Moving 46 Gallon Tank

[isubrian]

I'll be moving in a couple of months and need to come up with a way to move my 46 gallon tank. I've thought about putting all the fish in rubbermaid containers, or coolers for transport. My dad had a different idea though: cut a piece of plywood that is shaped exactly like the top of the tank, so it would sit right on top of the water, to keep it from sloshing. I'd have to take probably 1/2 the water out so the thing would be semi liftable on it's stand. Does the second option sound like it will work? Does anyone have any different ideas?

Thanks
Brian

 

[Bloo]

You really need to empty the whole lot and strip everything down. It would be a complete and utter nightmare to try and lift and move a tank with water, fish and all

How far do you have to move (distance wise?).

 

[trace1]

personally i think it would be far safer stripping the whole tank down & moving it empty, think having water in there could make it unstable & there is a risk of the tank breaking which would be a distaster on its own but can you imagine it with fish & stuff in as well. doesn't even bear thinking about

 

[cujoho78]

I would go with your first idea. Put all the fish in coolers or something like that to move them. Empty the tank totally. Keep some filter material and a few decorations in water also so when you set it back up some bacteria will be there to limit the re-cycling you'll have to do. Wouldn't want to risk having the tank break, or you'll have an even bigger, way more expensive, and pain in the bum problem to deal with.

 

[mikefazz]

definately the first one. i,ve just moved my 180ltr tank about 15 meters across a level floor. i dropped the water level down to about 3" above the substrate and still found it difficult to lift with two people! By my guess a tank your size would weigh around 200kg depending on substrate.

 

[Vegan Peaches]

A tank that size would be very very heavy even 1/2 or 1/4 full of water; I say bag the fish, put some water in a small container, keep the filter media in that container so the bacteria doesn't dry up; bag the fish (rubbermaid containers wont have enough air in them) put the bags in a good insulator (a cooler would work) and make sure the fish tank is the last thing you pack up and first thing you set up when you move ^^ Good luck with the moving!

 

[dcj38]

I moved about a month ago, and have to move in another month unfortunately. I had extreme trouble with my dad and I lifting my 29 gallon tank which had like half water in. Unless you are extremely strong, id go with the first option. Also when we made a slight break in the car the water sloshed around alot, and thank god my fish werent in there or they would have stressed out and died. First option would be my choice.

 

[newfishaddict]

I'll be moving in a couple of months and need to come up with a way to move my 46 gallon tank. I've thought about putting all the fish in rubbermaid containers, or coolers for transport. My dad had a different idea though: cut a piece of plywood that is shaped exactly like the top of the tank, so it would sit right on top of the water, to keep it from sloshing. I'd have to take probably 1/2 the water out so the thing would be semi liftable on it's stand. Does the second option sound like it will work? Does anyone have any different ideas?

Thanks
Brian

When moving a tank larger thank 10g with water in it you can break it, Ive seen my friend, years ago when I had no interest in aquariums , break a 35g hex by moving it with 40% water in it.

 

[Ethos]

Yeah, I'd remove all the fish if you want them to stay alive.
Then you could move the tank. (I'd suggest moving the tank with nothing in it, just the gravel and about a 1/2 inch of water in it, to preserve the bacteria in the gravel) You'd need 3 people atleast, if you want things to go smoothly.
I know I had to have help moving my 55G empty up a straight flight of stairs. It wasn't heavy, just almost impossible for a signle person to do alone.
Maybe if I coulda twisted it sideways up the stairs I coulda done it alone, but even then, if I dropped it halfway up, thats alot of glass to smash

 

[isubrian]

Thanks for the input, I think it is obvious what route I'll be taking. I moved about a year ago, from 1st floor to 3rd floor in the same building, and emptying about 1/2 the water out worked, and we put the tank and stand on a cart to wheel the tank to the elevator and then upstairs. This time I'll be moving about 15 miles, so the rubbermaid container should work.

Any good ideas for scooping up fish that are 6" long, or will just using a big net work the best?

Thanks
Brian

 

[onemisterchristian]

as far as scooping fish you can use a collander or even a plastic bag.

 

[windsor-aquatic]

I wouldn't attempt moving a tank with even a small amount of water in it; the water movement during transportation could cause the seals to give way, or crack one of the panels.