How to move a large tank

[TealStarlight]

We don’t have enough people to carry a brand new. We live in a small town pretty rural. A 220 gallon tank or 300 gallon tank would be pretty heavy to carry. Anybody have any ideas on how to get somebody to help move a 220 gallon tank or 300 gallon tank and stand that we want to buy from a Local store? I have a Comet goldfish. He’s big. I don’t want him to have a small space. I want the biggest space for him possible. Only got 125 gal. I really want an acrylic tank too instead of glass for safety for my fish. But it’s insanely expensive. Any ideas on how I can get it for cheaper? Not used though. Needs to be brand new. I’m too afraid to buy anything used.  have a comet goldfish full grown 10.5 inches long from head to tail. Only one fish. 

Edited September 10 by TealStarlight

[ange]

Acrylic tanks are going to be easier to move than glass and hold up very well in comparison to glass. I would actually feel better purchasing a used acrylic than a new glass aquarium. The one downside is the acrylic can become cloudy if exposed to certain things and it scratches more easily than glass so it's more likely to be dinged.

If you're talking about moving from the store to your home and it's within walking distance, I highly suggest using a dolly. Make sure that the rim is supported and maybe stick some EVA under for leveling/safety and you can go pretty far by yourself, especially if you have it secured with a ratchet strap or two. Even if you're able to transport the tank with your vehicle I would still suggest the dolly for getting it into position in your home.

Alternatively, maybe look into the option of using a tote or animal trough? I've used 100 gallon totes and even an old 330 gallon RO tank to hold fish when my pond sprung a leak. There may be one in a pleasing size that is (from experience) second only to a similarly sized acrylic tank in terms of ease to move.

[lefty o]

you for sure need 4-6 healthy friends to help move it. a truck or van with either a sheet of plywood to set it on, or thick heavy moving blanket.

[johnnyxxl]

Buy a used tank break it down and reseal if the acrylic tank is sealed with silicone.  I have no experience with acrylic tanks.  

Moving a tank if you can get it to the room with one or two people you can lift using cribbing by placing things under it that is what my brother did with his tank before I was around.  So the idea is you take something almost as long lift the tank slide it under lifting like a couple of inches each time until it's at the level you want to place it on the stand 

[gabdewulf]

Have you looked at a service like Taskrabbit?

[gardenman]

I've had a pet theory that you can build a scaled-down version of a boat lift gantry crane for moving large aquariums. (Photo of a boat lift gantry crane below.) Just lever up the aquarium bit to slide the straps under the tank/stand then crank it up a few inches and away you go. In a perfect world, it would be adjustable in both length and width to handle pretty much any size tank or door opening.  Things like steps and stairs could be an issue, but for moving a tank around on a flat surface or up and down ramps it should work pretty well. It might be a pretty good thing for the right aquarium store to develop to help with tank deliveries. A sturdy ramp with a winch at the top could help navigate it up and down stairs. Larger wheels/tires could make it easy to transition over smaller obstacles like thresholds. It seems like a very doable device to me.

In the right part of the country (lots of people and aquariums) an aquarium moving/delivery service could be a decent business opportunity. Kind of a smart thing for a bigger aquarium store to develop and have on hand for in-store use also.

[quikv6]

I have foolishly moved a 180 glass tank and stand by myself, with the help of multiple dollies. (I did remove the seats of my SUV to get it home....but you can always rent a home depot van/truck./U-haul.)

Some key points to consider:

• Have multiple blankets/quilts
• Use rubber gloves
• Multiple Dollies
• Consider suction cups, and-or 2x4s under the tank
• Ratchet straps can help secure dollies and wood. They can also secure tank to stand, if moving all together.
• Heavy duty furniture sliders do a great job as well.
• Consider doorway widths, stairs, etc in regards to potential location of tank.

Try to get up to 3 additional people to help, and it ill be exponentially easier. If you get more than 3...it can actually hinder movement through doorways, etc.

Short story: It's not my definition of fun...but it can absolutely be done with prudent thought and planning.

Edited September 11 by quikv6

[TAB]

Hand powered forklift.  Or maybe one of the walk behind electrics.

 

 

That's how we moved tanks when I was building custom aquariums a couple life times ago.

[ange]

On 9/11/2024 at 11:20 AM, quikv6 said:

• Consider suction cups, and-or 2x4s under the tank

You mentioned a ton of details that I forgot about but this is genius! Way better than the EVA method that I learned after having to transport a 300 gallon acrylic tank!!

[Markp2483]

Have you looked at those fiberglass tanks with glass or acrylic fronts? If you clad the outside they don’t look so bad.  That should be lightest option for a big tank.

Edited September 12 by Markp2483