picking up live rock today with coral on it

how should I go about putting this in my tank? I will be picking it up about a 1hr and 30mins from my house about 30-40 lbs of live rock with zoas and monti on it.

 

cool

post pleanty of pics

 

make sure the temp doesn't drop too much. I am not sure where you are so I don't know what the weather is like. But up here in ohio it would cool down a lot in a 90 minute drive.

I assume it is too big to float so I would just match the temp from your aquarium to the container in which the rock is for the corals.

 

I live in harrisburg PA so ill just keep the car very warm so the temp doesnt drop to much. Ill def take lots of pictures even know my camera isnt the best.

 

Take along a 5g pale, pick up a couple of pocket warmers, put them in ziploc baggies and you'll be good to go. Adjust your car's heater air flow to floor/defrost and put the pale on the front passenger floor. It has worked for me with coral/fish transport I live in Canada.

 

well in order to keep the monti alive it will have to be submerged during your drive. Best bet is a large tupperware-type storage bin that can fit the rock and keep the coral submerged. The temperature swing can also be an issue - so try to keep your vehicle warm during that time.

As for acclimating - best bet is to drip acclimate into your large tupperware for at least 30-40 min for best results. Also - be sure the monitor the temp of your tupperware as it may require heating. The dripped-in water will only raise the temp a little bit - but over 30-40 minutes it cools so a heater will likely be needed in the bin with the coral.


For the liverock - you do not have to drip acclimate and that can be just kept moist in a bin - if you can keep it under water - it will reduce die-off. I am not sure how much if any die-off you would experience in a timeframe of about 2 hours out of water for live rock.


For zoas I have actually read that certain places they are on the tidal margains of the ecosystem and are often out of the water for hours at a time during low tides. However, to reduce stress I would acclimate and transport them in the same fashion as the monti.

Good luck with your new purchases!!!

 

Pocket heaters are a GREAT idea (just remember to put them in the bag and maybe halfway through the trip open up the bags to air them out as they need oxygen to generate heat!

 

Nice thank you for all the help everyone, so if everything is encrusted to the rock I should just cover the monti and use hand heaters to keep the temp close then float them for 30 mins before putting all that in my tank? just to make sure i understand thank you again

 

Here is what my tank looks like now with a few coral. So ill be rescaping tonight as well.

 

Great!!! Already looking good!! That extra set of liverock is really gonna make a difference in the look and feel of the tank a step up!!!