What would be the best way to transport an entire rock structure with a large number of sps coral attached. I plan on having a large container in my living room with heater and powerhead ready with my tank water waiting for it's arrival. Not really sure what would be a good way to ship it though. It's from a 20X20 cube and is slightly smaller than those dimensions. Me and Jarob are brainstorming and haven't come up with a great solution yet. Thanks for any suggestions. Also is there anyway to acclimate such a large structure gradually?
-
******* To read about the changes to the marketplace click here
How to transport a rock structure with live coral
- Thread starter ricomike
- Start date
this is what I would do:
find container tat fits it and has a lid. put it in and secure the bottom of the structure, make small hole in the lid where it is just above the rock and stick something into the rock so it does not wobble around. have a car warmed up to 80F and waiting outside. put container on back seat, fill it with water and have somebody sit next to it and keep an eye on it just in case. drive in way that will not require you to slam the brakes. 30 min with no circulation should not be a big deal.
best bet for the container would be a plastic tote, maybe transparent so you can see what's going on or at least a transparent top (walmart used to carry some), worst case scenario make a ole that fits your hand and hold the top of the rock so it does not bounce around. if you wanted to go that far you could even plug in a circulation pump via an inverter.
I drove from Florida to mass with a tote in the back of the truck, small skimmer and heater in it, 400W inverter wired directly to the battery. lost none of the stuff I had in it (couple of frags and some live rock)
find container tat fits it and has a lid. put it in and secure the bottom of the structure, make small hole in the lid where it is just above the rock and stick something into the rock so it does not wobble around. have a car warmed up to 80F and waiting outside. put container on back seat, fill it with water and have somebody sit next to it and keep an eye on it just in case. drive in way that will not require you to slam the brakes. 30 min with no circulation should not be a big deal.
best bet for the container would be a plastic tote, maybe transparent so you can see what's going on or at least a transparent top (walmart used to carry some), worst case scenario make a ole that fits your hand and hold the top of the rock so it does not bounce around. if you wanted to go that far you could even plug in a circulation pump via an inverter.
I drove from Florida to mass with a tote in the back of the truck, small skimmer and heater in it, 400W inverter wired directly to the battery. lost none of the stuff I had in it (couple of frags and some live rock)
CrypticLifeStyle
Non-member
Just think what happens if you were to buy it from a shop. It's only as you say a 15>20 min drive. Put it in a bucket with water, slap a lid over it, have the car warm, and your set. The corals are going to be pissed anyways, but they won't die during that trip, you'll be fine.
CrypticLifeStyle
Non-member
Plastic tote or trash can. I've done all my moves using rubbermaid totes. You can put a hole in each side to zip tie the lid on each of the 4 sides.
pack it in the tote so it does not wobble, put tote in the car, fill with water to desired level, snap the lid on and get going. 150 lb is not that heavy - an average grownup weighs what? ~200? at destination you can siphon / pump the water out and then unload. it takes literally 2-3 minutes.
if you put it on the rear seat use a plastic foil - less mess to worry about - most of the totes will still splash a little around the lid.
if you put it on the rear seat use a plastic foil - less mess to worry about - most of the totes will still splash a little around the lid.
Well there is a easy way to do this...ma by the right way idk lol....
supplys needed
4.. 5 gallon buckets
bulkhead
ball valve
paper towels
small brute container 25g believe forget size the smaller one...
suv to transport..
A buddy that might get wet
So i would drill the brute on side low on the barrel and attach bulk head and ball valve so can darn easy...
then i would warm up the suv with brute in back... after car is warm i drain tank in to 5 gallons and dump in to brute water then prized piece warped in towel the sec it leaves the tank the temp out side is brutal..
Drive safe to new location with a buddy holding structure
At new location drain brute with ball valve in to the 4 buckets carry structure in to house and brute...should be fast action better if garage at new location...
fill brute back up with water in front of new tank add coral to brute and test temps...
hopefully temp is very close so might go in very soon...
supplys needed
4.. 5 gallon buckets
bulkhead
ball valve
paper towels
small brute container 25g believe forget size the smaller one...
suv to transport..
A buddy that might get wet
So i would drill the brute on side low on the barrel and attach bulk head and ball valve so can darn easy...
then i would warm up the suv with brute in back... after car is warm i drain tank in to 5 gallons and dump in to brute water then prized piece warped in towel the sec it leaves the tank the temp out side is brutal..
Drive safe to new location with a buddy holding structure
At new location drain brute with ball valve in to the 4 buckets carry structure in to house and brute...should be fast action better if garage at new location...
fill brute back up with water in front of new tank add coral to brute and test temps...
hopefully temp is very close so might go in very soon...
Last edited:
MikeG
Non-member
use a rubbermaid tote, and lay the part that is against the back wall on the floor. As you are filling the tote, fill some fish bags with water and use them as cushions so that the rock wont movein tranit. I have done this several times and it works good. I am gussing you will need about 15 gallons to cover based onthe picks and the size of the rear chamber. 2 people should be able to carry a that fairly easily.
FYI, I have transported several sps just wrapped in a wet paper towel back in the day and they all survived. My biggest concern would just be not breaking all the coral.
FYI, I have transported several sps just wrapped in a wet paper towel back in the day and they all survived. My biggest concern would just be not breaking all the coral.
I like the cheap 5 gallon buckets from home depot for transporting rock work. You should try to break the larger structure down into smaller pieces that will fit in a 5 gallon bucket. The real danger is the rock moving and pinning fragile corals against the outside of the bucket. Using fish bags full of tank water to wedge the rockwork gently in place in the buckets may help.
I would try to deconstruct the rock work carefully before moving or it's likely going to break apart in ways you don't want in transport.
I would try to deconstruct the rock work carefully before moving or it's likely going to break apart in ways you don't want in transport.
