Moving a Marine Aquarium - any tips?

Sleepy

So, got a lease termination notice last night so will be moving in a few months. Aside from the stress and hassle of trying to find somewhere affordable to live in Dublin in this market, I'm a bit worried about moving my Marine tank and will probably be breaking down my fresh-water tank completely.

Any tips for moving a marine aquarium?

fred funk }{

Don't keep marine but have moved my tanks several times. I found setting up a temporary home in a holding tank the best solution as it takes the pressure off the move.

Obviously keep as much of the tank water as possible and remove everything from the tank itself as any sort of weight will put enormous stress in the structure of the tank whilst moving it.

I really don't envy you as it's a bit if a job to do it.

Silverfish

Sleepy wrote: »

So, got a lease termination notice last night so will be moving in a few months. Aside from the stress and hassle of trying to find somewhere affordable to live in Dublin in this market, I'm a bit worried about moving my Marine tank and will probably be breaking down my fresh-water tank completely.

Any tips for moving a marine aquarium?

I'm in the same boat, but not as bad - moving my 400L freshwater tank 45mins drive away
In the end I got a quote from SHA to move it, they were quite reasonable - worth it for me anyway to make sure all the lads and lassies and all the glass have a better chance of making it in one piece. Might be worth a shot?

fred funk }{

Silverfish wrote: »

I'm in the same boat, but not as bad - moving my 400L freshwater tank 45mins drive away
In the end I got a quote from SHA to move it, they were quite reasonable - worth it for me anyway to make sure all the lads and lassies and all the glass have a better chance of making it in one piece. Might be worth a shot?

Mind me asking him how much they charged? PM if you would rather.

Silverfish

It was 250 euro to move within 5/10km of where I am, two men, half a day.

They said sometimes they get it done quicker, and they refund part of the money if they do, or sometimes if they're delayed waiting for access etc its an extra 60 per hour delayed. But half a day sounds like it would definitely get the job done, since they do it all the time!


I got a higher quote when I was moving 50k away but it was still cheap vs dropping my tank and buying a new one.

fred funk }{

Silverfish wrote: »

It was 250 euro to move within 5/10km of where I am, two men, half a day.

They said sometimes they get it done quicker, and they refund part of the money if they do, or sometimes if they're delayed waiting for access etc its an extra 60 per hour delayed. But half a day sounds like it would definitely get the job done, since they do it all the time!


I got a higher quote when I was moving 50k away but it was still cheap vs dropping my tank and buying a new one.

That's reasonable enough, especially knowing that it will be done right.

Sleepy

Mine's only a small tank (100l) and I'd be moving a little more than 10k so should be an easy enough move to do myself.

I suspect I'll be breaking down my freshwater tank and flogging the various bits. Just discovered I may be in a position to buy rather than rent so I'm now thinking that whatever I get for the freshwater tank may go towards an upgrade of the marine tank in a few months!

Alkers

In a similar position here. Need to move my 180l tropical tank. I'm thinking I'll move it to my parents house for a while in the meantime as the actual day of the move will be frantic enough.
I need to keep an eye out for some suitable containers so I can bring as much of the water with me. Then I will bag the fish individually and keep the bags in the biggest container so the water doesn't change temperature too quickly.

Anything else I haven't thought of?

Sleepy

I'm going to be borrowing some polystyrene crates from my LFS to transport the fish and corals in.

Remember to chuck the water from the bags you transport the fish in. It's one of those basic mistakes I've made a few times.

fred funk }{

Simona1986 wrote: »

In a similar position here. Need to move my 180l tropical tank. I'm thinking I'll move it to my parents house for a while in the meantime as the actual day of the move will be frantic enough.
I need to keep an eye out for some suitable containers so I can bring as much of the water with me. Then I will bag the fish individually and keep the bags in the biggest container so the water doesn't change temperature too quickly.

Anything else I haven't thought of?

Seahorse Aquariums sell the large water canisters for about €5, well worth it and handy to have for water changes etc.