Moving 72 from one room to the other...

[Whatigot]

Howdy reefers...
I acquired a ca reactor along with a 15 gallon drilled 'fuge with stand this past week and I now see that while I might be able to squeeze this stuff into the space I have, I would have to tap out there on running any other tanks into the same system and any other equipment would have to go on the floor in front of the tank.

I have decided I need to move my tank, It started as a softies/lps tank but has become a mixed reef with more sps than anything now but it's been about 8 months since I first added the majority of the LR.

I love my scape and have spent literally HOURS making it the perfectly balanced and 0 glue scape that it is so I plan on taking about 20 pics of it prior to moving it and breaking the rocks into containers that will hold pieces that are supposed to fit together to ease the recreation of the rockwork.

I am hoping those experienced in doing an in house move can help me with some tips...
I have a couple extra tanks to house coral and fish in for a day or two if need be, but I want this to be as quick and painless as possible.

on the plus side, I will be dedicating a new room to my tanks and can now purport to have a "fish room" which makes me feel like a real canreefer...lol

[Diana]

Okay... I know you want to try to preserve your aquascape (trust me, Ive moved my tanks so many times with that goal in mind and it never works) but to be honest, it 99% of the time ends up looking better with each time I rearrange it. I would recommend that you forget trying to keep pieces grouped in buckets with how they go together, because it will just end up frustrating you more during a big move.

Setting up a spare tank with the coral and fish will really help you spend time with your aquascape. If you like the "wall of rock" look then thats cool, put all the rock in and let things settle and then move things around after its all in there to go it how you like it, and dont worry about the fish and coral until things look pretty good to you.

I do have a recommendation about the aquascape though. I've done the "pile of rock" in a couple tanks and found that the lack of flow in behind and around the rockwork really contributes to a buildup of waste on the rock and in the sandbed. Even if you stick a powerhead back there if there is rock in the way then the flow wont go anywhere. Set up the rock about 2-3" away from the back glass, and create lots of archways to allow water to flow freely in and around the rock. This is will help to keep the rock healthy, and over time will contribute to a much healthier reef.

Having a couple bins set up to house the rock while you move the equipment will really help as well.


-Diana

[marie]

I agree with Diana, don't try to get it to look the same it never works. Some of my best aquascaping has been done when the water is too cloudy to see I'm doing and I've been in a hurry to get the rock back in the water

[bullit67]

you could always do what they did at my Dentist office they were renovating and they needed to move the 110gal. corner bow . So all the contractors got togeather and slid the tank on the strand full of water with all the rock and coral in it they pushed it about 30 feet down the hall to a back room. and then back again I could not believe it. I guess ignorance is bliss. If one of use tried that knowing what we know it would be a disaster.

Any way back to your move When I swapped tanks a few years ago I set up a stock tank in a room close to the tank put most of my water in it the all the fish and coral went in. I used a couple of rubber made totes to put all the rock in cover it with towels to keep it moist. this also helps as you still have your water to refill with.

Good luck

[ElGuappo]

Originally Posted by marie

some of my best aquascaping has been done when the water is too cloudy to see i'm doing and i've been in a hurry to get the rock back in the water

+1

[Whatigot]

Originally Posted by Diana

Okay... I know you want to try to preserve your aquascape (trust me, Ive moved my tanks so many times with that goal in mind and it never works) but to be honest, it 99% of the time ends up looking better with each time I rearrange it. I would recommend that you forget trying to keep pieces grouped in buckets with how they go together, because it will just end up frustrating you more during a big move.

Setting up a spare tank with the coral and fish will really help you spend time with your aquascape. If you like the "wall of rock" look then thats cool, put all the rock in and let things settle and then move things around after its all in there to go it how you like it, and dont worry about the fish and coral until things look pretty good to you.

I do have a recommendation about the aquascape though. I've done the "pile of rock" in a couple tanks and found that the lack of flow in behind and around the rockwork really contributes to a buildup of waste on the rock and in the sandbed. Even if you stick a powerhead back there if there is rock in the way then the flow wont go anywhere. Set up the rock about 2-3" away from the back glass, and create lots of archways to allow water to flow freely in and around the rock. This is will help to keep the rock healthy, and over time will contribute to a much healthier reef.

Having a couple bins set up to house the rock while you move the equipment will really help as well.


-Diana

I assure, I took the utmost care in making sure my rocks recieve flow just about all over, there are several Koralias in behind the rock work and about 90% of the rocks are at least 1" off the back glass, this took time and adjustment and a lot of hassle (I.E. - not all "pile of rocks" are created equal), not to mention a nano wavebox is in the works for me as we speak which should really ensure even flow.
I am more concerned with the funcionality of the scape rather than the aesthetics although there is nothing wrong with a balance of those.

It took a lot of time to make sure everything was placed to ensure they were happy with their flow, lighting and neighbours as this is a mixed reef.
I know there are a lot of people who think the "rock wall" is amatuer, but I love it, 'scaping is the whole reason I got into reefs and it's totally zen for me and I apply only my own rules to my creativity in my little living microcosm.
Im obsessed with having a glue free scape (except for frags) that is solid and has flowing, pleasing (to me) lines to it and I don't do things just because everyone else does

For me, in this move, I was hoping to get some suggestions on preserving the 'scape and making the move as hassle free as possible, and telling me not to bother trying to keep my rockwork is sort of counter productive to this thread...lol
I respect your opinion and I appreciate the attempt at advice but I don't think I was clear enough on what i was hoping to get from this thread....

I know it will make it easier to have a couple of tanks with all livestock until the new scape settles, thats why I mentioned it but all the same, that is a valid tip for sure...lol
Does anyone have any hints or tips at all or should I just go both barrels blazing and get er done?
seems like I have all my ducks in a row and I just wanted to make sure with this board that there wasn't anything else I could do to ease the pain...


other tanks for the fish and coral to hangout for a day or two if need be - Check
Try not to focus on keeping the same 'scape - Check
Bins for Rocks - Check

anyone else have some helpful suggestions>?
thank you.

[christyf5]

I've done several tank teardowns and restarts. Not much moving the tank but its essentially the same thing.

Make sure you have several bins for water, rock, fish, corals. Start by siphoning as much water out as you can and don't put anybody in with that (if you're going to be saving water). Once you get to the halfway point, use the rest of the water to store various corals/rock/fish in. I see you have 3 royal grammas, I wouldn't put them in the same bin (just a suggestion, damned cool to see 3 in a tank btw!! ). Don't put fish in with the rock (it shifts so easily) put them in with the corals. Any large slimy type leathers shouldn't have fish in with them and should probly be separate with some semi-nasty water you collect last (reduces the oxygen in the water and can react with fish gills).

For "preserving your aquascaping" I would suggest you have tubs laid out LEFT, CENTER, and RIGHT then you can hopefully put those pieces in each tub so you know what goes where. When I tore my tanks down unfortunately the only pieces that I ever got back in the right spots were the very large "base" rocks that went on the bottom of the tank (they were more easily recognizable) and some of the rocks that had corals attached, the rest was always a crap shoot (and I had photos too!!).

Moving a tank is pretty easy, its just the labouring that is hard and its very time consuming. Once you get a system going it goes pretty well. Oh and you might want to have a chunk of eggcrate or something to put over the fish tub as your fish might get a bit stressed over the whole thing and want to jump out.

[Whatigot]

holy...
That was very helpfull...

I am almost lookign forward to this move now.

Thanks christy, I will probably print out that post and do it step by step as thats pretty much how I was thinking it should go but just refined.

Left, right and center bins for my rockwork is actually perfect and I was thinking/hoping I could leave the 3 base pieces I have in place as the tank is only being moved about 30 feet and won't leave the stand.

[christyf5]

Glad I could help. Good luck with the move!

[Diana]

Ah, attempt at advice, I see.