Cross Country Move

[nthn135]

Hi all,

I'm going to be moving my 6 month old 60 gallon reef across the country (California to Michigan) early in 2022. Looking for tips from anyone who's done something similar.

Currently the plan is to keep all corals in one container, separated by some kind of divider. They have a battery powered bubbler and heater.

Fish in another container with bubbler and heater.

Live rock, maybe sand, in a 3rd.

At night, bring into motel and plug in. Recharge batteries.

When we arrive, to my wife's dismay, the very first order of business will be to get the tank back up and running. It'll probably to through a mini cycle, but I think I may ditch the sand to keep things a little cleaner. The plan is to upgrade soon after arriving to a 200+ gallon system.

I've considered just selling everything and starting over, but frankly I'm attached and don't want to do that haha.

Thanks for any input fellas!

 

[ChaosAquaculture]

I would say the tank is going to go through a mini cycle for sure. I wouldnt remove the sand just yet, that is if you want to establish the cycle quicker for the sake of your fish -kali

 

[Malcontent]

I've done a few multi-day drives with fish and find that dissolved oxygen is usually the main problem. The last time I used an oxygen concentrator which solved that problem handily. Sloshing limited water depth to just a few inches and diffusing normal air didn't work that well in such shallow water.

 

[nthn135]

I've done a few multi-day drives with fish and find that dissolved oxygen is usually the main problem. The last time I used an oxygen concentrator which solved that problem handily. Sloshing limited water depth to just a few inches and diffusing normal air didn't work that well in such shallow water.

Oxygen concentrator idea is interesting, but also sounds expensive. I'll have to research that a bit. Thanks!

 

[Malcontent]

Oxygen concentrator idea is interesting, but also sounds expensive. I'll have to research that a bit. Thanks!

Yeah, you can get an oxygen regulator and rent a tank of industrial grade O2 (medical grade requires a prescription) for much cheaper and no electricity is required. There are plenty of welding/gas supply stores across the country where you can quickly swap your empty tank for a full one.

Some fishing folk use similar setups to keep their live bait and/or catches in top condition.

 

[davidcalgary29]

What's your livestock list?

 

[nthn135]

What's your livestock list?

2x clowns
1x coral beauty
1x royal Gramma
1x yellow watchman
1x scarlet cleaner shrimp
Various cleanup crew

Octospawn, torch, hammer, acan, blasto, sinularia, toadstool, various zoa's, mushrooms, andddd a couple small sticks that's about it.

 

[ColoredRock]

that is a really long drive and extremly stressfull. doing a 2.5 hour drive on my tank rehome SUCKED.. just a thought what might be better for your livestock is to re home locally and give them a better chance of survival

 

[nthn135]

that is a really long drive and extremly stressfull. doing a 2.5 hour drive on my tank rehome SUCKED.. just a thought what might be better for your livestock is to re home locally and give them a better chance of survival

Yeah, I am definitely considering that. That said, fish and coral are shipped in arguably much more stressful conditions (in a bag) often taking 2 days to arrive. I'm planning to do this drive in three days (12 hours driving per day), so I think my casualties would be minimal if any. Maybe wishful thinking.

Alternative is to find a lfs willing to hold my livestock for a few weeks and then ship to me.

 

[ColoredRock]

fish and coral are shipped in arguably much more stressful conditions

Just speaking from my nightmare...

Water.. lots of water on the other end, yours is 60g... have 100g ready when you get there. Make friends ahead of time to help you when you get to your new home.

 

[davidcalgary29]

You might want to think about splitting up the fish and shipping some with the coral. It'll be less stressful for them, and the angel really needs good oxygenation.

I'd also keep plenty of hand-warmers on hand in case the heater quits and you need some quick heat. I always keep these on hand when transporting livestock -- especially in winter -- when driving temps often range from -10C to -30C and below.
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