Unique moving situation: ISO Advice

[PorterK]

Hey everyone!

In about a month I will be moving houses meaning I am going to have to take my tank with me.

I recently switched from a canister filter to a sump (the difference in water quality is crazy). I have a 55gal tank and a 15 gal sump. When we move I am not reconnecting the canister filter to my tank, I'm going to give it to a friend in the hobby.

Luckily for me I don't have any coral yet and the house we are moving to we will live in for a while. The inhabitants of the tank include a beautiful clown, a turbo, a few other types of snails, and around 5 hermits. As well as chaetomorfa (does that count? macroalgae is a living thing too!). I'm hoping to get my first corals after we settle in, this is a 6mo old tank.

The unique part is that I am moving about 5 houses down in my neighborhood. Like 500 ft maybe. Long story short, we are renting from my girlfriends mom and they (her mom) just got a much bigger house and are selling the house we currently live in (its smaller/older than their current house).

What parts of the normal moving process to a keep and what parts can I skip? I don't think 2 minutes in a car will be too traumatizing on my system...

What do you guys think? Should I start mixing the salt water now?

 

[ndrwater]

Couple if questions and a suggestion or two
Is it feasable to drain the tank relatively low, then get it and the stand as a unit on to some furniture dollies and just roll it to the new location?
Do you have access to, or can you get large NEW Rubbermaid (or similar) trash cans?
Your tank isn't huge and could probably be moved relatively easily. Fortunately, also being relatively new, you shouldn't have all the gunk that would be in a well established tank. I personally would do as I said above unless that's just not an option.
If not, I would still drain as much as possible and CAREFULLY move the tank and stand to it's new home. Refill using much if the old water and top off with new. Think good sized water change..
Know that there may be an Ammonia spike, but I wouldn't expect a large one. Give the tank a bit if time to settle down before adding anything new.
Good luck with your new home!!

 

[PorterK]

Couple if questions and a suggestion or two
Is it feasable to drain the tank relatively low, then get it and the stand as a unit on to some furniture dollies and just roll it to the new location?
Do you have access to, or can you get large NEW Rubbermaid (or similar) trash cans?
Your tank isn't huge and could probably be moved relatively easily. Fortunately, also being relatively new, you shouldn't have all the gunk that would be in a well established tank. I personally would do as I said above unless that's just not an option.
If not, I would still drain as much as possible and CAREFULLY move the tank and stand to it's new home. Refill using much if the old water and top off with new. Think good sized water change..
Know that there may be an Ammonia spike, but I wouldn't expect a large one. Give the tank a bit if time to settle down before adding anything new.
Good luck with your new home!!

I think its feasible to roll the tank to its new home so long as we dont take it down any curbs or anything.... but yeah I was actually thinking about just draining half the water into a rubber maid trashcan with the wheels, wheeling that down, and putting the tank on the back of a pickup truck and just driving it slowly down.

 

[ndrwater]

That'd definitely work. Either way, try and keep the tank as fully supported as you can during the move. Water in a tank, either glass or acrylic can cause shifting pressure on the seams. Don't be alarmed, just something to keep in mind during the move.

 

[PorterK]

That'd definitely work. Either way, try and keep the tank as fully supported as you can during the move. Water in a tank, either glass or acrylic can cause shifting pressure on the seams. Don't be alarmed, just something to keep in mind during the move.

Yep. The goal will be to keep the water as level as possible. Should I remove the clown?

 

[ndrwater]

That is entirely up to you. If there is a possibility of the clown being crushed or hurt in the move, or, if you see the move taking longer than an hour or so, it might be best to move him to a container with clean water.
Having really only one or two fish to temporarily move makes this an easy decision in my book.