Is relocating a tank doable?

[Amart44]

Hello, I’m planning on relocating and will be moving across different states. I have had my Red Sea max nano tank for a couple of months now and would hate to have to sell everything after starting it all up. Is it possible to do a two day road trip and bring everything with me? I have corals, fish, and inverts. If so, what would be the best way to do this?

 

[ReeferSamster]

Hello, I’m planning on relocating and will be moving across different states. I have had my Red Sea max nano tank for a couple of months now and would hate to have to sell everything after starting it all up. Is it possible to do a two day road trip and bring everything with me? I have corals, fish, and inverts. If so, what would be the best way to do this?

A bunch of rubbermaid tubs and battery operated air pumps. You can do it!

If you sell them all, after sitting down in your new place you will regret that decision like the girl that got away.

 

[homer1475]

Yup it can be done, and has been done many times over with much larger systems.

Rubbermaid tubs, styrofoam boxes, bags, battery operated air pumps, DC/AC converter for a couple heaters. If your lucky, you have a newer vehicle which comes with an AC plug for a heater or 2.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Totally doable.

The Topfin mf10 or mf20 are awesome travel filters. Hook up inside a cooler with your fish and a heater.

 

[Jekyl]

Sounds like an excuse for a larger tank to me lol.

 

[Acros]

If it is 2 days of drive, I would sell all livestock. Rocks will be fine in a bucket of water. I recently moved all livestock including corals across state lines (it was only a 2.5 hour move).

 

[Eazy E]

Because of my job, I have to move every few years from state to state. The first time I relocated my reef tank I moved from Washington State to South Carolina with corals, inverts, and fish. I bought a 5 gallon bucket with removable lid and a car inverter from amazon. I put everything in the bucket in the back of my truck and plugged an air stone into the inverter and started driving. When I stopped at night in hotels I brought them inside and plugged in the air stone and a heater. With a 5 gallon bucket and a small hole cut in the lid you don't have to worry about water sloshing around and damaging coral, water spilling in your vehicle, or terrifying your fish! You have to start your tank over and it's going to cycle again, but you get to keep all your critters.

I've done this three times now and haven't lost anything; Washington St to South Carolina, South Carolina to Kentucky, and a few months ago Kentucky to Texas. I've had my clown pairs since I lived in South Carolina.

 

[Reeferjunkie]

Good luck plan well and you can do it

 

[ApoIsland]

Hello, I’m planning on relocating and will be moving across different states. I have had my Red Sea max nano tank for a couple of months now and would hate to have to sell everything after starting it all up. Is it possible to do a two day road trip and bring everything with me? I have corals, fish, and inverts. If so, what would be the best way to do this?

I would definitely not sell the tank or equipment but probably get rid of the living stuff. How many corals fish and inverts do you really have in a 2 month old nano?

If you are only going to buy the equipment necessary for the move (battery operated electronics/ any adapters / tubs / etc..) for the sole purpose of the move, then I would probably just put that $ towards purchasing new livestock at the new location and forget the headache.

 

[Big Smelly fish]

Very doable, I have moved tanks from one state to another over a 4 day period and didn’t loose a thing.
five gallon buckets. Air pumps and power hear heads. During the drive part the fish and coral did fine with the motion of the car for water movement. At night being into Hotel room and use pumps and air stones.
it was a good 5 days before tank was set up and didn’t lose anything. Something’s not happy

 

[MillennialReefer]

The livestock is easy to transport. I would make sure you really wrap the tank an equipment in blankets and lots of cushioning.

 

[CayeCaulker]

With enough planning anything is possible. You have to weigh the risks and watch the weather! Temperature and oxygen are your big risks.

Since your system is small you should be able to pull it off. Spring is a nice mild time of year that could make temperature more manageable. Stuff can get cold and fare better than hot. Two days of travel is quite a bit of time. Doctor's offices throw out coolers that their vaccines are shipped in. DC aeration and temperature control are your two big risks. Those Styrofoam coolers are easy to poke holes into and install airlines.

Have a backup plan during your move. Be prepared for a air pump failure and have extra water mixed and ready to go. You can power the aerators off the 12v system in your vehicle or trailer. They sell 12v aerators or you could just use a inverter but the inverter will consume more power. I would use a large battery along with the solution. You will probably spend the night somewhere on the road and it would be awful to get in your vehicle and try to start it after a long night of your battery getting sucked dry. If you need heaters you will need a inverter to power it. They can suck quite a bit of power if your storage tanks are not well insulated. I would want to setup multiple coolers and not put all your eggs in one basket.

Keep in mind that the aerators will affect temperature based on the ambient source air temperature that is pumped into the system. They move quite a bit of thermal energy.