Hello everyone. This post has been long overdue! I have just now got my computer life back together after having my hard drive crash. Luckily I had everything backed up. This entire process has made me realize how insanely dependent our society is on computers and technology in general.
This past weekend we hiked at Table Rock State Park here in South Carolina. It was hellaciously hot. The view was wonderful, however.
View of the Table Rock Reservoir
<3
steep!
So insanely steep!
I took some photos from my recent move I thought I'd share. I have a LARGE, BULKY 120 gallon saltwater aquarium that is quite difficult to move. I really wanted to reveal how to move such a monstrosity. I have moved this aquarium SIX times since 2003. I may, in fact, make an eHow article since the tutorials on moving aquariums are not very thorough. The quality of the photos isn't fantastic as I only had my iphone available.
Before the move...
First, you need several large rubbermaids to put the live rock and water in. Try to save as much water as possible or you'll have to make up new water at the tank's new location. Newly made saltwater is very caustic and shouldn't be added in with coral.
Start draining the water into the rubbermaids with a siphon and distribute the rock evenly throughout the tubs. I had to use 6 - 45 gallon tubs to hold all my rock and water. Once the water level drops, the siphon will not work well, so you will need to use a pitcher to remove the water.
Moving some live rock. You can see my purple urchin on one of the rocks
Save the loose coral, fish, and invertebrates. You may want to bag these up individually. If I'm just moving across town I will place all the (nonaggressive) fish in a bucket and seal the lid. I have also done this with coral although I don't recommend it if yours are particularly delicate or if you're moving more than a few miles away. Definitely bag them everything up seperately (as if you were buying it from a store).
While the water is draining, start removing the equipment. Moving is a good time to get all your equipment squeaky clean. Wipe everything off and box it up. Once you've drained the water and removed all the inhabitants, you'll want to decide what to do with the sand.
Almost empty...
Overflow box, piping, and chemicals packed up and ready to move
My EuroReef Protein Skimmer waiting to be cleaned
Depending on the strength of the people physically moving the tank, you may want to remove all the sand and place it in its own container. Don't let it dry out or you'll kill the precious colonies of bacteria and have to re-cycle your tank's nitrogen cycle again. If you have a deep sand bed, the bottom of your tank is not made of tempered glass, or if your tank is older, definitely remove the sand, as the weight of it could crack the bottom of your aquarium. Move the aquarium slowly, not elevating the bottom too much.
We moved it slowly with the sand still inside.
Thank you to my movers Dave and Brandon!
View of the equipment inside the stand (sump, return pumps, ballasts, etc.)
Tank inhabitants in covered plastic tubs
Tank and stand loaded onto a seperate truck
After driving to your new location, place the tank on the stand and set up all the equipment (but your light) but don't turn anything on. Slowly add the water back and reset up your rock in temporary positions. You wont be able to see where you're putting anything so just get the rock in there for now. Add your fish back to the system. Add in your coral so that they're spread out. After you set up your rock you can put the coral in their final locations. After everything is added, put your light on top, plug your equipment in and troubleshoot any leaks or issues.
After moving my tank this year I had some leaks in the return tubing and it had to be completely re-glued. I waited a few days to aquascape my tank. I recommend doing several water changes during this time to remove the detritus that will have been kicked up.
Happy Monday, everyone!
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