Tank Move Prep Question

[TheTangFuzz]

**46G Oceanic Bowfront Reef no sump HOB filter and internal skimmer **


I am going to be moving into a house in just a few weeks and have been thinking about how I am going to do this. I bought new live sand just to avoid messing with the old sand. I'll keep it and rinse it for another tank, but I don't want to mess with it on moving day. I bought a 40lbs bag of CaribSea live sand, but it is dry as a bone in the bag... Does this mean the sand is dead? If the sand is okay do I use the little packet that comes with the sand while livestock is in the tank or is that a bad idea?

I also am going to be building a little pvc stand to temporarily put my lights over my stand so I don't have to mount them or hang them that day (once again less stress the day of the move). Do I need to clean the tank? When the tank is empty and being moved (I'm moving 3 miles away out of my third story apt to a house) do I need to keep the inner tank walls wet? Should I just wipe down the tank? These are just some things I don't see addressed when looking at forum posts or other sites on how to move your tank.

Thank you all.

 

[dwest]

**46G Oceanic Bowfront Reef no sump HOB filter and internal skimmer **


I am going to be moving into a house in just a few weeks and have been thinking about how I am going to do this. I bought new live sand just to avoid messing with the old sand. I'll keep it and rinse it for another tank, but I don't want to mess with it on moving day. I bought a 40lbs bag of CaribSea live sand, but it is dry as a bone in the bag... Does this mean the sand is dead? If the sand is okay do I use the little packet that comes with the sand while livestock is in the tank or is that a bad idea?

I also am going to be building a little pvc stand to temporarily put my lights over my stand so I don't have to mount them or hang them that day (once again less stress the day of the move). Do I need to clean the tank? When the tank is empty and being moved (I'm moving 3 miles away out of my third story apt to a house) do I need to keep the inner tank walls wet? Should I just wipe down the tank? These are just some things I don't see addressed when looking at forum posts or other sites on how to move your tank.

Thank you all.

IMO live sand doesn’t do anything anyway. I would consider moving a cupful of your old sand to inoculate your new sand. The tank would be fine with a quick wipe down or rinse.

The key is to heavily oxygenate the fish, rocks, and coral on the trip. It sounds like a fast trip so temperature is important but likely secondary. Certainly don’t let things get too warm. It sounds like you are thinking this through well. I think battery operated bait bucket air pumps are your best friend here.

Good luck with the move!

 

[Jmasonreef]

"live" sand is a marketing tactic.... Here is a recipe for it: Dry sand plus some Dr.Tims voila.

 

[brandon429]

Be sure n read the sand rinse thread kicked up here, it's this job x200 documented moves w pics

You'd be surprised how important light intensity is in the new tank to avoid bleaching, bacteria are the least concern as we don't need sandbed bacteria at all they're mere extras.

If we take a working reef tank and hook up three new canister filters and cycle them, at anytime those can be taken offline safely since the original surface area was merely added to, not reduced. The rocks you're moving are there only required surface area, old sand is mere extra surface area + waste

 

[TheTangFuzz]

Be sure n read the sand rinse thread kicked up here, it's this job x200 documented moves w pics

You'd be surprised how important light intensity is in the new tank to avoid bleaching, bacteria are the least concern as we don't need sandbed bacteria at all they're mere extras.

If we take a working reef tank and hook up three new canister filters and cycle them, at anytime those can be taken offline safely since the original surface area was merely added to, not reduced. The rocks you're moving are there only required surface area, old sand is mere extra surface area + waste

Not setting up new tank just moving this one. I'll rinse that sand and save it. I'll just stick it in a bucket for another time.

 

[TheTangFuzz]

IMO live sand doesn’t do anything anyway. I would consider moving a cupful of your old sand to inoculate your new sand. The tank would be fine with a quick wipe down or rinse.

The key is to heavily oxygenate the fish, rocks, and coral on the trip. It sounds like a fast trip so temperature is important but likely secondary. Certainly don’t let things get too warm. It sounds like you are thinking this through well. I think battery operated bait bucket air pumps are your best friend here.

Good luck with the move!

Plan is to move everything into 5G buckets scoop sand in a rubbermaid to keep for later. Put tank on the truck drive three miles and set it right back up with new sand and about half new water. 2 clowns, 1 engineer goby, 1 flagtail goby, and 1 scooter blenny, pistol shrimp, peppermint shrimp. Various snails. You're thinking put all of them together and put a air pump on them? Corals are just gonna go in their own bucket or maybe a ziplock.

Figured the temp shouldn't swing a ton but I will monitor and float ziplock bags to maintain temp if needed I will definately make sure to seed the new sand.

 

[dwest]

Plan is to move everything into 5G buckets scoop sand in a rubbermaid to keep for later. Put tank on the truck drive three miles and set it right back up with new sand and about half new water. 2 clowns, 1 engineer goby, 1 flagtail goby, and 1 scooter blenny, pistol shrimp, peppermint shrimp. Various snails. You're thinking put all of them together and put a air pump on them? Corals are just gonna go in their own bucket or maybe a ziplock.

Figured the temp shouldn't swing a ton but I will monitor and float ziplock bags to maintain temp if needed I will definately make sure to seed the new sand.

I think you can do what you are saying. Most likely corals need to separated from each other. I would keep one cup of old sand for new tank. Good luck.

 

[TheTangFuzz]

I think you can do what you are saying. Most likely corals need to separated from each other. I would keep one cup of old sand for new tank. Good luck.

Sweet! I really needed someone else to tell me it was going to be alright mostly. Thank you.