Moving/ tell me how to do this

[Linda]

Sometime within the next month or two we will be moving....only a couple miles, but still...moving.
I only have the 55 now, and no corals. I have some live rock and the critters, the water and the subtrate. Can someone tell me how to move this fast and efficiently and with as little critter loss as possible? I am thinking I will take 50% of the water, or should I take more? Geez, hauling all that water is not gonna be fun. None of this is going to be fun. I will take all the suggestions I can get...AND, if anyone has a corner unit for sale....I would more than likely buy it(even if it's smaller, I'll sell some fish if it is)....would fit better into this house.
Thanks in advance as I sit and tear my hair out thinking about this move...AND, it's temporary, our existing house will be gutted and remodeled and then we'll move back and rent the house in town we are moving to soon. sound fun? uh hu, yep. fun. HEY, I'll host a meeting, a MOVE Linda and her family meeting!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

[mtfatwork]

buy some rubbermaid containers and move everything in them, you only really need to take enough water to keep the livestock and rock covered. Remove all the rock first, and put it in containers, as you are syphoning water, then it will be easier to get the fish. When I moved the tank was the last thing to go, I tore it down and had it back up within an hour. I just left the substrate in the tank when I moved it, less mess, and mine was a 72 so you should be fine. The tank is gonna cloud, but if you do everything quickly you will minimize any loss, I actually did not loose any critters in my move. Set it back up, rock, water, fish, and hooked all accesories back up. Hope that helped.

Mary

[pogodzib]

1. What kind of substrate do you have and how thick is it? How long has it been in your tank? If it is only a couple of inches worth of substate and fairly new then I wouldn't worry about taking it out. If it is thicker or older you may want to remove it so you can protect the tank. If it is old, you may want to consider replacing it if it is sand or sift through it to remove the gunk if it is crushed coral. Either way, I would try to seperate the top 1-2 inches from the rest and reuse it on the top of the new/cleaned substate. Remove as much water as you can before messing with the substate.

2. Rubbermaid containers like mtfatwork suggested works the best for transfering rock and livestock. Put your fish and rock in seperate containers so you don't smash the fish while moving stuff around.

3. Since the water actually only has a small amount of bacteria in it compared to the substrate, rock, tank, equipment, ... it is not critical to transfer all the water as long as the new water has similar properties to the existing tank water. New SW will probably have a higher pH than you tank's current pH level and different trace elements in it so your fish might become more stresed out with the move. Since your move is not very far, it might be possible to get some water transfered over to your new place ahead of time with a heater and powerhead in it so you don't need to worry about transfering the water on the day of the move.

4. When replacing the water into the tank at it's new location, dump the water slowly onto either a plate or your rock using a 32oz cup until the water level is several inches deep will help with keeping your water from clouding.

5. Although while moving your tank may seem like a good time to clean it, I would recommend not to clean it as your equipment has bacteria on it that will help to make sure that you don't get ammonia/nitrite spikes.

6. Once you get your livestock to your new place, put a heater and powerhead in the container with the fish and then you won't have to worry about getting everything setup as quickly. I have heard of people keeping their livestock in a rubbermaid container for a week after a move while getting their new system setup, but I wouldn't recommend it.

7. Have Fun

[condiman]

they are both right on

[Loverotties]

You can even use bucket with lids if you have them and then one person can bring them in as one sets up and it seperats the fish in tight temp homes!You should be ok with the warmmer weather comming and it's only a couple miles.

[Linda]

thanks to everyone. We are moving to town, so the water is city water, rather than well water. I think I may just go and buy water rather than use that crappy city water. Is that the best idea?
Again, thanks!

[mtfatwork]

where is town?