Advice On Buying An Established Tank

[boo3281]

evening all im hoping someone can give me some advice on moving amarine tank ive only ever had cold water fish and have been considering getting tropical or marine tank for some time marine has always been my number one now a bargain set up has come up on ebay in same town as me i know im jumping in head first but i would hate to pass on it my biggest concern is how to move it with everything surviving i have a friend who has kept tropical fish forsometime but this he cant help me on
its a 250l tank comes with all the bits 25kg of live rock and the fish are:
2 cleaner shrimp
3 dancing shrimp
snails
crabs
2 clown fish
1 large angel fish (yellow strip)
2 blue damsels
2 light blue damsels
and comes with a few mushrooms/corals/sponges

i hope this doesnt sound daft but could the fish maybe be put in a small tank with some of the water and stay in that for a while whilst main tank gets set up again?
any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[Tuxyu3]

I have no advice on moving them but to be honest i'm not sure you have thought it through. Do not let me put you off but you are buying a (what sounds like) fully stocked marine tank. The amount of care these fish will need is extremely great compared to coldwater. Like i say, don't let me put you off but make sure you are prepared and have done your research. The only reason i mention this is because from the way you have written this i get the impression this is an impulse buy, something that will likely end badly. Sorry if i have the wrong end of the stick.

 

[Aquascaper]

The fish will survive in some water as long as it has a heater and a small powerhead.

The corals will be the same (maybe no need for the powerhead.

The live rock should be kept under water but not essential, however, if out of water there may be die off and you could lose any corals/inverts on it. If there is die off you will have to perform several water changes once set up to keep the parameters safe.

Under no circumstances should the sponges be exposed to air (not even lifting out of the tank) as the will die.

The only way to move an established reef would be to leave the sand and live rock in with some water (ideally enough to cover the live rock) and speed is of the essence.

All in all not the easiest thing to do and not ideal for a marine beginner as the results of the move will need immediate solutions rather than being able to wait for advice on what to do. IMO the only way to do such a move would be with an experienced reef keeper but it's your call.

 

[boo3281]

hi i totally understand where your coming from i have been saving for sometime as i planned to buy everything from new start from the beginning this would be an impulse buy as in it is already set up i probably dont explain myself properly im not good for writing what i mean down
i have been reading up and researching for weeks but the whole moving thing has been pretty conflicting and thats the bit that bothers me i have considered giving the fish to my local reef shop and maybe then starting to add fish when i know all is well?
the tank comes with testing kits,salt tester,supplements for corals, sump which houses pumps,heater,skimmer pipes and auto water leveling system.
and for less then £250 i would have a huge chunk of money left over

 

[boo3281]

thank you for the advice the live rock is pretty high and i have a water butt which means it could be transported fully covered

is it the fish that make this unsuitable ?

 

[Aquascaper]

Mainly yes, if you move the tank and get it all set up and there's a problem (ammonia spike due to die off, outbrake of Ich due to stress, etc.) then the fish will stand little chance as you won't have a spare tank set up with filtration to keep them in till everything's sorted.

If the fish were out of the equation then, at worst, you stand to lose corals and inverts which, whilst not good, is not as bad as losing fish.

If you take emotion/feeling out of it (with regards to the living things) if you can stand to lose corals, etc. and still 'get a deal' then go for it.

If it was me in your position I would look at rehoming the fish straightaway and just get the tank set up and running again before adding fish.