Moving a 40 gal reef

[jrelkins1]

My wife and I are relocating from central Texas to Arizona. We have a well established reef with fish/anemone and corals. Can it be moved that far safely? Any suggestions? I think we should just sell it here and start over. She says. No. She calls them the "salty gang" and doesn't want to see them go. I could add an inverter to our Jeep and transport them in it. Or should I separate the fish/anemone from the corals and the rock and break down the tank? It is a long two day drive with one overnight.

 

[Jimbo7]

My brother moved his 12g from Florida to Chicago a couple times with no ill effects. Get a couple buckets, separate the LR and corals into their own, bag all the fish and float them in a bucket and move them all. You can get battery operated air pumps for really cheap that will help on the drive. Buy some new sand for when you get there, its probably not worth spending the time cleaning it when you have a whole house to pack up. Look up a new LFS before you leave in case of an emergency.

 

[melosu58]

Looks like Jimbo has you covered. It definitely can be done. I definitely agree with new sand. Keep your LR wet so you dont lose all your nitrifying bacteria.

 

[six2sevenproductions]

When i moved my 40g from one side of L.A. to the other i separated everything and left the sand in the tank. with a couple inches of water it was light enough to carry but the whole trip was only 2 hours.

 

[jrelkins1]

Thanks guys. Looks like I should break down the tank. Aerate the fish in a tub. I can power that from the 12 volt in the Jeep. Cover the live rock with water. Cover the coral as well. Would the coral be OK without aeration? It will take four days total to make the trip and reset the tank.

 

[austinsdad]

Nothing will be alright without aeration. It provides the oxygen stuff needs to live.

I'm not convinced just keeping the rock wet will keep stuff alive that lives on it. I'd likely put it in water also.

How ya keeping the power on in the jeep overnight. Concerned about temps in the Jeep too when the AC isn't running. I'll bet there are some hot nights between Texas and Arizona.

 

[jrelkins1]

Thanks to everyone that replied. Based on recommendations I think I will break down the tank. Separate the fish and corals. Aerate them with a 12 volt pump. Cover the rock in water. I should be able to move the tubs into the motel for the overnight. I will get a friend to mix water for me in Mesa. We have two cars and can transport everything at once. Set up the tank (hopefully) in the new place. I will let everyone know how this project turns out. If I sell the tank here I will lose money. My wife doesn't want to do that. "Salty gang" she calls them have to go. She feeds them and they all have names.

 

[austinsdad]

Best of luck to ya, and do let us know how it worked out for you.