AstroReefer

How does one move several aquariums almost three thousand miles across the country? For me, the answer was simple: you don’t.

Around July 2024, I began breaking down my tanks—my 100g reef, 65g reef, 45g reef, 100g cichlid, 40g planted, and 13.5g shrimp setups. I was preparing for a new job that required moving from Southern California to the Boston area, specifically New Hampshire.

The logistics of keeping all my fish and coral were unmanageable. I’d have about a week between selling my old house and closing on the new one, plus a multi-day cross-country drive. Even if I managed to move the tanks themselves, there was no realistic way to set them up again anytime soon.

That led to the disappointing decision to sell what I could, donate the rest, and plan to “restart someday.” Over several weeks, I removed coral and fish, packed equipment, and tried to offload the aquariums since I no longer had room to take them all. In the end, I was only able to pack one tank—my Red Sea Max E-170 (45g AIO).

As many people know, moving is a massive undertaking, especially across long distances. By the time I was settled enough to think about setting up a tank again—between a new house, a new location, and a new job—it would already be spring of 2025.

In my next post, I’ll document my new and current tanks and begin updating my livestock pages and information!