Jump to content

Moving a tank


DrwHem
 Share

Recommended Posts

I need to move this aquarium to the other side of the room. It's 60 gallons and as you can see is using some hardscape rocks.

If I took out 80% of the water do you think that it would be safe to life the tank separately from the stand? I'm not sure if the tank is stable enough and am hesitant to remove the rocks because I don't know that I can put them in the same way.

IMG_20220904_110844.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I personally would remove the rocks because they add unnecessary weight and they can shift during the transfer. All it takes for a scratch or a crack to happen is for someone to slip while moving the tank and one of the rocks slams against a side of the tank. Maybe you can think of this as another opportunity to change up your hard scape 😉

As for how much water to drain, I would drain as much of the water as you can (more than 80%). 20% of 60 gallons is 12 gallons, which is roughly 100 pounds. Even if you halved that amount of water because of the substrate, that is another 50 lbs to tack on to moving the tank (and substrate) itself. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I moved a 75 gallon (on its stand) across the room on heavy duty furniture sliders........ with fish, gravel, decorations, and about 15 gallons of water in it. Not terribly difficult, though it took some care and planning.  In your case, I'd recommend removing the rock, or at the least, laying them flat so they can't tumble.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would also remove everything and as much water as I could I assume your hoping to keep the fish in for the move.

Is it going on a new stand if not you'll need to put this tank down while you move the stand so that is a lot of movement that could  cause things to move. They could also trap the fish in low water as they will be trying to hide in the rocks.

On 10/5/2022 at 12:47 AM, quikv6 said:

heavy duty furniture sliders

Good idea if suitable 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now that you have a picture, you CAN put them back in place or close to. Worst case scenario you have to do some ametaur archeology; Mark on your glass with some masking/blue tape for their position and as you pull them out, make sure to keep a consistent orientation and number each one, bottom to top, until you have them all out. Make a number mark on a photo to correspond to the number you pulled out, and you SHOULD be able reconstruct the scape fairly well.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The empty 60 gallon aquarium ways close to 100#.  You and a helper will need to pick up the aquarium and stand, clear of the floor without dragging or tipping.  You must also position the aquarium and adjust for plumb and level if needed.   It would be easier to move the components separately, removing as much weight from the aquarium as possible.

Adding to @Luciferkrists suggestion, you could place rulers, or steel tape measures in the tank and take additional photos from the top down to help with orientation.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...