OK, I need advice on moving

We are moving at the end of ths month. We have to move our tanks, and this is something we've never done without completely tearing the tank down.

Anyone have advice, or ideas on how to do this? And anyone on the Eastside willing to help?

I had to move my 30 Gallon home from my office last month after I was terminated. Needless to say I was in a hurry to get my equipment out of my office, and avoid talking to any former co-workers about the situation. I don't know how big your tanks are but I bought rubbermaid tubs and just scooped up all my live rock and sand and put them in there. I also got a smaller tub just for my shrimp and starfish, crabs and so forth. I bagged up the fish and brought it all home and set it up. Thought I was moving really fast but by the time I was done setting it back up at home it had been 6 hours. And it was only about a 10 minute drive too. Have fun.....

Ps, I live in MN so I can't help....

Hey,

Some more info would be helpful like tank size, how many gallons and how far you are moving.

Dell

Well Dell... Assuming Amy has a nano-reef...

Amy,

Depending on how far you have to move, i'd probably use brand new cheap styrofoam beer coolers for transportation containers. A cheap battery powered air pump or two, some airline tubing, a few airstones and some crazy glue would also help. The problem with using a loose airstone is that it's going to float, so crazy glue the business end of the tubing at the bottom of the beer cooler so that it stays secured to the bottom of the cooler when you turn it on. Then, fill em up with seawater and add corals/inverts/fish and slap the lid on.

This, in essence, is creating a livewell. You should then be able to transport the cooler wherever you need. You could also use cheap plastic 5 gallon paintbuckets, huge tupperware storage containers from wally-word, or any food grade plastic tub for a container.

I've never had the cojones to move anything larger than a 10g with anything in it ... and that's a relatively simple affair. Just remember that water weighs 8.5 lbs per gallon and the substrate weighs even more. Never allow twisting or shear pressure on your tank.

If you want to be really secure, I'd construct a wooden stretcher for your aquarium. Use two 2x4's and a sheet of plywood. Get like 6 people to help you lift it off the stand and onto the wooden stretcher. Have one person hold each handle on the stretcher (two on each end) and have the remaining people stabilize the tank on the stretcher so you don't tip it over (very important!)

LOL I totally forgot to say how far we are moving. My bad.

We currently have two tanks up and running. A 10g and a 20g. We are moving to the building across the street.

Something stupid in me thought I could maybe drain the water but not move the rockwork and move it like that, but I guess I am just that stupid. I wasn't thinking about water weight. (what woman does?!?)

Ok, so I need to pull everything out of the tank and drain the whole tank to move it. Will this cause a mini cycle when I set the tanks up again?

The nice thing is we were never happy with the rock position in the 20g so I'll be able to rebuild when we get setup again.

Any special consideration for the Sebae and the clam, my two most fragile things? This is really gonna piss off the sebae, I am sure.

So I am thinking of getting a cheapo 20g to fill up with some new water and use as a holding tank while the Live Rock cures again in the tanks when we move. Does that sound like overkill? Can I put everything in there? (except the anemone) is it even worth the time and energy? Or should I just keep everything in the tupperware tubs?

Ok here's what i'm thinking.

Wait until everything's moved out of your old place and the new place is ready to accept the tanks in their final spot. If you can. I know sometimes that's hard when moving.

1. Drain the water before you foul it any. Since they only cost about $10 ... I would simply buy another 10AGA aquarium to house your fish and stuff. Put as much as you can in the new 10g and throw your critters in there. Toss in a heater or whatever else you think might be cool for them. A powerhead for current maybe.

2. Get a bucket for your LR and put it all in there. Cover it with the rest of the water from your tanks.

3. Leave the substrate in the tanks. I think you can safely move the 10g ... and the 20 ... but be REAL careful not to twist or shear the tanks when lifting. Use a wide plank of wood for a stretcher or soemthing. It's very important to avoid shear forces because they greatly weaken the integrity of the silicone seal.

4. tote the tanks over and set everything up how you want.

good luck!

Thanks dude. That is probably my plan. I am going to do a seperate cooler for the Sebae so that it doesn't hurt anything by floating around looking for a place to sit.