How to move a planted tank

[gsxunv04]

Hello, I will be moving to Virginia at the end of the month and am wondering whats the best method to transport an established tank 8 hours away. Should I completely drain the tank, unplant everything and re-plant in VA, or could I just transport my 10g setup "emersed" for the drive?

[blackandyellow]

I´m really not sure but I guess that if you could safely leave enough water just to cover the gravel or a bit more without splashing everywhere, and keep it tightly closed it should be fine, as long as you keep humidity inside the plants should be perfect. I have received plants that took 24 hour trips with only humid cotton in bags and they were perfect.

Of course you could completely take it appart and transport the plants in plastic bags...

[jmhart]

If it's a 10g, pull out all the livestock, drain the water down to substrate level, and cover the whole tank with a towel. That'll keep in moisture.

[gsxunv04]

will stem plants be ok in the "emersed" comditions temporarily(8-9 hrs.)?
Thanks guys. Should I worry about the substrate being in the tank while I move it? It wont break will it?

[kid creole]

Your plants need to not dry out. Given that it's just a little 10 gallon tank, I would leave an inch or two of water the tank and let it ride.

BTW, and 8 hr move from anywhere in NC to anywhere in VA must be the answer to some sort of trivia question. That's tough to do.

[isu712]

I moved a 2.5 gallon tank 10 hours. I did it by draining the tank about half-way and covering it. Everything survived great.

I would say leave an inch or two of water above the substrate, cover it and make sure it doesn't get jostled too much.

[lauraleellbp]

I'd leave a few inches of water in the bottom and saran-wrap the top airtight, to keep in moisture.

And I'd put the tank in a plastic bin, both to support the bottom (very important to keep that stable, especially with water still in the tank) and in case of leaks.

If you can carry along a spray bottle and mist any leaves that start to dry out, the plants should be fine.

If they are allowed to dry out, they probably will die, though.

[gsxunv04]

cool, ill saran the top and tape it, then place it in a rubbermaid in the backseat. thanks for all the advice guys!

[kid creole]

Originally Posted by gsxunv04

cool, ill saran the top and tape it, then place it in a rubbermaid in the backseat. thanks for all the advice guys!

Yeah, you should be good to go. And I want to ammend what I said, based on another post. I said the leaves need to not dry out. The leaves will likely die or be damaged if they dry out, but I don't think it will kill the plant. The spray bottle idea is a very good one. When I moved my tank, I had to separate plants, substrate, and tank. I was able to keep everything under water until it came time to replant. The idea to keep a spray bottle on hand is a very good one.

[agoins]

I got some plants in the mail yesterday. All that was done to protect them was wrap them in a damp paper towel. Just an idea. They were in shipping for two days. Seem to be doing fine.

[gsxunv04]

k cool, thanks for all the tips!
There areno fish in the tank, jutst plants. I planon stocking it when it gets to its resting place in VA. I just set it up now in NC to take advantage of the LFS and their plant selections. Thanks for all the help!
Heres a pic of what were talking about...

[lauraleellbp]

Oh definitely just leave an inch of water over the gravel, make sure all the leaves are pushed down into the water, saran wrap it all and go.

[speedie408]

Don't count on seeing your slopes after the move, if you had any before the move. In a 8hr drive you'll end up with a flat substrate, for sure

[gsxunv04]

cool,thanks everybody!