Best way to move live rock w/Corals

T_Nuge · 06-10-2004, 11:40 AM

Whats the best way to move about 75 pounds of live rock with a decent amount of mushrooms, frogspawn, Zoo's and other softies attached to them? I have plenty of styro boxes but the trip will probably take over an hour or so. I can't imagine that much would survive out of the water like that would they?
So I suppose the best bet is to keep everything submerged in coolers, buckets and whatever I can find to hold water? I've moved corals before and I've moved rock before but I've never moved rock with corals attached before.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Trent

David Grigor · 06-10-2004, 11:47 AM

Softies and frogspawn you should be able to detach from the rock. Mushrooms and zoos will likely be fine as they are extremely hardy as long as the rock is kept moist with SW soaked towels wrapped on top of the rock.

However, if considered your prized ones and don't want to take any risk then chisle off the portions rock with a large flathead screwdriver or keep the LR submerged in containers......

T_Nuge · 06-10-2004, 11:59 AM

Thanks for the info David. I'll try to remove the frogspawn. There's also a Leather that looks like it'll need a 5 gallon pail all to itself it's so big. The rest of it looked like mushrooms and polyps and stuff so hopefully that will be ok with just wet paper towels and stuff over them.

Thanks again,
Trent

David Grigor · 06-10-2004, 12:08 PM

Best to use old towels or buy some bulk terry towels from Home Depot or something. Paper towels dry out too fast.......Should be just fine. However, just take extra care with things you feel are your prized ones...

JnS · 06-10-2004, 01:43 PM

rubbermaid totes with garbage bags and lids would make it easy to move with a fair amount of water.

Jive Turkey · 06-10-2004, 03:17 PM

^^^
What he said.

Soltaker · 06-10-2004, 03:21 PM

I am going to do a combination of the 2.....some will be in buckets w/ water, and some will be going the route of the wet towel.

Good luck to you with your move

gooch · 06-10-2004, 06:33 PM

When I packed up the materials for the Tunze display at IMAC I bagged the corals and just kept the rock moist. It was out of the tank about 8 hours. A few of the rocks had zoanthids and star polyps on them and they were fine. I repacked them three days later and brought it back to the shop with another 8 hours out of the water. Everything survived just fine.

Heck once I moved a tank across town and a firefish goby was hiding in the rockwork. It was -14 degrees that day and the rock was out of water for about six hours. The next day the firefish was swimming around like nothing happened.