Getting my first tank this Friday!

Hello everyone, been reading these forums quite a bit lately in anticipation of getting a tank. I finally found a good deal from someone nearby selling a 46 gallon bow front tank with matching stand, 70 lbs. live rock and 60 lbs. live sand, a 36" coralife, Filter, two Koralia 1050 powerheads, protein skimmer, heater, power strip, thermometer, refractometer, and all the test supplies/supplements/and food. All for $400.

My biggest concern is moving the tank. I'll be moving it about 50 miles and my plan is to tank plenty of 5 gallon buckets and put as much of the water in them as I can, along with the live rock. I was thinking I would leave the sand in the tank with just enough water to cover it. There are a couple of pistol shrimp and a yasha goby that I would hope would survive the trip. Does this sound like the right plan to get this thing moved?

I'm sure I'll need to add some more water once I get it moved. Should I add the fish back in right away or let the water get back to the right temperature and then add them? Anything else I need to consider or be concerned about? Just want to make sure I get this right.

 

Welcome to 3reef!

I've never moved a tank that far but if I did I would:

Have pre-made saltwater in a container ready and waiting at home.

Take out all of the rock and put it into covered totes or buckets with water from the tank.

Put each animal in it's own container with water from the tank.

Leave the sand as undisturbed as possible and keep it covered with just enough water that it stays wet.

Go straight home, set up immediately, fill 1/2 of the volume with old water and top off with new saltwater.

Good luck. Post some pics (we love pics ) when you get it home and set up.

 

Personally, I'd take everything out of the tank. Tanks aren't really meant to be moved with weight in them...you can't be certain what type of forces will be applied to certain parts of the tank. They simply aren't designed with portability in mind. When I bought an up and running tank, I had sand/live rock together in buckets and then a couple of 5gal. jugs with the old water. I moved the tank completely empty. Also, this gives you a great opportunity to REALLY get after the tank and clean it so that it looks brand new.

 

That should be fine. I would be most worried about moving the tank with the sand it in...

I moved a 65 gallon tank with about 6 fish from Atlanta to Gulfport, MS (7 hour drive plus tank set up time... Probably a 10 hour ordeal for the fish/rock)

I did exactly what you are planning to do. I didn't lose any fish in the process! A converter and some bubbles in the bucket and you are good to go for the fish. The rock can sit in 5 gal buckets like you described without airation no problem.

 

Welcome to 3reef

Steve suggestion is a great way to go.

 

Thanks guys. I'm worries about the sand too. I don't want to stir anything up by leaving it in and I definitely do not want to put any stress on the tank itself.

With a 46 Gallon tank, I'm thinking i'll take 5- 5 gallon buckets to put live rock and water in and then just make the rest and have it ready to go when I set it up.

Another question I had is what kind of electricity increase am I looking at from running this size of a tank? I never really thought about that until I ran across a few posts discussing it.

 

On a tank that size energy consumption isn't a major issue. It's when you have big MH lighting and chillers and A/C running to keep everything cool plus 4 pumps etc etc when it adds up. The lighting is the biggest consideration for power.

 

Yeah I forgot that no one reads minds.

Friends and I moved a 55 across town with the sand in it. We built a "stretcher" out of 3/4" ply and 2x4's.

But taking the sand out is probably best now that I think about it.

 

You said there is 60 pounds live sand and you were wanting to leave enough water to keep it covered, which water is around 8.64 pounds per gallon on top of the weight of the tank. That is a lot of weight.

What kind of vehicle are you using as well. When I move my tanks, I always try to make sure that there is some sort of cushion around them. I can usually get them on a seat or something. But with a tank that size, I would either use plenty of blankets or Styrofoam if you can get it. I say that because I think the tank should be able to flex/shift a little and you don't want it to be on a rigid surface. I just think about how tanks are shipped to the LFS's (usaully cardboard box with Styrofoam.

 

Depending on how long the tank has been running, you may want to just replace the sand. It could have a ton of nutrients built up within it. For about 50 bucks you could completely replace it and eliminate that potential problem.