Relocating a 90g established tank

[Mario0240]

So, I met with my buddy that is selling me the tank that I’m getting. Turns out there’s a sea urchin in there too! But, he gave me lots of advice on the tank, what’s he’s been doing to keep up with it, how it runs, and we even went over how exactly we’re going to make the move. It gave me a lot of confidence in getting it moved from his house to my house.

 

[vetteguy53081]

If you can keep the sand in there and drain tank and set it back up with 3-4 hours, its like doing a major water change and the bacteria in sand will remain alive. Upon filling, pour water over a large dish or similar trying not to agitate the sand bed.

 

[Mario0240]

His house is .7 miles from mine and we have to cross one major street. So the actual move is not far and after speaking to my LFS today too, he said the same exact thing! As well as my buddy! My LFS, who coincidentally had helped maintain and fill this tank, said that we should try to keep 75% of the water that’s in the tank now and, like you said, do a large water change and should be good to go.

 

[Mario0240]

Alright folks!! It’s almost moving day! I’ve got everything I need to get is bad boy moved, got salt and other supplies at the LFS, and have a vague game plan in place. Hopefully it’ll go something like this:

Moving day

- [ ] Turn off pumps and start soaking the hydrometer.
- [ ] Empty out sump into a tote with chato.
- [ ] Clean out protein skimmer.
- [ ] Take good off top and dis assemble all lights and other electrical systems. (Take lots of pictures so everything gets reconnect correctly)
- [ ] Start draining water into a tote.
- [ ] Begin disconnecting plumbing on the back of the tank and in the sump. (Again, take lots of pictures so everything get reconnected correctly)
- [ ] As water is draining, begin taking rock and coral out and put it and the urchin, and crab, in the tote that has water in it.
- [ ] When water level gets low enough, catch lionfish and put him in a bucket
- [ ] Once all coral, livestock, and rick is out, bring water level down enough to keep the sand wet and bedded down for transport.
- [ ] Load everything up, carefully, and begin the .7 mile drive home!
- [ ] Do everything in reverse following up on notes and pictures taken to make sure everything is reassembled and connected properly.

Once everything get back to pumping and circulating again, I’m gonna put some fresh fritzyme in there, after topping off with some fresh saltwater, and test the water the next day. I’m thinking of testing it every day for the first week or so, just to make sure everything is coming back to normal.

Any input on my plan is welcome, as this is my first and probably not last time moving this tank.

 

[Qasimja]

sounds like you have a full day ahead hope everything goes smoothly

 

[Mario0240]

I did it!! I got my tank moved into my house, got equipment running, plumbing tuned, and all livestock is happy!!!

 

[W1ngz]

Awesome! Have you done some flood tests to be sure you have the water levels right and safe?

-simulate a power failure (turn off the return and skimmer) and make sure the sump can hold the water that siphons back through the returns. Give it at least 30 minutes to make sure there's no slow trickles that will catch you by surprise. Watch the sump level carefully to be sure it's not slowly creeping up after the initial backflow.

-if you have multiple drains, simulate a blocked main drain and make sure the other(s) can take up the flow without overflowing the tank.

 

[Mario0240]

Everything looked good! Just did one, on purpose, today and did one accidentally yesterday. Levels held well, albeit cutting it dang close.

Also tested water last night after adding bacteria and letting the system run for 3ish hours. All levels were good.

My carpet anemone was looking sad this morning but I think it was stress induced. Fed everyone, including the urchin by accident, and all looks well. Anemone is moving and sticky, urchin is very active, and lionfish is floating around too.

Can’t wait to add an eel and some coral now!!

 

[W1ngz]

Also tested water last night after adding bacteria and letting the system run for 3ish hours. All levels were good.

Hopefully things settle in nicely for you. Should anything go wrong, it will be necessary to elaborate on 'good' with a full list of parameters and values. All your answers will be in the data you collect and share.

 

[Mario0240]

I’m keeping a log. I’m gonna test for what I can tonight too and compare. Plan to do so until this weekend then space it out a little, should everything hold steady.