air will be very very unhappy during the transportation process if theyre left exposed.

 

[Corey]

Thanks for the responses.

Ideally I'd like to end up with something like a blue spotted jawfish or an algae blenny in there, but I'd most definitely let the tank establish itself before adding one.
The biggest thing is that I want to get more familiar with SW/reef setups; I'm graduating this year with a degree in zoology and want to work with fish, either something like reef conservation or even in an aquarium, and I want some experience.

 

[Lance M.]

Blue spotted jawfish are realitively expensive. The cheapest one I've seen is $100. As with al jawfish they like a deep sand bed 5-6'' with shells to build their home. They can live in 3-4'' deep but the deeper the better. I think a 20 gallon is too small for one. I like pearly jawfish just as much and they are usually around $40. Jawfish are known jumpers too.

If you are going to stay in your apartment for awhile, I would try and get something larger than a 20 gallon (you'll have to check with the property manager to see how big you can go). There are people here who live in apartments with 55 gallons and larger. A bigger tank to start out with will make it easier to take care of (more water volume = stability) and provide you with more choices on fish.

 

[Corey]

I'd love to go as big as possible, but space is an issue. I've already got a 45g tank for my puffers, and my room just isn't that big.
I don't know that much about jawfish, other than that I regularly see one at a local movie theatre and he's hilarious. The local LFS sponsors tanks there, who generally they REALLY know their stuff, and he's in ~ a 12 gallon nano cube there, which is why I assumed they'd be alright in a small tank. I know they're expensive but he just cracks me up every time I see him.

 

[Lance M.]

Yea my lfs had one in a ten gallon tank. It's meant for short term. They are very pretty. Of course it would be the only fish in the tank.

 

[Corey]

Yea my lfs had one in a ten gallon tank. It's meant for short term. They are very pretty. Of course it would be the only fish in the tank.

Right. I've heard they're quite territorial.
I also love algae blennies, but have heard that they need a well established tank to thrive?

Anyway I think I've made up my mind to try this. Now I need to do some research!
How much LR would I need for a 20g? Could I get away with like 20-30lbs of live rock and 10-20lbs of base rock?

 

[Lance M.]

Depending on the density of the rock anywhere from 30-40lbs would be fine. When I set up mine, I had ~25lbs of base rock and ~40lbs of lr. So it'd say I have somewhere under 70lbs of lr with the extra 5lbs from the rocks the corals are on. Your plan sounds good.

 

[Corey]

Sounds good.
I'd like to get some LR in there, get the tank cycled and going, then maybe add some corals or a fish once I feel comfortable.
I'll definitely need a protein skimmer, and would like to get my own RO/DI unit as well.
A few more questions:

1. Filtration?
Assuming I'll have 60-70lbs of rock, do I need mechanical filtration other than a skimmer and maybe a powerhead with a prefilter?

2. Cycling
Assuming I can get quality cured LR, can I just drop it into the tank that is the correct salinity/temperature, or does it need to be acclimated/prepped?
If so, should I still expect to see ammonia/nitrite spikes (will the tank still need to cycle)?

3. Substrate
I'd like to keep the possibility of getting a blue spotted jawfish open. Would one do okay with deep aragonite, or do I need a more "rubbly" substrate?

Any input is appreciated,
Thanks.

 

[daebjosd]

I had seen on the web the handheld pico-reef, it is movable without disassembly: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=70637&st=20
brandon429 posted all possible details about setting and keeping such tank, the search on his name shows a lot of threads.

Could be just what you looking for (except the size )

 

[Lance M.]

I would probably get two powerheads and point one towards the surface and then one across the rocks. A prefilter would be good just so small fish dont get sucked up onto the intake and die. Make sure you keep it clean though. I have to aquaclear powerheads with the prefilter they have for them and I took out the filter catridge so it's the plastic outside that prevents fish or even my anemone from being sucked up.

In a 20 gallon tank you dont need a skimmer. You will be good just doing the weekly 15-20% pwc.

Whether you get cured lr or uncured lr there will still be some die off and you should see an ammonia spike. But with cured lr it will probably less of a spike and you may have a mini-cycle. Also with uncured lr you sometimes get more critters and hitchikers (which can be good and bad).

For the substrate you can get around 3'' to 5'' of fine aragonite sand ~1.0 to 1.5mm grain size with shells scattered about and possibly a little ~2.5mm grain size, like a little bag of crushed coral.

Also you need to think about lighting for corals. What types of corals would you like to keep?