Moving from NY to CO
- Thread starter Cherie cook
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OP
OP
Cherie cook
Cherbear
My tank is an 80 gallon “cube”.The move is getting close...have two coolers, one for fish and one for live rock. Cooler tops will be closed because of sloshing...so we plan to drill holes in the tops for the equipment cords to feed through. I’m unsure about how much water to put in with the live rock...we can’t cover it with water because it will be too heavy to carry. Maybe half full? I figure a power head for circulation and maybe a heater? The fish will have both. Will carry extra buckets of made-up saltwater. No feeding. Amqell, etc for ammonia buildup. Prob some bottled bacteria. Would an air stone be better for the fish...not blow them around as much? Suggestions appreciated guys. What am I not thinking of? What could I improve on?
OP
OP
Cherie cook
Cherbear
I will get some of those, definitely. The fish and rock will be traveling in the back of a pickup truck that has a cab on the back. My husband plans to put something...I think it’s called an inverter, to run power from the trucks battery.
OP
OP
Cherie cook
Cherbear
We’re figuring 3 to 4 days.
SDK
Reef Diver
My two cents after moving from NY to Oregon and back to Massachusetts.
Things go wrong, plans get screwed up, and everything takes longer than you think it will on a cross country move. Not only during the trip itself, but upon arrival. I could type out ten paragraphs on all of the crazy things that happened during our move.
My advice after doing it, would be to sell off all of your livestock and rock. Then break down and clean the equipment and pack it well. This will take a ton of stress off of the move itself, and could possibly save your livestock.
Get through the move, get your act back together and set yourself back up at your leisure when things have settled down.
Good luck either way!
Things go wrong, plans get screwed up, and everything takes longer than you think it will on a cross country move. Not only during the trip itself, but upon arrival. I could type out ten paragraphs on all of the crazy things that happened during our move.
My advice after doing it, would be to sell off all of your livestock and rock. Then break down and clean the equipment and pack it well. This will take a ton of stress off of the move itself, and could possibly save your livestock.
Get through the move, get your act back together and set yourself back up at your leisure when things have settled down.
Good luck either way!
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Captain Quint
Plank Owner of the Orca
For long travels, I use a 40g tote drilled with the holes as well and use a preset heater for the size container, small PH and an airstone via a power inverter for the fishes.
But I have never done a 3 or 4-day journey with critters.
But I have never done a 3 or 4-day journey with critters.
Mjrenz
2500 Club Member
I've thought about this for a future move that may or may not happen, I'm planning on enlisting the help of my current lfs to ship my fish and corals to a lfs in the new location to keep until my tank is established at the new house. It may cost extra but it would be much less hassle and you'd probably have a higher survival rate
OP
OP
Cherie cook
Cherbear
Thanks. The problem is, I live in a very rural area...there are actually NO aquarium shops near me...the closest is about two hours away. The owner at “Green Mountain Coral” near Stowe, VT is a great guy and has agreed to hold my coral until I get the tank back up in Colorado...then ship them to me. I figure I can get the fish and the rock to Colorado..hopefully with minimal losses. I know I will have some die-off with the live rock and will have to let it cycle again. So I’ll be prying and cutting my corals off the rock, but I have some really nice polyp colonies that obviously I won’t be able to remove much of it...do you think it would be ok to put a rock or two in with the fish for the ride...as long as I secure it so it doesn’t slide around?
kchristensen8064
Well-Known Member
What part of Colorado are you moving to?
albano
2500 Club Member
Live rock does not need to be totally submerged in water... keep LR covered with wet newspaper in a sealed plastic bag (with saltwater) and it should be fine for the trip
IMO, fish should not be shipped with LR in their containers but probably are not going to survive the trip anyway! Give/trade them to lfs and buy new fish when your tank is ready.
IMO, fish should not be shipped with LR in their containers but probably are not going to survive the trip anyway! Give/trade them to lfs and buy new fish when your tank is ready.
OP
OP
Cherie cook
Cherbear
About 45 min west of Denver, little town called Dumont. It’s near Georgetown, Idaho springs and some big ski centers.
OP
OP
Cherie cook
Cherbear
Not saying you’re wrong, I’m just curious....why do you say my fish wont survive? Can you think of some way I can improve my plan?
kchristensen8064
Well-Known Member
I'm very familiar. I live north of Denver, but drive throughout the state for work. I pass through the Dumont area numerous times a week. They're are some really good LFS's in the Denver area.
OP
OP
Cherie cook
Cherbear
Also should the live rock container have a small power head and a heater..that was my plan.
OP
OP
Cherie cook
Cherbear
I can’t wait! We are leaving here around the 1st of May.
SDK
Reef Diver
It’s hard to say as far as tips or expectations go. Being on the road for days and days has a way of damaging things.
Hours of vibration, bumps, temp variations, curves sloshing things around, etc will take its toll on your livestock and furniture. If the back of the pickup is not heated, an in home aquarium heater won’t do much if the covered bed is 30 degrees all night and 90 an hour later when the sun comes up.
You can hit storms of the snow or tornado variety at this time of year. You could have problems with various utilities and things not being fully ready at your destination etc.
I went through all of the above, plus a highway being closed for the entire night in Wyoming when a storm blew in. We moved quickly and were able to snag a hotel room, but hundreds of others spent the night in their cars.
Dumont is a nice town BTW. You are going to love living there. I’m in Shrewsbury, MA near where 495 meets the mass pike (90). If your route is taking you down and onto the pike, I could probably put your fish in my QT tank and find them a home with someone in my local reef club.
Hours of vibration, bumps, temp variations, curves sloshing things around, etc will take its toll on your livestock and furniture. If the back of the pickup is not heated, an in home aquarium heater won’t do much if the covered bed is 30 degrees all night and 90 an hour later when the sun comes up.
You can hit storms of the snow or tornado variety at this time of year. You could have problems with various utilities and things not being fully ready at your destination etc.
I went through all of the above, plus a highway being closed for the entire night in Wyoming when a storm blew in. We moved quickly and were able to snag a hotel room, but hundreds of others spent the night in their cars.
Dumont is a nice town BTW. You are going to love living there. I’m in Shrewsbury, MA near where 495 meets the mass pike (90). If your route is taking you down and onto the pike, I could probably put your fish in my QT tank and find them a home with someone in my local reef club.
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albano
2500 Club Member
I think that 1 or 2 days would have better odds for survival, but 3 or 4 days is almost impossible...not to mention you will still need time to set up a tank there... not worth risking the fish.
OP
OP
Cherie cook
Cherbear
Maybe I will ask my guy from “Green Mountain Corals” if he would consider keeping my fish also..and then sending them when I’m ready. He might do that.
