Moving

[saltyfishboy]

I am going to be moving soon and I don't know about moving my tank. Any suggestions as to what I should do with my tank. I might be able to have my LFS hang on th the fish for a day or so while I move. It is a 29 gallon tank.

[fishfreek]

The process of moving your tank changes little regarless if your moving it to another room or to another state.

The key is to try save as much water as possible. Since its just a 29 gal tank the move is going to be easier than if it was a larger tank.

Try to plan your move so that the tank is the item you pack up and the first item you set back up. Start by pulling some water out of the tank and into 5 gal buckets. Put any live rock you have in one of the buckets and put any fish you have in some of the other buckets. Make sure you spread the fish around in the buckets so that they are not over crowded. Put the lids on the buckets so you dont lose to much water. Once the tank is drained down to the substrate make sure you have two people to help move the tank.

If the tank is going to be tore down for more than a few hours then you might consider getting a larger water contaner like a 30 gal trash can. Put the fish and as much water as possible in the trash can and leave the live rock in the bucket. The reason you want the LR in the bucket vs in the trashcan is because you dont want the rock to shift durring the move and cause harm to your fish or inverts.

If its going to be more than several hours (ie days) before your able to set the tank back up get some batery powered air pumps to help keep the water oxygen rich. Also, heat packs might be requried to keep the water temp from droping to much.

Perform the operation in reverse when your setting the tank back up.


There is no need for your LFS to hold the fish for you unless you will not be able to set the tank back up as soon as you get to your new location.