This is the way I moved my tank from Channanon (Joliet), Illinois to Milwaukee, Wisconsin April 5, 2009. The drive was about 150 miles and the tank was down for about 7 hours before re-setup.

Timeline:

Sunday:
12:00 PM break down tank
4:00 PM leaving Illinois for good
6:30 PM arrive at new location
7:30 PM tank set up
11:59 PM Give up, corals acclimated and in tank un-scaped

Monday:

5:00 PM Start rescape again
11:00 PM Rock scaped but most corals unattached

Tuesday:

5:00 PM Start to attach corals
7:00 PM Scape falls apart and I try again
10:00 PM Scape looks OK, start to attach corals
11:00 PM Satisfied for the night

Wednesday:

5:00 PM Finishing touches
9:00 PM Clean up

It was successful but very very stressful. If you plan on moving your tank this guild will help you with some dos and don'ts. Overall it took me about 30 man hours to make this move possible.

Preparation:

Make new Saltwater. I used a Rubbermaid garbage container and made my new water 5 days ahead of time. I used two heaters and a pump to mix and prep the water for the new arrival. This also served as a place to bring the livestock back up to temp using float acclimation. Make sure you have more than enough fresh saltwater and fresh RO water, evaporation, spills, mistakes etc will occur. Once this move starts there is no turning back and you have to be prepared.

Supplies Purchased/Used:

• Coolers
• Small Rubbermaid containers for fish, corals, live rock more the better
• Drill and other hand tools
• Super Glue Gel (lots)
• Aquamend Putty (3 tubes)
• Fish bags, very important for bagging corals
• Fish net
• New sand
• Extension cord
• MH light to illuminate tank after display lighting is removed
• Colored zip ties, experiment of mine to label rock to rescape, -failed
• Paper towels
• Boxes
• Tubing
• Heaters
• Pumps
• Thermometers
• Rubber bands
• A helpful hand if possible
• A plan and patience

My Biggest Failure:

I tried to replicate my old aquascape. This proved to waste 8+ hours of my time and was nearly impossible. I was so in love with my first scape that I couldn't let it go and with somewhat of an established tank I felt it was important for the corals and fish. It proved to be a huge stress on this move. My plan was to label all the live rock with color coded zip ties, make a map then reporduce that in the new location.

The largest factor in the failure was you take a tank down from top/down, yet put it together from bottom/up. Rock is not flat and just color coding it isn't enough. You have to remember exactly the position it sat in the sand, on another rock every small detail to accomplish this. Basically do not try unless you have a superior plan to mine.

Largest Advice:

Take your time and have help. Make a plan weeks earlier to the move. Know the weather, your new location and acclimate slowly. My corals and fish lost 7° of temperature during the move but they were acclimated slowly to the new setup.

I have done an upgrade move before and nothing compares to a relocation. Corals and fish are hardy but be smart about everything, once you start there is not much room for "oh I forgot the fish bags" moments.

Get lots of sleep the night before you will be pushed to work hard, wet and fast.

Enjoy

Last view from the office





Supplies:



Protection while I was away for 7 days from my tank:





Started first with the equipment, removed the guts of the stand. ATO removed, testing supplies, food, dosing chemicals, tank lighting:



Best thing I did during the move. I had an extra MH shop light that I propped up on a ladder. This allowed me to view the tank without the display lights:





Tank MH light off, inTank cup off. Cardboard to collect as much water as possible:



Electronics of tank boxed up. Accessories in another box:



View of rear chambers:



First Coral Removed. Ricordia island put in it's own rubbermaid container with tank saltwater:



Most other corals were individually bagged with tank saltwater. This protected during transport. They were put in dry containers:







Water level coming down:



Empty rear chamber:



Attempt at labeling live rock:









All live rock in a separate container. Live rock with corals still attached bagged SEPARATELY from this container to avoid crushing:











The mess of this project



All fish went into this nifty cooler. Purchased at Menards for $12 it featured a separator grate that allowed for water flow. I kept inverts on one side and fish on the other. It also came with a grate top so the fish could not get splashed upwaterds too high during transport on rough roads.






Draining water out of tank. After this was completed I sifted through the sand for snails, worms and other helpful critters. The tank was then brought outside and all sand was thrown away. Then tank was rinsed with fresh water and scrapped with a razor blade. It was almost new looking when complete. A total loss of 1.5 years of coralline and pods/worms.





Packing up the the RSM for the move:







Fish on floor closest to heat, it was not a warm day













Sad weather for a sad day



Thank you State of Illinois for the warning

Fish safe and warm



THE NEW HOME!



Warming rock up, used a heater and a pump in their transport bucket



Acclimating fish in bucket. Used new saltwater that was premixed with old tank water to bring up to temp/salinity match






The water temp went from 79° when the takedown started to 72° when I arrived at the new location



Acclimating corals that were bagged in premixed saltwater. Inside is 2 heaters and a pump



The new tank location in the office





Make sure stand and tank are level







Equipment back in





Fill er' up



After many failed attempts of replicating the previous scape this is where I was left at 12:10am on a Monday morning. I was due to work at 8am and my brain and body were fried. I had to leave the tank for the new coworkers to see like this.



Monday night try number 552



Corals out to rescape once again





Try number 636





Try number 640 I had to leave the tank like this Monday night since it was 11pm









Tuesday night











Please add your experiences with moving a tank, transfer or other. One time or another everyone has to go through this.





Here is the tank today

whoa. planning=great results

Real good job documenting the move. What really stuck out whilst reading was
"Once this move starts there is no turning back and you have to be prepared."
I guess you really have to be OVER prepared in case of the inevitable.

Nice thread. I am moving house next week as well, although thankfully into the next suburb, rather than 150 miles... My biggest worry is getting my scaping to look like it does now, took me days to get it the way I wanted it in the first place. I guess I just need to let go and think of something new...

Awesome thread!!

What is your mandarin going to do without all the pods to eat?

I know it is hard to let go but replicating it is almost impossible. You can never balance the rock the same way again. You could try something similar. I actually enjoy my new scape it made a lot more room for corals. Before I was pretty much maxed out and after the move I had at least 50% more room.

Honestly 150 miles or down the street are pretty much the same. The only difference is the loss in temp, everything else will be extremely similar.



My mandarin is trained to eat frozen food, I have never relied on it to eat pods to survive. All fish were eating normally after the move.

Nice job on the move! The old aqua-scape was a little better, but this one is still just as good. Also, love the stag horn acro.

Sticky! Plz
Its a great thread with a lot of good pictures. A+ Stevie

I will always miss the original OfficeMax. It was one of the key inspiration tanks, and was one of the reasons I started reefing in the first place.

I shed a tear for the empty office photos.

Great guide, Steve.... just a little too much OCD.

I guess for the heat loss you could get a DC to AC power inverter and plug the heater in that for the car ride. Can always return it to the store after the move.

Needs sticky

I learn from the best



Thanks bud. I really miss that office and the way the tank looked in it. There was no overhead lighting so it really stood out in a "darker" corner. The scape will be missed.

Correct thanks for the reminder.

I had one with me. But since it was April the temps wern't too bad as in the winter. I also had all the corals in bags so you would have to float them in some kind of contraption with the heater, all that extra water would make me nervous in my truck. I put as much in a cooler to hold in as much heat, there was no good way with my move to make that work.

On a longer trip it is recommended or pack as if they are shipping UPS or FedEx.

How/when did you prep your new sand bed? I'm planning on tossing my sandbed in my next move as the outbreaks I got from my last move was absurd.

Also, was there any effect on your tank from replacing it.

I just added the new sand after I set up my scape, rinsed it before hand. To be super safe you could cycle it before hand but it is a small aspect biologically compared to the rock. It did go though an algae cycle shortly after the new set up but that lasted less than two weeks.

I would not recommend every trying to move the sand after seeing what was actually in it. I can see it crashing the new set up quickly.

The only effect was it's algae stages, the corals and fish were unaffected. Water perams looked stable and honestly I didn't test after the move because of no visual stress of the animals. Not a recommendation but with a mature tank you hardly test. I did weekly water changes for one month then went back to bi-weekly.

I could only imagine how stressful that was!! You did a great job, and planned it really well.

I'm moving my 2.5 gallon in the next week or so, granted it's nothing major to move, but I'm still not looking forward to doing it. I'm just gonna drain some water and pick it up as is, so we'll see how it goes.

I hate you

Hah, the pictures of you trying to rescape made me laugh so hard because I was just there myself. Sitting infront of my tank, saltwater EVERYWHERE, salt on every surface of my tankstand, and me with piles of liverock on 5g bucket tops. I definitely agree that once you take down a scape just LET IT GO. You will spend countless hours trying to recreate it and in the end you won't be happy.

Btw, 14.3mpg? Al Gore hates you.

I would add, have someone to help you. I almost threw my back out moving my tank.

I should have taken a picture of my pants and shirt. The shirt (black) was almost pure white when I was done and the jeans were rock hard in some areas soaking wet and turning white.

14.3 Average. V8 All Wheel Drive. Al Gore can kiss my ass

I see your drenched shirt and raise you a soaking wet shirtless guy sitting in his livingroom at 3am cause he just had to get it right. I eventually gave up and finished the next day.

The things we do for pretty fish and corals.

I'm totally not reading this thread, but I like the title and if y'all think it should be stickied, pm me

or hey lani's already here. whatev.

Come to think of it, it might make a good article. PM chris too!

When I was into planted tanks, I was super anal about getting everything looking just right. I'd get so pissed if a plant uprooted on me after I got everything just right! After awhile you just have to say f it, and just leave it alone.

This one's all yours!
Stevie has a couple of other cool guides linked in his sig. Maybe he can start a compilation of reefing how-to guides and we can sticky them all as one post? Or something like that... I dunno. Whatever you think.

Perhaps one big stickied thread titled The Hitchhiker's Guide to Reefing by StevieT.

I moved my tank a year ago, but luckily it was within the same zip code. I'll probably be facing a larger move in the next couple of years, but it's nice to see such a comprehensive guide!

Good write-up Stevie. I've moved at least 20 tanks in the past few years. I've never had the patience, or the dry hands, for a camera. I've moved everything from a 5.5 gallon from one bedroom to the next to my 125 across town. I feel your pain on the aquascape, luckily I love trying new ones, so I'm not nearly as attached as you were.

I use a couple of coolers (a 12 gallon and a 7 gallon mostly) and lots of 5 and 6 gallon containers. It's all in the planning, and honestly, distance does not matter. Heck, a nice drive gives you a little time to catch your breath, regroup, and do a little more planning in your head about the re-setup.

My tank moving advice:
Fish and corals are tougher than most people give them credit. Just make sure everything stays wet and nothing is going to get crushed. Beyond that, I promise the livestock is going to be okay.

Use coolers. At least for the livestock. The longer the transport time, the more important this becomes. If necessary your corals and fish can live in a cooler with a heater and a powerhead. Live rock will be fine at room temperature for a day or two as long as it's wet, even without circulation.

If you've been considering a tank switch, do it during the move. You're going to have to rescape and move everything anyways. Doing it during the move saves repeating the effort and mess. Plus, excuse to upgrade! (It's also a great time to get rid of that pesky damsel or dottyback or nuisance crab. Once you've got him, don't let him go back in the tank!)

Plan everything. Every step. Write it down if you have to.

Don't rush. Mistakes happen when you rush. If something goes wrong in the middle of the process, don't panic. You rush when you panic.

Have towels. Things will get wet. Really, really wet.

Good luck!

Hey everyone, great advice here... I have the erm... "privilege" of moving my tank in a few weeks (& probably upgrading to a 40br thanks to Evilc)... It's going to be hard, so I'm probably going to take a day off. Honestly I would have followed a similar pattern as StevieT outlined in his guide, but still it was nice to see it explained (with pictures!).

I did have one question though... I've moved my tank a few times when it was FW, and it was difficult to keep the water in all the containers... Does anyone know of a good way to waterproof the seams of a cooler? I'm almost thinking of using some type of weatherstripping? If anyone has ideas I think that might be a good idea for the DIY forum (and add a link to this thread)!

Thanks for the guide.

I didn't transport but a gallon or so of water in a cooler for the fish then what was around the live rock. Most of it was bagged with the corals. The cooler with the fish was only half full to allow for splashing. I used a heavy duty garbage bag and laid it flat on top of the container with the rock, then snapped the lid over that. Worked well enough to seal in the water. Some did get out but it wasn't more than a few cups

A week earlier to this move I relocated my FW tank. I did the bag method on the tops of the coolers and it seemed fine. Some got out but not much, just don't fill them up more than half and no wild turns



Great advice here, they are not as fragile as some make out.

If that would work better for everyone I can do that. I don't care but do see need to keep the stickies uncluttered. We could link the water change guide, glue thread and this All-In-One no pun intended. The glue thread was made into an article, who knows if anyone reads those

should be articles imo. I mean hell, that's what they're there for. I AIM'd chris, but not sure if he got it. I'll hit him up again.

Awesome article, Steve. I've always wanted to document a tank move but I seem to forget all about it once I'm actually doing the move. Also I've only moved tanks across town so they were fairly quick and painless.

Moving my pico was super easy and took only two styrofoam coolers, two one-gallon jugs and a rubbermaid container. The RSM on the other hand was a much bigger ordeal. We "borrowed" a thirty gallon Brute trashcan from Home Depot, bagged up everything into coolers and dollied the stand and the tank with the sand in it on the back of a pickup.

Planning ahead definitely makes the move a lot easier and smoother. For moving a large tank it really helps to have friends help you. And a dolly.

Good point. I was very adamant to document this move since this question is brought up a lot here. It was a pain to keep that camera near by, have a dry hand, and actually remember to take a shot. Looking forward to seeing your RSM progress.

I'll be moving all of my tanks over the next month or so. I'll try to document one of them. Either the 20 or the 54, the 125 is way too much work, I can't worry about a camera during that nightmare.

Good luck, will watch out for pictures

Thanks. I'll need it.

it looks fine..but this tank was a signature tank that im sure everyone on nano-reefs had came across atleast once..this was the bread winner...it still is tho..i love the detail u put into this thread and i mean its all happen to us at least once when were trying to get that stubborn invert or fish out of our tanks and knock the aquascape over and its just never the same again...its alright it still looks great

I agree, the tank will never look as good as it did in my office in IL. It was in a dark corner, had a better scape and just popped. With the high lighting in this new room it is very hard to capture what it looks like in real life.

Debating on moving it again when I buy a house soon or just starting a new tank. Just remembered this thread and leaning towards a new tank

What does everyone think of rinsing the sand you already have before a move? I know what it looks like when you move, I've done it twice before, and it is disgusting, but rinsing it should clean it up pretty well shouldn't it? And new sand is completely devoid of any life anyway so rinsing away everything from the old sand should compare pretty similarly to using new sand, right?

I've done half rinses before. Never completely cleaned it out, because I didn't want to start over with new sand. If you're okay with starting with new sand, then by all means, rinse away.

I've moved 4 tanks in the past 2 weeks, 1 more to go next week! Sorry, no pictures, the deadline has been tight so I've been rushed. Rushed too much and broke the 20h fuge under my 125. I've got to drill a new one this weekend now. I felt dumb.

LMAO! I don't think I have ever seen something so funny on this site. I almost bought a costume that looked like that two days ago.



LOL!!

That was a good read, especially "attempt # whatever"...lol

I recently tried to move a single rock in my 40 that led to 2, then 4.

After the wife and kids took off, "Do you need some alone time with your tank honey?".. 6 hours and too many accidental frags later i was satisfied...well, sort of.

Thanks for the laugh -

Hell on earth = aquascaping a reef tank

about to upgrade from a nc24 to a 30g Finnex and after reading your thread I actually got 2 of 30g's so I can setup one temp next to the nc24 to move frags and fish into then LR into a tub - setup new 30g in it's place and just focus on LR till I'm happy while the corals and fish chill in their own tank
After try #xxx I'll drop in corals and fish till I'm happy then tear down the temp 30g and declare myself winner.

Thanks for the great doc thread

Very good idea with the two tubs. That would have been very helpful.

In addition to tubs - 2 identical tanks

Very helpful guide! But I still need some advise...My 14g Biocube is in my classroom and I'm planning on bringing it home for the summer. Is it small enough where I can just drain most of the water, put the LR and corals in separate buckets, and transport as is with fish and sand inside it? It would be a 30 minute drive to my house. Or should I dismantle it like you did and start with new sand?