Moving your tank when you move. Possible?

[Patroklos]

All,

While I am only now gathering the hardware to start my first tank, this is general question (and will help determine exactly how into this hobby I go).

After reading through this board I have noticed just how long some of you with established tanks have maintained the same ecosystem and also how complex both that ecosystem and hardware setup can become.

I am in the Navy, and thus am required to move around a bit, sometimes without notice. I am on shore duty now so the for the next two years I work a nine to five desk job, but that leads me to my questions.

1.) Have any of you had to move your aquarium and its occupants long distances when you yourself moved, and if you attempted it how successful were you?

2.) How exactly did you accomplish this?

And as an aside and not really the point of this thread...

3.) Is two years long enough to establish and enjoy a SW aquarium?

 

[SaltwaterJim]

Ive moved my tank before, not a very long distance but moved it none the less.. Make sure you have LOTS of buckets lol.. You wanna keep most of the water but you will need to get new sand b/c the old sand will be full of nitrates and other stuff when stirred up and you will have to go through another cycle if ur reusing it.. 2 years is more than enought time to enjoy a tank IMO! What size take do you have or are getting?

 

[Patroklos]

I am looking at getting a 75 gal since after reading a few books and digging through this site and others that seems to be a size that can absorb a few of my inevitable newbie mistakes while at the same time not being too overwhelming in size. I may however opt for a 50 if I can't find an aquarium/stand to fit into my living room.

I would be moving, at a minumum, from Charleston SC to Norfolk VA, about a seven hour drive. I suppose the easiest thing to do would be to set up a tank at the new location a month or two in advance and then pack up and see who survives. I know it is possible to transport long distances since online stores ship fish/invert across the country, but I know it has to be difficult.

 

[melosu58]

It wont be easy but it wont be too hard either. If you keep your LR in water during the move you should not have much of a cycle. If it was me I would transport the fish in a couple of 5 gallon buckets with battery powered air pump in them. The LR I would put in a cooler and cover with SW from the tank. I would discard the substrate and get new sand where the tank is being moved to. Either after you empty the tank or when you get it where you are going you`ll need to clean the tank really good and then set it up. As I said you should not see much of a cycle with your LR still under water during the move. This is what I have done before and it worked for me. BTW welcome to AA

 

[Patroklos]

Thanks, it is good to be here so I can pick your brains

When you moved last how far did you have to transport everything?

 

[melosu58]

I was just moving several miles. The plan I gave you should work for as far as you are talking about. If it was going to be more than one day of moving I would consider mailing them next day air. I`m talking about the fish.

 

[Patroklos]

I still seems odd to me that as delicate as they are you can just put them in a package and send them though the mail (albiet premium mail) and they will survive.

I guess after reading about the smallest things that have lead to aquarium disasters here I would have thought that would kill most fish.

 

[fijiwigi]

I still seems odd to me that as delicate as they are you can just put them in a package and send them though the mail (albiet premium mail) and they will survive.
.

Everything is sent in the mail whether its to the fish store or to our house. At least when its sent to our house its one less time the fish has to make the stressfull trip. Usually with fish there is enough water to cushion the rough ride its just the temperature that becomes an issue during transport if you can manage the temperature than your good. And even if the temp drops in your container they fish will do ok as long as its not too drastic too fast. Acclimation is the key sudden changes in chemistry and temperature cause the problems.

 

[Patroklos]

****, I am going to start air shipping myself places!

 

[mrrrkva]

I moved a 200 gallon 7 hours. Asheville to Harrisonburg, Va. I used large rubbermaid tubs filled with LR and water, I put the corals in coolers with some caulerpa. Put fish in coolers with battery operated air pump and caulerpa. You have to watch the heat this time of year. More water you bring the better, and having the tank set up on the other end is even better. I would save all the old tank water you could, less of a cycle that way when you bring it back. I almost had no die off