Advice Needed - Temporary Tank Move

[stefani]

Hi -

I need some advice about temporarily moving a 90 gallon tank to another room of my house. We're having the flooring replaced, and will need to move the tank out of the room for about two days while it's installed. The tank has been set up for 6 months. And luckily, there's not much in it right now.

75 lbs. of live rock
50 lbs. of aragonite sand
1 pistol shrimp
1 peppermint shrimp
assorted hermits and snails

The tank has a built in overflow with wet/dry filter and return pump.

My current plan:

Move ~10 lbs. of rock to a 10 gallon aquarium of tank water with powerhead to hold the livestock
Move rest of rock to 5 gallon bucket(s) of tank water with powerhead or air stone
Keep additional 30 gallons of tank water in rubber maid trash can (dedicated for mixing)
Discard remaining 40 or so gallons of tank water
Disconnect wet/dry filter and keep bioballs/sponge in the 30 gallon trash can of water
Leave sand in tank
Move tank and stand to other room
Refill with just enough water to cover sand and aerate with air stone

Then I would do everything in reverse once I move the tank back to it's original place.

Any major problems with my plan? Is there an easier/better way to do it? I know I'm not supposed to move the tank with sand in it. But, I'm afraid of disrupting/killing off what it currently living in the sand (mostly worms, etc.). I have to move it in two weeks.

Any comments/suggestions welcome! Thanks!

 

[lilrobb]

Stefani;420939 wrote:
1 pistol shrimp
1 peppermint shrimp

Yup,

problem right there - make sure the pistol doesn't take the peppermint for lunch , LOL

 

[weaglereefer]

Also, drain as much water as you can before you have to move any rocks, that way you can get cleaner water, not water full of nasties you kick up when you start moving stuff around.

 

[stefani]

Okay, I'll remove the bioballs for good. I've been thinking about it, but wasn't sure how much they helped. Sure will make accessing the sponges easier.

Good tip about letting it run for a couple of weeks before putting the livestock back. Do you think the 10 gallon will be ready to run, so to speak, by just adding live rock? Should I set that up ahead of time?

No fish, thankfully.

I was wondering about the pistol and peppermint being in close proximity... They've peacefully coexisted for several months, and actually hang out on/under adjacent rocks. But, maybe to be safe I should set up two 10 gallons. Luckily I have a stock pile of them.



Thanks!

 

[bobz]

i use 10G tanks all the time for quick QT and to keep larva and juveniles so I think they will be fine. My advice would to make sure you have an ammonia test kit and check the water daily for ammonia levels. If they start to build up, do a a 50% water change...just make sure to drip the water back in to the tank slowly and do not just dump in the newly mixed replacement water. I've had tanks full of larva that spiked in ammonia and was able to do complete water changes over a period of 24 hours by going slowly. You should be fine with your move!
Good luck.
Bob

 

[stefani]

The critter keeper is a good idea. I have one laying around somewhere... And so is pulling out the water I want to keep first. I probably would have done it backwards, not thinking about it.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[stefani]

Thanks Bob. I'll keep a close eye on the ammonia level.

 

[jonathan]

Rolling the tank on 3/4 or 1" pvc while on the stand is quite easy once you get a couple of pieces under it. I usually cut 4-6 pieces a tad longer than the depth of the tank and pick up one side of the stand just far enough to get the piece under it. When the last piece rolls out, place it back in the front. The sand and a couple of inches of water can usually be left in and the remaining water is pumped back in from several brute cans after it has been moved.

Good luck!

 

[tjherman]

Thanks for asking about this, Stefani. I am going to be moving my tanks in a few weeks so it's good to get some tips!

 

[fishgardener]

I moved my 40 gal on its wooden stand with 1/2 the water still in it by slipping moving discs under it. I bought them at Home depot 8 for $10. They are flat discs about 4-5 inches across that help move furniture. It worked great. I was having some construction done and needed to move it from den to laundry room for a few days. I used that time to do drain out half the water, move tank put water back, then in reverse only with new water change water.

 

[stefani]

Wow, Jonathan. That's a great idea! I was trying to think of some way to move it without having to take it off the stand and carry it into the next room.

 

[stefani]

Fishgardener - I suggested moving discs to my husband, and for some reason he didn't think it would work. But, I think it's worth a try. They're less expensive than PVC, probably.