Moving an aquarium

[FMJnaX]

Hi all,

I'm going to be moving my 29 gallon tank here shortly (when I complete my home-made stand). I've currently got just a single 3" gold fish in there. The tank has been setup for about 1 week now. What is the best way to move this.... down a flight of stairs? I'm thinking I'll drain most of the water and put 4 gallons in a 5 gallon bucket with the fish. Then I'll leave just enough water to keep the gravel submerged and then I'll get a friend to help me carry it down. Any other suggestions?

 

[lyquidphyre]

That sounds like an awesome idea *nod*

Thats how we moved BOTH of my 29gal's downstairs

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Just make sure the bottom of supported enough. I'd hate to see the bottom crack and send 30 lbs of gravel down a flight of steps.

 

[lyquidphyre]

But when you go down the stairs, the gravel shifts towards the person going backwards.. so they are kinda supporting it (trust me i know, i was the one going backwards down the stairs =o) )

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I wasn't doubting your experience Liquid. It's just that if you plan to move gravel and some water, just make sure that it isn't too much pressure on any part of the tank. Then again, I tend to be very cautious.

 

[lyquidphyre]

Haha i didn't think you were doubting me or anything! I was just remembering going down the stairs and the gravel moving and sloshing me in the face

But its good to be cautious *nod*

 

[FMJnaX]

Hmmmm, I have some extra 3/4" plywood. Would it shoot down the chances of added pressure if we place the tank on it and then move it? I'll screw on some side rails to ensure that it doesn't slide off. What do you think about that?

 

[lyquidphyre]

If its just to move it down like... 18 stairs? its not worth all that trouble

Ive moved two 29's and a 75gal down a flight of stairs with no problems what so ever *gravel and all*

if your hands are holding the tank underneath it you should be okay.

 

[FMJnaX]

Yeah, it's just about 16 steps or something. Upstairs to downstairs. My tank is glass, and fairly heavy, if that will make a difference on your suggestion(s). I suppose if it does break while moving down, it would be the perfect time to upsale the wife to a 55 gal eh? = )

 

[SteveM]

Maybe I'm just overcautious, but I think I'd take the extra 15 minutes to take the gravel out too. These tanks are designed to take weight when they are evenly supported around their entire edge - carrying them by hand you are going to support them unevenly and put all kinds of stresses on the glass and frame. Maybe you get away with it 9 out of 10 times, but is it really that much time saved to be worth the risk?

As someone who just had to return a 29G with a cracked bottom glass I can tell you you don't want to find out the hard way that your tank was weakened just enough to break when it gets refilled.

 

[lyquidphyre]

You know what... come to think of it... i think i did take some gravel out.. not all of the gravel but some just to make it easier to carry down the stairs

 

[FMJnaX]

I've got 25 lbs of gravel in it. I keep going back and forth about taking some out, but the thing that keeps getting me is my cycle. I'm 1 week in and things are looking great (Ammonia is steady at .75 ppm and nitrites started showing tonight between .25 and .50 ppm (color was hard to determine). I'm afraid that if I take my gravel out, I will wipe away any bacteria I have growing on there. How can I avoid killing my colonies of bacteria?

 

[Guest]

i just moved and i took everything out of my 55 gallon, live plants, gravel, everything. Because someone told me that the bottom may break. I didn't want to risk breaking anything.

 

[FMJnaX]

How does your cycle look AshleyNicole? Any major/visible upset? Did you hold the plants/gravel/etc in established tank water during transport?

 

[Guest]

lol, i actually posted a question in the general discussion area. I kept the gravel and suspended it in some panty hose in the water becasue i put new gravel in (natural looking) and i kept the live plants.. all live, no fake ones. I kept all the filter material in water and just put it right in. I haven't had any casualties and ammonia and nitrites have stayed at zero.

 

[lyquidphyre]

If you keep the gravel you take out moist, then you are okay when it comes to bacteria

 

[FMJnaX]

Well I didn't plan on drying it. lol. Do you think it would be alright to remove it and place it in a bucket just long enough for the move without any water added? I'm guessing it would only take 5 minutes, if even that, to move the tank downstair, sit it down, and get the 4 gal of water back in and start working on the water addition. I suppose I'm just worrying too much though eh?

 

[Guest]

i think that would be fine as long as it's moist. The bacteria aren't going to die in 5 minutes... you should be fine.

 

[ScottVinVA]

Hmmmm, I have some extra 3/4" plywood. Would it shoot down the chances of added pressure if we place the tank on it and then move it? I'll screw on some side rails to ensure that it doesn't slide off. What do you think about that?

Sounds like a smart idea.

 

[FMJnaX]

Alright. I finally made the move last night. Took much longer than expected (my gravel vac seemed to be pulling water slower than normal).

First, I removed about 1/2 of the water first and used it to water the garden. The little guy didn't seem too stressed about it. In fact, he wouldn't stay out of my way; kept checking out the vac and trying to swim under it.

After I removed 1/2 the water (enough to stop the HOB's), I filled a 1/2 gal bucket with tank water and moved the fish in and out of the way (two young kids... didn't need a fish flopping around or in a hand). I removed the rest of the water (well, all but about a gallon. Couldn't get all of it). I placed the decor in a bag. I used a cup and scooped out as much gravel as possible and placed it in a 5 gal bucket with about 2-3 gals of the last tank water. All that was left was about 1 gallon of water and 1 pound of gravel.

We carefully moved it downstairs, without the plywood support, and set it back up. I didn't mess with the gravel or anything since I wanted to get the HOB's back up and running (they were out of the water for 8-10 minutes. Hope I didn't kill 'em). Filled everything back up, added the gravel and decor and 5 gallons of existing tank water. I added the water treatment and waited about 10 minutes.

When the fish was put back in, I think there was an initial shock. He went straight to the bottom, but after about 30 seconds, he starting checking out the gravel and the decorations and was back to normal. He was eating like a pig (as usual) 20 minutes later. My water temp (upstairs was between 80F and 82F) dropped down to 72-74F, which is more in his specified range. I'm sure that once everything stabalizes to room temp, it will be more like 76-78F, but still not as bad as 80F+.

Everything's going good and I appreciate all of the help!