Rinsing LS with the garden hose is not a problem, but...
Too much rinsing is not good. One rinse is plenty. Remove loose crud from the LS but don't wash off or kill all the bacteria worms and bugs with a lot of fresh water. Also immediately after rinsing, place the LS into the new tank covered with saltwater. For that size tank I usually save 2 gallons of of LS with all it's crud, worms and bugs. The crud/detritus is actually mostly made up of clumps of bacteria. Those 1-2 gals of old sand, when spread across the top of the rinsed sand and pushed down to the bottom in a few spots, help re-start good biological filtration. Did you know that different kinds of bacteria live at various layers of the sand bed? Conditions of pH, O2, CO2, nutrients, etc. change significantly in the gradient from bottom LS to top LS.
Oh, also move the LS in tubs with no more than 5 inches of sand per tub and enough water to just cover the sand. When LS is moved in buckets, the bottom half suffocates and dies, especially if it sits in the bucket for more than an hour.
Live RockIf LR is moved and held overnight in tubs, coolers, etc., rather than buckets, with enough water to just cover, even without a powerhead, it will fare much better. It has to do with gas exchange. Poor gas exchange occurs in a LR filled bucket. It leads to low pH and low pH is a killer.
Anytime LR is taken out of the water, air fills into the holes, even the tiny holes where worms and bacteria live. If the air remains, the organisms die and cause pollution. When moving LR, if it can be kept submerged the entire time it won't miss a beat. Move the LR into a small bucket under water in the tank. Lift the bucket with LR and water and place it in the moving tub which already has water enough to cover the LR.
If it's not possible to do the above procedure, then the next best thing is to move it very quickly from tank to tub and tub to tank. Each time it is submerged, both in the moving tub and then in the new tank it is crucial to shake, twist and turn the LR. This allows as much of the air as possible to empty out of the holes and pores.
CoralCoral can go mostly in it's own tub but can also go in the tubs with the LR to help keep certain colonies separated so they don't fight and kill each other.
Fish
Fish can do okay when spread out in the LR tubs, or placed in their own tub like Bob suggests.
AlgaeLast but in no way least, the role of algae in biofiltration is greatly undervalued. Moving a tank is almost like starting a new tank. The larger the amount of Chaetomorpha and Caulerpa that is added to the newly moved tankm right in the display, the better it will fare. When algae is well illuminated, it eats pollution (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and Phosphate) like crazy.
Bob mentioned leaving the Refugium light on for 48 hours. I say put it on a 20-24 hour photoperiod for 2 weeks. Sometimes it's a good idea to leave the tank lights on continuously for 2-5 days as well. This accelerates the growth of Macro and soft algae on the glass. Don't scrape it off. Leave it to eat pollution.
I have been using Macroalgae and extolling its amazing ability to filter water for many years on this forum, yet it is still surprising to me how little value is ascribed to this misunderstood and under-appreciated organism.
I probably spent more time writing this than I should, I'm in trouble for not coming to bed, but if the advice in this entire thread is followed, the move will be a success. Also check the Tank Moving discussions linked in the Reefkeeping Tips
http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244Aloha.
Mark
Edited by Mark Peterson - August 07 2014 at 12:08am
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