Tips for moving with plans to keep soil/substrate

[Pneumonicsonic]

I started my tank journal, but I wanted to ask this question separately: moving in a few weeks, and I’m wondering how best to move specific items, specifically the substrate as I’ve read on multiple forums, and specifically dr walstad on apc mentioning the value of established substrate even with moving tanks or locations.

My plan is I’m getting a UNS 120P or U and I want to continue using my established 5 year old sts capped soil substrate, my hardscape, remaining flora and fauna (shrimp, snails, and white cloud minnows).

I want to transport the substrate, likely in a cooler or 5 gallon bucket. I recognize my sts cap will likely mix with the soil and that’s fine.

Should I be putting a sponge filter/air stone in that container with the soil? Split the soil between containers? One with more cap one with more soil? I want to keep as much of the BB alive as possible to minimize cycling.

all rooted plants and tiger lily plants should be removed from the soil for transport, right?

I was planning to keep hardscape with soil and/or filter media. Fish with floating and other plants

Split up the bigger shrimp from the neos potentially with all the moss and the rest of the plants divided between

Vs keeping most plants separate from the shrimp.

I have a portable air pump and a plug in my car for most of the time while driving. The trip will be 2-3 nights.

Again, tank and stand will be left behind here so I’ll have a new one waiting at the new house.

I know the 120p is a similar foot print so I can either save the cap or do something new with the new tank. If I do a 120u it’s larger so I wouldn’t be as worried about the current cap and soil being mixed and becoming the new soil with a completely new cap.

Either way I may do either greenhouse shading mesh (thanks for the tip @Tim Harrison !) or mesh bags to separate cap from soil this time around.

I’d love to hear any feedback and recommendations. If this was better as a post in my journal sorry!

 

[Count Krunk]

5 year old walstad substrate i would def start fresh there. Its going to get uber disturbed and likely release a lot of nasty gases.

I really like mushroom compost (wood removed) capped by bdbs . Works great.

 

[Art]

I would agree with @Count Krunk’s suggestion to start fresh. I also agree with the benefits of seeding a new substrate.

So, if it were me, I would be saving some of the old substrate that I thought was fresh and inoculated with substantial bacteria. I would have that in a well-aerated container for the ride. It should be a bucket or something that you can move and ensure that it remains with the proper temperature.

Then, I would set up new substrate an inoculate it with the old. If everything went well, your new substrate will quickly benefit from the introduced bacteria.

 

[Tim Harrison]

I’d follow @Art ‘s advice. Start afresh but save a couple of litres of old substrate to seed the new.

The lifecycle of micro-organisms, like bacteria, is measured in hours and growth is potentially exponential so it won’t take long for the microbial community to colonise the entire substrate. With the added benefit of a fresh supply of nutrients.

Plus, until plant roots recolonise the rhizophere and oxygenate it, the new substrate is likely to have lower Redox, and new communities with different composition will grow in response to that anyway.

And, it’ll save you the hassle of transporting a load of wet dirt as well

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

I concur as well, I did something similar when I moved a couple years ago. Plants, fish and filter media in a container with and air pump. I actually drained the tank and left the substrate and hardscape, mainly out of laziness. Started right back up again when I refilled it after about a week. No issues.

With the substrate being as old as it is starting fresh would be a nice reset. I also agree that you should mix some of your current soil as well to help with jump starting bacteria colonization.

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

Either way I may do either greenhouse shading mesh (thanks for the tip @Tim Harrison !) or mesh bags to separate cap from soil this time around.

I did Tim’s idea first and then graduated to mesh bags because it was an easier application for me. Both work phenomenally and you will have no issues of your substrate breaching your cap.

 

[ElleDee]

5 year old walstad substrate i would def start fresh there. Its going to get uber disturbed and likely release a lot of nasty gases.

FWIW, I have not found that to be the case when I broke down my old Walstads. I had shrimp that survived a few days in mixed up substrate and still water, so I imagine if there was something really nasty they would not have made it. (I did move those shrimp, but they were the stragglers that I couldn't catch before the breakdown and I had to wait for the water to settle out.)

I didn't try to save the soil, but I did rinse and recycle the cap. And of course the plants help seed the new tanks as well.

Edited to add: I have no idea if my experience is typical, just reporting what happened.