Moving a tank across the room

Aquavaj · 08/15/2018, 09:14 AM

This is a 40g acrylic AIO, 40lbs sand, 40lbs or so of marco rocks. This will be carried by only 2 people.

I will move fish and shrimp into QT but planning to leave corals and rocks. Once drained it will be moved along with the stand to eliminate unnecessary stress on the seams. Corals will be out of water for no more than 15 mins. If this is risky I can move corals and rocks to QT as well.

I have an high estimate of about 180lbs total if I leave the rocks. Is this feasible for 2 guys?

thegrun · 08/15/2018, 09:20 AM

My only concern would be having the rocks topple over during the move which would scratch the tank; you may want to consider placing most of the rocks in 5 gallon buckets. They sell flat Teflon type slides at Home Depot that you could set the stand on and slide it rather than carry it.

Aquavaj · 08/15/2018, 10:56 AM

Good call on the rocks. Guess I'll just have to be extra careful moving them out because I have a couple of corals glued onto them. I'll look into those slides too.

mcgyvr · 08/15/2018, 12:23 PM

A 40G tank can easily be moved across a room with 2 people without needing to resort to all that..

I moved my 40B/stand in one piece.. I only drained it down a few inches just to avoid splashing then used these..
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Waxman-8-Pa...der/1000372527

With socks if wood floor.. without if carpet..

Piece of cake..

I just used a crowbar to lift each corner of the stand to slide on of those under then EASILY slid it across the floor then added the few inches of water back..

Far less stressful that way..

Took me like 30 minutes or less..

hkgar · 08/15/2018, 12:51 PM

Do you think a 180 could be moved? I would love to install a new floor but I have no idea on moving my tank. (wood laminate floor)

I am considering cutting out the existing floor around it and installing the new floor around it.

Rover88 · 08/15/2018, 01:08 PM

I have slid a 75 gallon with a roughly 25 gallons of water Sump along hardwood floor while fully filled. I only stopped the pumps so that the water level in the top would drop enough it didn't slosh.

I moved it myself, and I'm not a large or particularily strong person. I only needed to move it over about 5 feet though.

Wooden stand, with felt 'feet' on the bottom of it.

Aquavaj · 08/16/2018, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

A 40G tank can easily be moved across a room with 2 people without needing to resort to all that..

I moved my 40B/stand in one piece.. I only drained it down a few inches just to avoid splashing then used these..
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Waxman-8-Pa...der/1000372527

With socks if wood floor.. without if carpet..

Piece of cake..

I just used a crowbar to lift each corner of the stand to slide on of those under then EASILY slid it across the floor then added the few inches of water back..

Far less stressful that way..

Took me like 30 minutes or less..

Well problem is, the tank is on a little riser I built to make the tank sit a little higher so it'll be almost eye level when standing. I don't think 2 of us can drop the tank when full.

mcgyvr · 08/16/2018, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aquavaj

Well problem is, the tank is on a little riser I built to make the tank sit a little higher so it'll be almost eye level when standing. I don't think 2 of us can drop the tank when full.

oh.. sure... Now you include that information..

der_wille_zur_macht · 08/16/2018, 10:39 AM

Got a photo of the configuration?

Vinny Kreyling · 08/16/2018, 11:06 AM

hkgar,
Sometime in the future you would regret that decision.
If there was a spill the ends of the wood would be open & make it easy for water to enter.
Do it right by emptying it to 1/3 full & moving it across the room & back when necessary.
Even if it takes getting help.

mcgyvr · 08/16/2018, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinny Kreyling

hkgar,
Sometime in the future you would regret that decision.
If there was a spill the ends of the wood would be open & make it easy for water to enter.
Do it right by emptying it to 1/3 full & moving it across the room & back when necessary.
Even if it takes getting help.

I agree..

hkgar · 08/16/2018, 02:16 PM

I think I will live with what I have. Not sure the corals could make it very long with out water and breaking all this down and figuring out how to reassemble seems a nightmare.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/g6Vayp22PKNzcCKa6

Vinny Kreyling · 08/16/2018, 04:38 PM

Save the water in brutes & replace on the other side of the room----TWICE

WVfishguy · 08/17/2018, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hkgar

I think I will live with what I have. Not sure the corals could make it very long with out water and breaking all this down and figuring out how to reassemble seems a nightmare.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/g6Vayp22PKNzcCKa6

What a beautiful tank! I think I hate you!

The corals could live out of water long enough to move the tank, but why bother? I was a professional maintenance guy for the past 20 years, and there's NO WAY I'd mess with it. You've got $1,000+ worth of corals there.

Only you and the Lord above will know the new wood laminate flooring stops at the bottom of your aquarium stand. Just think of the bottom of the stand as the end of the room.

Did I mention how beautiful your aquarium is?

To the OP - my 14-year-old stepdaughter moved my 125 (glass) reefer across the room. She took out the rocks and aragonite, and wrestled the tank to the other side of the room. By herself

A 40-gal acrylic is easy.

der_wille_zur_macht · 08/18/2018, 03:08 AM

If the new floor is floating click-together laminate, just save a bunch of extra pieces and if you ever move or tear down the tank, plop them in it's place. It would take 10 minutes and you'd never know. Heck even if the new floor is hardwood or any other wood look flooring with individual pieces - just remove a few of the boards adjacent to where the tank was so you don't end up with a hard line of edges around the footprint. The only flooring that would really prevent you from doing this would be carpet or linoleum or something else continuous.

hkgar · 08/18/2018, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WVfishguy

What a beautiful tank! I think I hate you!

The corals could live out of water long enough to move the tank, but why bother? I was a professional maintenance guy for the past 20 years, and there's NO WAY I'd mess with it. You've got $1,000+ worth of corals there.

Only you and the Lord above will know the new wood laminate flooring stops at the bottom of your aquarium stand. Just think of the bottom of the stand as the end of the room.

Did I mention how beautiful your aquarium is?

To the OP - my 14-year-old stepdaughter moved my 125 (glass) reefer across the room. She took out the rocks and aragonite, and wrestled the tank to the other side of the room. By herself

A 40-gal acrylic is easy.

Thank you for the compliments

If I redo the floor it will not be a laminate, but hardwood.

moondoggy4 · 08/19/2018, 10:34 AM

^^^^ How bout using wood looking porcelain tile, that way you will not get damaged with exposed sides.

Silly clownfish · 08/20/2018, 07:43 AM

My husband and I have moved my 30g around the first floor a few times using slides over carpet (that was then removed), tile, and hardwood. The hardest part it getting the darn slides under the stand. And getting over any thresholds between rooms.

If moving over hard wood, make sure you clean the floor before starting and don’t get anything on the bottom of the sliders that’s could scratch the floor.

We typically took a third to half of the water out to avoid too much sloshing. Also, before starting the move, I took some of the higher rock out and set them in the buckets holding the removed water. I already knew which sometimes moved when I was vacuuming the tank.

KHahnOkc · 08/20/2018, 05:26 PM

All of these success stories are great, but only up the that second you have the slightest bit of excess and un-equal stress on the glass or seams. Only SAFE way to move a tank, glass or acrylic, is to empty the tank move and refill, and that still comes with risk. Remeber, that the glass is flexible until it fails, and then its 50/50 whether its a crack edge to edge or catastrophic and everything is on the floor.

Take the time to empty and refill the tank. You will not regret the work when you are finished and your tank is safe.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

08/15/2018, 09:14 AM	#1
Aquavaj Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 132	Moving a tank across the room This is a 40g acrylic AIO, 40lbs sand, 40lbs or so of marco rocks. This will be carried by only 2 people. I will move fish and shrimp into QT but planning to leave corals and rocks. Once drained it will be moved along with the stand to eliminate unnecessary stress on the seams. Corals will be out of water for no more than 15 mins. If this is risky I can move corals and rocks to QT as well. I have an high estimate of about 180lbs total if I leave the rocks. Is this feasible for 2 guys?

08/15/2018, 12:23 PM	#4
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	A 40G tank can easily be moved across a room with 2 people without needing to resort to all that.. I moved my 40B/stand in one piece.. I only drained it down a few inches just to avoid splashing then used these.. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Waxman-8-Pa...der/1000372527 With socks if wood floor.. without if carpet.. Piece of cake.. I just used a crowbar to lift each corner of the stand to slide on of those under then EASILY slid it across the floor then added the few inches of water back.. Far less stressful that way.. Took me like 30 minutes or less.. __________________ Who me?

08/15/2018, 12:51 PM	#5
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	Do you think a 180 could be moved? I would love to install a new floor but I have no idea on moving my tank. (wood laminate floor) I am considering cutting out the existing floor around it and installing the new floor around it. __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels

08/16/2018, 10:39 AM	#9
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	Got a photo of the configuration? __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

08/16/2018, 11:06 AM	#10
Vinny Kreyling Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miller Place, NY Posts: 7,206	hkgar, Sometime in the future you would regret that decision. If there was a spill the ends of the wood would be open & make it easy for water to enter. Do it right by emptying it to 1/3 full & moving it across the room & back when necessary. Even if it takes getting help. __________________ 250 gallon mixed reef, 2 Reefbreeder's Photon V 2, Deepwater BLDC 12, DAS EX-3 Skimmer, MTC mini cal, 2-3/4" Sea Swirls, Aquacontroller & 6 Tunze pumps.

08/15/2018, 09:20 AM	#2
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	My only concern would be having the rocks topple over during the move which would scratch the tank; you may want to consider placing most of the rocks in 5 gallon buckets. They sell flat Teflon type slides at Home Depot that you could set the stand on and slide it rather than carry it.

08/15/2018, 10:56 AM	#3
Aquavaj Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 132	Good call on the rocks. Guess I'll just have to be extra careful moving them out because I have a couple of corals glued onto them. I'll look into those slides too.

08/15/2018, 01:08 PM	#6
Rover88 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: New Brunswick, Canada Posts: 590	I have slid a 75 gallon with a roughly 25 gallons of water Sump along hardwood floor while fully filled. I only stopped the pumps so that the water level in the top would drop enough it didn't slosh. I moved it myself, and I'm not a large or particularily strong person. I only needed to move it over about 5 feet though. Wooden stand, with felt 'feet' on the bottom of it.

08/16/2018, 02:16 PM	#12
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	I think I will live with what I have. Not sure the corals could make it very long with out water and breaking all this down and figuring out how to reassemble seems a nightmare. https://photos.app.goo.gl/g6Vayp22PKNzcCKa6 __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels

08/16/2018, 04:38 PM	#13
Vinny Kreyling Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miller Place, NY Posts: 7,206	Save the water in brutes & replace on the other side of the room----TWICE __________________ 250 gallon mixed reef, 2 Reefbreeder's Photon V 2, Deepwater BLDC 12, DAS EX-3 Skimmer, MTC mini cal, 2-3/4" Sea Swirls, Aquacontroller & 6 Tunze pumps.

08/18/2018, 03:08 AM	#15
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	If the new floor is floating click-together laminate, just save a bunch of extra pieces and if you ever move or tear down the tank, plop them in it's place. It would take 10 minutes and you'd never know. Heck even if the new floor is hardwood or any other wood look flooring with individual pieces - just remove a few of the boards adjacent to where the tank was so you don't end up with a hard line of edges around the footprint. The only flooring that would really prevent you from doing this would be carpet or linoleum or something else continuous. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

08/19/2018, 10:34 AM	#17
moondoggy4 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: menifee So cal Posts: 11,042	^^^^ How bout using wood looking porcelain tile, that way you will not get damaged with exposed sides.

08/20/2018, 07:43 AM	#18
Silly clownfish Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Southeast Pennsylvania Posts: 488	My husband and I have moved my 30g around the first floor a few times using slides over carpet (that was then removed), tile, and hardwood. The hardest part it getting the darn slides under the stand. And getting over any thresholds between rooms. If moving over hard wood, make sure you clean the floor before starting and don’t get anything on the bottom of the sliders that’s could scratch the floor. We typically took a third to half of the water out to avoid too much sloshing. Also, before starting the move, I took some of the higher rock out and set them in the buckets holding the removed water. I already knew which sometimes moved when I was vacuuming the tank. __________________ 75g mixed reef, 20g sump, ocelaris clownfish (20+yrs old), flame hawk, one spot foxface rabbitfish, green mandarin, Bicolor Blenny, Coral Beauty;30g sumpless with Spotcinctus pair with RBTA Current Tank Info: 75g mixed reef, 20g sump, ocelaris clownfish (20+yrs old), flame hawk, one spot foxface rabbitfish, green mandarin, Bicolor Blenny, Coral Beauty;30g sumpless with Spotcinctus pair

08/20/2018, 05:26 PM	#19
KHahnOkc Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 12	All of these success stories are great, but only up the that second you have the slightest bit of excess and un-equal stress on the glass or seams. Only SAFE way to move a tank, glass or acrylic, is to empty the tank move and refill, and that still comes with risk. Remeber, that the glass is flexible until it fails, and then its 50/50 whether its a crack edge to edge or catastrophic and everything is on the floor. Take the time to empty and refill the tank. You will not regret the work when you are finished and your tank is safe. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk