I need advice on moving a reef tank

[sawdavis]

I am moving from Davis, CA to Mission Viejo, Ca (about a days drive) and would like some advice about how to move my reef tank. I won't be moving for at least a year so I have plenty of time to plan ahead. Should I sell my corals and fish and just start over (this would be heart wrenching) or is there a way to do this without killing everything. My tank is 75 gallons and has mostly LPS, rock flower anemones, and softies. I have four damsels and two clowns, lots of crabs and snails and one sea urchin (not the long spiny one).

Any tips/ advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Paul B]

I moved my 125 gallon 2 years ago with all the corals, fish, rock etc and didn't lose anything.
I bought a new tank and the day before my move, I installed it in my new house and put some water in it.
In my old house I put everything in vats with as much water as I could move. I rented a truck and moved everything about 2 hours to my new house.

I threw heaters in the vats while I added more water (That I collected the day before) and I put everything back in the TANK.

Here is a thread on it. Good luck.

Moving 47 year old reef 60 miles. OMG

So about six months ago our closest friends got a new Grand Son and he lives in Long Island right near where I live. Of course they wanted to see him all the time and they moved to Key Largo a couple of years ago so they bought a condo 60 miles east from my home out on Long Island in wine...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Gablami]

It would be a lot easier if you could buy a new tank and have it ready to go on location (precycle some rock, or bring your own, so you can add live stock right away). Then when you make the move you can drop the livestock in after a days drive (like shipping, but even better cause you can have bubblers and heaters). And then take down your old tank and sell it.

it is possible to move the livestock and the tank all at once, but it’s super stressful, a lot of work, and potential for things to go really wrong (like what if your tank or stand sustains damage during the move?).

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Sounds like the best time to upgrade your aquarium size

 

[sawdavis]

How long can coral and fish survive without aeration?

 

[Paul B]

It depends on the surface area of the container they are in and how many fish you have.
They survive a day in a plastic bag from where they were collected but they add oxygen to the bags

If you remove some water from their container once in a while and dump it back in, they can survive forever.

 

[Beardo]

Definately doable. I moved my 270g a similar distance (SF Bay area to San Diego) in 2018 with no losses. I utilized a bunch of the commander 27gallon totes and a fee buckets to move all my livestock. Added a couple battery powered air pumps to the containers with fish, but honestly the sloshing about that happens while driving provides oxygen exchange.
Once I arrived, I put all my livestock into a couple stock tanks I set up beforehand. Had to do this becasue tank was being shipped.
Have plenty of water on hand at the arrival location. I used all new water myself.
Makes for a very long day though. Started removing livestock at about 5:00 am and finished about 4:00 am the next day.

Not sure what your situation is, but being able to have something set up, whether a different tank, a stock tank or something similar, at the arrival location makes everything easier. This way you can just add the livestock and then take the time to set your tank up.