Worth Bringing Rocks & Sand too new tank?

[happysalt]

Hi so I'm going to be moving across the country and have been going back and forth on whether or not to bring my sand and rocks from my current tank along. The reality is by the time I box it and put the rocks in different pieces of checked luggage i'm going to be not far off just buying new rock and sand when I'm out west.

My biggest reasons for bringing it would be I'm not planning on leaving all of my corals in buckets for months while the new tank cycles and so to avoid that I thought the easy solution would be to bring the rocks and sand. I also have two mandarins and a very healthy pod population which I worry about having to start up over again and losing picky eaters.

I do also have a decent amount of media in the sump that I will be bringing with me as well.

What do you guys think I should do?

 

[flooddc]

Not worth it! sell all and start over once you're settled in you new home.
If there is a really nice pieces of rock that you can't let go, then dry them.

 

[happysalt]

Not worth it! sell all and start over once you're settled in you new home.
If there is a really nice pieces of rock that you can't let go, then dry them.

But doesn't that mean I'll have to wait for the new tank to cycle again? I have fish and corals I want to bring with me.

 

[Captain Quint]

@happysalt I'm trying to wrap my head around your move. Are you flying to your new home and shipping via air or are you using a moving company, U-Haul and doing the move yourself?

I saw you mention something about 'checked luggage'? No furniture movement?

Thanks and I'm just trying to understand so I could hopefully have some kind of hopeful/helpful suggestions.

 

[happysalt]

@Captain Quint Sorry I'll Be More specific.

I am hiring a moving company to move all of my furniture and stuff which will take a few days.

I have contracted a company already to make me a new 60" x 24" x 22" starfire glass tank.

The tank will be ready and at a depot for pickup when I land in vancouver. So my thoughts were to bring all of my corals and fish with me, and put them in tote buckets with a heater and a powerhead for a day while i set up the new tank. Then after everything is set up I filled with water I can place everything into the new aquarium.

 

[saintsreturn]

I would bring them if at all possible. You already own them, they are establish and you know the look you have. You are going to have some sort of cycle regardless (moved my tank more than most) and i dont see a drawback in your moving company moving your rocks too. The sand is easy to bring. Once you rinse it, you lose most of your beneficial s anyway, but who cares, you own it?

 

[Super Fly]

If it was me, I wouldn't move rocks/sand across country. But if I were to do so, I'd follow saintsreturn's post.

 

[happysalt]

@saintsreturn

So what you are saying is either way there is going to be a new cycle and my current corals won't make it on the journey?

 

[davocean]

Leave the sand, keep the rock, that is where most of your beneficial life is, dry sand seeds very fast.

Your rock could be just kept damp if you flew w/ it, but another option is just get brute trash cans and submerge and do that in moving van.

Pest free established rock is valuable to me, I find it hard to give up.

This also would get you a running start.

Brute cans are invaluable to me, not just for WC's, but they also make great holding vessels.

I would order new dry sand and have that waiting w/ new tank.

 

[davocean]

@saintsreturn

So what you are saying is either way there is going to be a new cycle and my current corals won't make it on the journey?

If you have enough established LR you should have little or no cycle type issues, and I think your corals should travel fine, but there's always risk of some losses in such a move.

 

[Softhammer]

I agree with above. I have moved transcontinental 3 times with tanks. The rock will keep, even if damp only. The sand very very quick becomes anoxic and rots and I mean badly. You’ll have to rinse it dozens of times to get the rotten detritus and hydrogen sulphide stink out of it. Plus sand is cheap. Rock, not so much.

 

[happysalt]

Ok so scrap the sand and just bring the rock with me. Makes my life easier.

I was thinking of checking it in luggage and packing it by double bagging it surrounded by wet newspaper. It would realistically be packed like that for 8 or 9 hours before it would end up back in water.

I was wondering what you guys thought about pool sand as a substrate. I like how fine it is compared to some of the bagged sands. Anything to worry about using that?

 

[davocean]

That would be fine, much of my live rock in the past was shipped to me wrapped in wet newspaper just like that, no problem.
If there was a lot of sponge you might give a quick scrub and SW rinse to wash off the dieoff that may come as sponge does not do well when hits air.

For this much trouble, get the real deal, dry caribsea seaflor would be my choice.

You can probably find it on sale right now.

I would also be comfortable having LR just dunked in SW in a brute w/ lid on for a day or even 2 if it fits in moving van, might be easier and cheaper than flying it.

 

[flooddc]

That's a long way between Toronto and Vancouver.
So, you're going to fly with your fish and corals in a bucket/tote? I would assumed it still take at least 1/2 day to a full day. Are they even allow that on the airplane? How are you going to hookup your heater in a tote on the airplane?
Perhaps you can pack your live stock in a styrofoam box with heat packs and check in.
LR would be okay if you kept damp.
IDK, sounds like tons of work to me. I moved my tanks just a few miles away and took me days for preparation and moving. It's sold half of my corals and still was a crazy move! I would not do it again.
best of luck with the move.

 

[saintsreturn]

@saintsreturn

So what you are saying is either way there is going to be a new cycle and my current corals won't make it on the journey?

Not saying that at all. I rinse my sand completely every time i move as most of the beneficial bacteria is in the rocks. The rocks are were i put my focus. I keep the sand because i dont see a need in buying more of what i have if i am going to pay to move anyway. All of this is assuming that these will be in the moving truck.

I put all of my rock in 5 gallon buckets with lids and water from my tank, or a brute can if need be. Corals and fish go into 5g buckets. Corals with water and fish with a small rock, aerator and heater. I have moved this way across town and across the country. I have always had a mini cycle, but that has been greatly reduced with advances in bottled bacteria. I always (as of the last two and the next 2) use Frtiz9 and put my fish back in after acclimation. I only wait for the water to settle in the tank, not for a cycle to run its process (after a move).

This may be clear as mud, but this is my stance:

1) Keep rock and sand if the cost is negligible to have your movers move them
2) Keep as much water as you can in alignment with point 1
3) Rinse sand until water is clear in 1.021-23 sallinty
4) gentle shake of rock in water to rinse detrius out but not fully clean
5) place rocks in tank
6) place sane in tank
7) refill with as much old water as possible
8) Add fritz 9
9) acclimate and relocate fish and corals into system

I have done this now from Jersey to Fl, Fl to Fl, Fl to TX and 4 times in Texas. I have only experienced minor losses in fish (tangs and ones that just hate changes), snails/conchs/urchins as most their food died, and no coral loss.

 

[saintsreturn]

Ok so scrap the sand and just bring the rock with me. Makes my life easier.

I was thinking of checking it in luggage and packing it by double bagging it surrounded by wet newspaper. It would realistically be packed like that for 8 or 9 hours before it would end up back in water.

I was wondering what you guys thought about pool sand as a substrate. I like how fine it is compared to some of the bagged sands. Anything to worry about using that?

I have seen pool sand used in fresh water, but never salt water (that i have seen) so i dont know. If you can, just ship the sand and rock with the movers. It will all be ok for the journey as long as its wet. If you are paying by the pound or something like that, ditch the sand but keep the rock. Its pest free, or at least enough to where you are happy with it. If you buy new seeded rock, you run the risk of all kinds of fun. Not worth it in my book.

Fish are harder. I have known shops to hold fish for customers and then bag/ship them once they settle into their new place. If you are not in love with your fish, explain your plan to the LFS and see if they can give you good credit on a trade in. Use that to buy something you always wanted and is light or easy to ship and then replace fish once setup. If you do love them, see if they will bag and ship to you once you are settled. No reason to make this suck more than it has to. Best of luck!

 

[happysalt]

Not saying that at all. I rinse my sand completely every time i move as most of the beneficial bacteria is in the rocks. The rocks are were i put my focus. I keep the sand because i dont see a need in buying more of what i have if i am going to pay to move anyway. All of this is assuming that these will be in the moving truck.

I put all of my rock in 5 gallon buckets with lids and water from my tank, or a brute can if need be. Corals and fish go into 5g buckets. Corals with water and fish with a small rock, aerator and heater. I have moved this way across town and across the country. I have always had a mini cycle, but that has been greatly reduced with advances in bottled bacteria. I always (as of the last two and the next 2) use Frtiz9 and put my fish back in after acclimation. I only wait for the water to settle in the tank, not for a cycle to run its process (after a move).

This may be clear as mud, but this is my stance:

1) Keep rock and sand if the cost is negligible to have your movers move them
2) Keep as much water as you can in alignment with point 1
3) Rinse sand until water is clear in 1.021-23 sallinty
4) gentle shake of rock in water to rinse detrius out but not fully clean
5) place rocks in tank
6) place sane in tank
7) refill with as much old water as possible
8) Add fritz 9
9) acclimate and relocate fish and corals into system

I have done this now from Jersey to Fl, Fl to Fl, Fl to TX and 4 times in Texas. I have only experienced minor losses in fish (tangs and ones that just hate changes), snails/conchs/urchins as most their food died, and no coral loss.

dang that should have been a post on its own. I appreciate that help soo much. Does your same philosophy apply if the movers are picking everything up on December 28th and it will not arive at the new location until January 8th?

 

[saintsreturn]

dang that should have been a post on its own. I appreciate that help soo much. Does your same philosophy apply if the movers are picking everything up on December 28th and it will not arive at the new location until January 8th?

Sure does. I have had two batches of live rock sitting in my garage for months. The first one was there for 7 weeks and the second for 11 weeks and counting. Easy low maintenance. Same goes for sand. I just rinsed the sand weekly in the beginning and now i do it every couple weeks to keep it from getting stagnant. May not be necessary, but makes me feel better. As soon as the LR gets to your house, put a pump in the bucket so it has water movement and O2 exchange.

 

[saintsreturn]

Just caught something in my response. I would be comfortable doing this with everything but the livestock. Those need to be back into something more suitable ASAP and not in a moving truck.

 

[Captain Quint]

Leave the sand, keep the rock, that is where most of your beneficial life is, dry sand seeds very fast.

Your rock could be just kept damp if you flew w/ it, but another option is just get brute trash cans and submerge and do that in moving van.

Pest free established rock is valuable to me, I find it hard to give up.

This also would get you a running start.

Brute cans are invaluable to me, not just for WC's, but they also make great holding vessels.

I would order new dry sand and have that waiting w/ new tank.

+1 100% I've done it too many times too remember and many times to help locals move.