Logistics of a college reef

[CD_Scapes]

I see there are lots of people with college reefs, I’m curious as to how this all works out when having to move in and out of the dorms. I would have to move the tank from my house to college, potentially back home for winter break, then back to college for spring semester, and last of all after second semester ends. Isn’t it bad to move a reef that much? If I got one I would really only have softies so it might not be as bad, but I doubt I’d get any maturity from it due to disrupting it ever few months

 

[blasterman]

Keep it bare bottom, and / or keep a layer of lava rocks on the bottom.

Softies can spread across the rocks and its easy to move the tank.

 

[Nick Steele]

I’d say if you could keep it small and every time you move it do a 100% water change and clean off your rocks. Basically do a rip clean each time and you should be good. Go other and read the sand bed cleaning thread it has a lot of info in there. Would also help if college is less than a days drive away from your other residence.


I did a rip clean when my tank was 1 year old and it took all day 6+ hours and I didn’t have any loss on fish or corals.

 

[CD_Scapes]

I’d say if you could keep it small and every time you move it do a 100% water change and clean off your rocks. Basically do a rip clean each time and you should be good. Go other and read the sand bed cleaning thread it has a lot of info in there. Would also help if college is less than a days drive away from your other residence.


I did a rip clean when my tank was 1 year old and it took all day 6+ hours and I didn’t have any loss on fish or corals.

Will do! Still not sure if I’m going to do a reef. College is only 2.5 hours away so that’s nice too

 

[sean151]

I did a bare bottom 5gal and then 10g AIO for 3 years of college. With that size you can use 1 bucket and 1 Styrofoam cooler for transportation, cooler with bagged frags and my 1 small fish and bucket with LR with the rest of your water. Everything can be done quite well and relatively easily. With minimal water loss and never lost anything due to the tank moves. Clown goby lived for at least 3 years after college before passing.

 

[MaxTremors]

I don’t know, I lived off campus in an art collective for most of college. Was able to keep a 55g the whole time, taught a friend to take care of it for a year I was in Europe (they did an awful job).