How to Move a Reef to a Larger Aquarium

Sometimes circumstances dictate moving a reef to a larger aquarium. Although the process isn't a particularly complicated one, it can be very time consuming. Many parts of the reef, such as the corals, are delicate, and great care has to be taken while extracting them from their current location, packing them up in containers and moving them to a new tank.

Things You'll Need

  • Aquarium tank
  • Plastic baggies
  • Clean, empty ice chest
  • Sand scooper
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare the larger aquarium before the move. Make sure it is clean, and if it already has other contents inside, make sure there's enough space for the reef and that the water is at the proper temperature. If it's still empty, have fresh water on standby ready to be inserted once the reef is on hand.

    • 2

      Remove the fish from the current aquarium, if there are any, and place them in smaller, temporary holding containers. Depending on the size, number and species of fish, a container could range from a water-filled plastic bag to an ice chest or something larger. The container should be clean and kept in a cool location so that it isn't exposed to direct sunlight, which could heat the water and harm the fish.

    • 3

      Place the corals and other delicate parts of the aquarium in small plastic baggies and then put the baggies in plastic bowls that have hard surfaces. The reason for the baggies is to keep the delicates from sliding around too much while they're in transit. The hard plastic of the bowls serves as a buffer that prevents the delicates from being accidentally crushed during the moving process.

    • 4

      Put the less-delicate parts of the reef, like the gravel and rocks, in waterproof containers, such as Tupperware bowls. Then add enough water to keep the rocks from getting dry and brittle. However, any rocks with sponges should be kept in their own container and should be completely submerged in water; exposure to air can cause rock sponges to die.

    • 5

      Drain the water from the tank and scoop out any sand loose gravel that will be transferred over to the larger aquarium and place it in a carrying case, such as a tote bag. Then take all the packed up aquarium contents and transport them to the location of the larger aquarium. The sand, gravel and other nondelicates should then be placed in the bottom of the aquarium.

    • 6

      Remove the delicate parts of the reef from their transport containers and add them to the larger aquarium. Then add fresh, clean water to the tank, if needed. Any fish that were brought over from the smaller tank should be removed from their containers and added last to the larger tank.