Big worry (Moving help)

[BigT75]

Hey guys I am moving from California to Oregon about 12-13 hr drive I was planning on taking my RODI system and 210g storage tank up there first and get it running to have fresh water when I re set up my tank

I have a 135g mixed reef not a lot of corals , toadstools , frogspawn , Zoas, mushrooms and palys

Fish : sailfin tang , yellow tang , clown , coral beauty, chromis , Midas blenny , cleaner wrasse , shrimp and cuc

I will be taking the tank down and transporting it straight there and reset up not moving anything else from the house just the tank set up

I need all advise and ideas on how to transport the fish / live rock ect

Also do I dispose of the live sand ? Or will it be ok

Thanks in advance

 

[TheEngineer]

Moves can be stressful. Planning is the key to doing this successfully. Having a tank that is already up and running when you get there is absolutely going to be in your best interests. You'll immediately be able to start acclimating the fish when you arrive. If you plan it right, the tank at the new place and your old tank will have the same salinity and you just need to temperature acclimate the fish and put them in.

For the fish during transport I suggest some 5g buckets and battery operated air pumps. The temps should be OK if you keep them in the passenger compartment of your vehicle. You can get an inverter and a small heater if you think the temps would get too low.

For corals, you can do the same, but you don't need the air pumps for them. Bags are helpful to keep them from touching each other during the move.

As for the sand, you can certainly reuse it. After you've gotten the fish and corals out and drained all but about 6" of water (saving a bunch of it) start mixing the daylights out of it to release all of the crud that's in it. Then take a bunch out at a time and rinse it again in the reserved tank water. Finally, put it in a bucket to transport.