bought my first reef tank

[clarimore]

bought a running tank, trying to plan for the move.. 2hrs and it's cold in Indiana. 90 gal tank w fish and corral/rocks.
once I bring the tank inside, add sand, add rocks, add the water I transported, how do I keep all that water warm so I can get the fish out if the asap?

 

[tbrown]

bought a running tank, trying to plan for the move.. 2hrs and it's cold in Indiana. 90 gal tank w fish and corral/rocks.
once I bring the tank inside, add sand, add rocks, add the water I transported, how do I keep all that water warm so I can get the fish out if the asap?

Chances are you're not going to be able to transport all of the water. I'd keep the rocks and sand in the tank if you can, add the water slowly and get a clarifier to add. Save as much of the water as possible but plan on adding some fresh - probably a lot of fresh... Be prepared for coral death and possibly fish as well.

 

[tbrown]

Chances are you're not going to be able to transport all of the water. I'd keep the rocks and sand in the tank if you can, add the water slowly and get a clarifier to add. Save as much of the water as possible but plan on adding some fresh - probably a lot of fresh... Be prepared for coral death and possibly fish as well.

Moving an established tank is hard on the inhabitants.

 

[Jekyl]

No reason at all to transport the water. All you need is enough to keep the rocks wet. Have all of the water pre-made and heated before you arrive with the tank. May be best to have a separate smaller tank to hold the fish in.. Fill main tank, add rocks and sand, allow to settle and then acclimate the new inhabitants accordingly.

 

[Jekyl]

Adding to my previous post.... setting up a temporary smaller tank for the new fish would be best. When you transfer the rock there could be possible dead loss. This could cause an ammonia spike to the system with fish that will already be stressed out. I would research quarantine tanks and set it up accordingly. Can be done for cheap. Keep the new fish in there until you have the 90 gallon with NEW water, NEW sand and OLD rocks up and running for a few days. Test parameters and ensure everything is good before transferring the fish back to the 90 gallon.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Room temperature and Then place water in tank, plug heater in and warm tank and float small pails in tank and add fish to it and allow them to adjust to tank ttemperature- Min 76-77 before release

 

[davidcalgary29]

You don't even need water to keep the rocks wet. I transported an established tank five hours last January in temperatures below freezing. I wet a towel and put it on the rocks, which were also wrapped in newspaper. If the biota on the rocks was disrupted at all, it did not cause a mini cycle when they were replaced in the tank.

I agree with the above post. I'd have a garbage can with water ready (with heater and powerhead) at your house, and put the livestock in that. If you are facing cold temperatures, transport livestock in a styrofoam chest with livestock in individual baggies. Use handwarmers to keep the water temperature warm.