Moving tank help
- Thread starter jester
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Jester,
I haven't gone through a move myself, but what I have seen here is to use garbage cans (new seems like the best bet) to hold the contents of the tank during the move. When you consider that you have about 480 lbs of water, 80 lbs of rock, plus sand, the tank, and stand, it's a pretty substantial amount of weight to move.
I'm not sure about the plumbing issue under the tank, but it would seem that moving the tank and stand together could result in cracks/leaks. Again, I've never done it, so hopefully you'll get some other responses here. Also, if you haven't already done so, try searching. I'm guessing there's at least one post that might give you some more ideas.
Good luck,
Jeff
I haven't gone through a move myself, but what I have seen here is to use garbage cans (new seems like the best bet) to hold the contents of the tank during the move. When you consider that you have about 480 lbs of water, 80 lbs of rock, plus sand, the tank, and stand, it's a pretty substantial amount of weight to move.
I'm not sure about the plumbing issue under the tank, but it would seem that moving the tank and stand together could result in cracks/leaks. Again, I've never done it, so hopefully you'll get some other responses here. Also, if you haven't already done so, try searching. I'm guessing there's at least one post that might give you some more ideas.
Good luck,
Jeff
ellisz
Aquarium Advice Addict
I only moved my tank from the upstair to the basement but you will need to remove everything to move the tank - fish/coral, water and sand. I guess you might be able to move it with sand it in but it might be risky. I used to do that with a 38 gal tank I had but my 75 gal glass tank would be impossible to move with something in it. If you have a DSB, don't even try.
Get some rubbermaids and save as much water as you can. You can transport the fish and corals in these containers as well. I removed the water till I started reaching the LR. Then removed the LR, then fish, corals and inverts. Last was the sand. Transport the stand and tank and reverse order. I did mine all in one night and I did not lose anything.
One tip I got here if you remove the sand was to buy a new dust pan. These work great to remove the sand. Keep the sand separate from the fish, corals and inverts. The tank will be real cloudy after the re-assemble too. I used 3 32 gal and 2 18 gal containers to move my tank. But I did not have to pick the containers. I used a hose to move the water from the upstairs to the basement. Only thing I moved by hand was the tank, stand, equipment and and livestock.
Goodluck
HTH
Get some rubbermaids and save as much water as you can. You can transport the fish and corals in these containers as well. I removed the water till I started reaching the LR. Then removed the LR, then fish, corals and inverts. Last was the sand. Transport the stand and tank and reverse order. I did mine all in one night and I did not lose anything.
One tip I got here if you remove the sand was to buy a new dust pan. These work great to remove the sand. Keep the sand separate from the fish, corals and inverts. The tank will be real cloudy after the re-assemble too. I used 3 32 gal and 2 18 gal containers to move my tank. But I did not have to pick the containers. I used a hose to move the water from the upstairs to the basement. Only thing I moved by hand was the tank, stand, equipment and and livestock.
Goodluck
HTH
ellisz
Aquarium Advice Addict
Once you get the LR out and drain some of the water, if gives them little room to run and hide. 
BillyZ
Aquarium Advice Addict
there is acutally an article here written that covers moving a FW tank. Most of which applies to both SW and FW.
key points to be sure of:
have ready made new water available if you need to do a water change after setting the system back up.
Try and keep as much of the original tank water as possible.
do NOT move the tank with anything in it.
Be very careful moving the water, 5 gallon bucket = 40+ pounds of weight. Don't hurt yourself by trying to lug around 20 gallons of water at a time!
check our articles section for the Moving a FW tank article.
key points to be sure of:
have ready made new water available if you need to do a water change after setting the system back up.
Try and keep as much of the original tank water as possible.
do NOT move the tank with anything in it.
Be very careful moving the water, 5 gallon bucket = 40+ pounds of weight. Don't hurt yourself by trying to lug around 20 gallons of water at a time!
check our articles section for the Moving a FW tank article.
limemittens
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I moved my tank 4 hours away. I got large rubbermaid totes and put the rocks in there. Then filled it with the water from the tank when the totes were in my car. I left the base sand and a little water in the tank. It sounded like I was driving the ocean when i hit the gas or braked. I put the fish into a Sterilite show off container(from Target). When I got home, I setup the rocks where I wanted them, added the water and kept the fish in their own container with air and heat overnite to make sure the levels of the tank were right when I put them back it. Lost only one fish. The rest have been happy since the move. I hope this helps
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