how to move a reef tank

[queenb]

Have purchased a 90 gal saltwater tank full of corrals, mushrooms and fish
what would be the best way to transport all that to my house.
It takes 10 min to drive to my house. On the back wall of the tank are many corrals and mushrooms. Is there any way I could save those without scraping them of the wall.
I don't really now much about saltwater. I have 2 goldfish tanks of 40 gal, three tropical of 55 gal, 65 gal and 75 gal which are doing fine.

I would appreciate some advise on how to transport all this safely, what to watch for and how to maintain.
I was gonna start this slowly , but this was to good a deal to pas on.
I know that I'm way over my head in this, so please help me

thanks Maryanne

 

[PzIkHo]

lMoving an Established Reef Tank, Part 1: Moving Out, by Marty Ziegler

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/saltwater/Ziegler_Moving2.html

 

[queenb]

thank you

 

[PzIkHo]

Good luck! I'd totally help out more if I knew anything else. That's where I went when i helped my friend move his reef tank. He didn't have any mushrooms or anything, but we did successfully keep all his coral and anenomes alive by just keeping them in plastic bags.
The main thing is to do all your prep work ahead of time so that the actual transportation is as quick as possible.

 

[queenb]

Should I ditch the crushed corals and go with live sand, or keep it in the tank covered with a towel so it doesnt disturb as much
What would be safer?

 

[PzIkHo]

I don't know very much about saltwater tanks, though I've been told a few times over that corals somehow limit your selection of invert, as well as contribute to ammonia spikes and/or other chemical imbalances. But that's just what I've heard. My friend personally just went with live sand.

 

[jsoong]

Moved to salt-water reef .... so you can get expert advice from the salties.

 

[rush]

yes ditch crushed coral go with sand for sure

CC is nitrate heaven

 

[Gti_Leo]

lots of 5 gallon buckets i'd just fill the buckets with tank water, coral live rock anemones whatever is in there, throw out 10% of the water after and do a PWC and just place all the stuff back in once its moved, you might need small heaters if you're going to keep the water i nthe buckets for a few days

 

[rush]

I would throw away more than 10%. I would throw away like 25%.

 

[austinsdad]

Agreed that a 10% water change after moving is too small. At the new site, I'd even make another 40g or so of saltwater to correct and deal with any potential problems that could come up. Also agree on the use of a bagged, dry aragonite sand. Gotta rinse it VERY well. Live sand is a rip-off IMO.

 

[Gti_Leo]

i don't know if throwing out that much water is really necessary. if you put live rock in each bucket and spread out the fish and inverts eavently the water should stay relativly clean

 

[Turbosnail]

I used to have crushed coral and When I moved my tank I did a 30% pwc. After the move I had huge nitrate spikes. I would defiantly switch to sand and do a large pwc, The crushed coral will just cause problems and the move would be the most convenient time to do it. I had my tank completely set up and changed to sand a week later, it was not fun.

 

[PrettyFishies]

Crushed coral will help buffer your PH and enable you to use less of the powdered buffer.

the way to tackle nitrates is to add a refugium. If you're doing a sump, you can add a refugium to that. With a deep sand bed, LR and Macro Algae, you're nitrate problem will be under control. Plus the skimmer and not over feeding. That's the biggest issue. All the brands say to feed daily or twice daily. It's about how much your fish need externally, versus what your tank provides. I think the benefit of CC outweighs the negatives if you are willing to plan it all out.

 

[Turbosnail]

When I moved my tank I had just purchased it, and the guy I got it from defiantly over fed. Plus the fact that it was set up with an under gravel filter didn't help. I like the look of sand and it is better for my coral, also less maintenance/vacuuming. Even with a sump I would still recommend sand over crushed coral, the buffer powder is not too hard to use. I am not saying that you are wrong, sand is just my preference.

 

[PrettyFishies]

This is what I got - Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand It's fine sand that also buffers.

 

[Turbosnail]

That looks pretty good. Anything aragonite based will be a good buffer. I use a sand that is very fine, but it depends on what you like the look of. And finer sand has less places for food/waste to fall into and rot. Also it makes it really easy to vacuum up anything that falls onto the sand when you do your pwc.