Moving an aquarium, especially a well established reef or live plant system an be a daunting task.

 

There are a few major things we believe everyone should consider if doing this on their own.

 

1: Make sure you have plenty of transport containers (ie: lots of bins able to hold water). We prefer using bins vs bags as you can use the bins for both fish and any type of live rock or other inverts.

2: Have plenty of back-up air-pumps or have a system in place to provide constant air to your livestock while they are in their transport containers.

3: If your system requires RO/DI or Premixed Saltwater….have PLENTY of it. You never know when you may need it during a move.

4: If you plan the move to take a long time, don’t stock the holding bins heavily. Make sure all of your livestock is comfortable for as stress free of an environment as possible.

 

5: Dont feed your livestock for a day or two prior to the move. this will limit the amount of waste they will expel in the holding containers and thus give you a larger safety margin if anything unexpected happens during the move.

 

6: Have spare plumbing parts on hand (tubing, clamps, reducers, t-valves, bulkheads, etc etc), especially if your system incorporates an type of pvc plumbing.

These basic tips have helped us countless times during aquarium moves. Without safe aquarium relocation protocols like these, you can, and people have, easily lost livestock to unexpected traffic delays, plumbing leaks, and oxygen deprivation issues. Be safe, hire an experienced aquarium service provider if you feel you cannot more your system safely.