Moving Large Tank

[Irf]

Hi all,

Just thought I should ask:

I'm travelling up to Wales tonight to help my sister pick up a used tank she's buying tomorrow. Are there any pitfalls I should be looking out for? We've got the obvious ones covered like keeping the filters full of water so they remain cycled, bagging of fish, etc. It's about a 1 hour journey back to hers place. Oh, and the tank is 1.5m x 0.5m x 0.5m and we have hired a van.

Specifically, I read somewhere that it's risky transporting tanks empty. Apparently the glass can crack? Not sure how or why, but all advice will be gratefully received.

many thanks,

Irf.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yes it can be slightly dangerous, particularly with older used tanks, if the silicon is worn and you don't support the tank properly it can crack. it's just about the weight distribution of the glass being wrong.

just basic stuff will see you through though. make sure the tank is always well supported when it's being lifted, when you put it down in the van make sure it's on a flat surface (get a sheet of ply or something to put it on if the van floor isn't flat). think standard building site health and safety! lol

 

[Tolak]

It's bad to move them with anything in them, you want it totally empty. As mentioned, pad the bottom, make sure it doesn't go sliding around during transport. With a larger tank make sure you don't twist it or put any other unnecessary stress on the tank.

Drive carefully, you never see the commercial glass trucks playing Indy 500, and enjoy the new tank.

 

[england]

as every1s stated,,,,take lots of soft stuff,ie towels tec,i had a huge roll of carpet and wrapped it all round tank, try to sit in back of van to support tank during hazzard welsh jorney,,,always pick tank up from bottom, dont use the lips of glass inside top to carry it or you will be sorry,,and make sure everyones ready, and watch out for walls as i got backed into one dropped tank the caught it with one hand<which broke>ow

 

[CFC]

I would suggest putting a sheet of 2" thick polystyrene under the tank in the van so that any bumps are cushioned, you can get a sheet from somewhere like Wicks for under a fiver.

Dont transport the filters with water in them as the oxygen in the water will be used up very quickly by the bacteria and then it starts to die off rapidly polluting the water. Instead treat the media like fish and bag each sponge or a few handfulls of ceramic media individually with enough water to cover them.

 

[azulfire24]

if u cant get carpet try using an old moving blanket,, thick and quilted wrap it around and duck tape it so its a big solid bundle,,,,,dont set it down roughly good luck

 

[fishyfreak]

I just moved a 18o gallon 6 x 2 x 2' tank last Sat. it was quite a task. I bought 3-2x4x8' lumber, I took 1- 2x4 and cut off 2-24" lengths and laid them on the floor about 6 feet apart (depending on the length of your tank). Then I took the remaining 2-2x4's and laid them in the opposite direction on top of the smaller pieces then nailed them together making a sort of stretcher, also allowing you to get your fingers underneath to lift everything. On top of this "stretcher" I put a piece of Styrofoam for some cushioning, then set the tank on top. Finally I snugged 2 straps on either end of the tank as close to the edges as possible to secure the tank to the stretcher. After that was done the rest was easy, except the tank weighed a lot, it took 4 of us on each corner and even that was a chore.

It's really not as complicated as it sounds, all you're doing is nailing a few boards together and setting the tank on top, that way you're lifting the stretcher and not trying to hang on to the actual tank itself.

 

[smoggs44]

Hi i have just moved a 3ft tank i emptied the water into large bucket an bins, baged up the fish as best we could and then put them into the buckets to stay warm, i think you can get battery airators for longer travel times.
we took out the rock and wood but left the subsrtate in it was very heavy buy saved a lot of setup time at the other end.all fish back in their own tank and swiming within 3 hours of starting the job.
not sure if this helps or write but it worked for us.??

Smoggs44






Hi all,

Just thought I should ask:

I'm travelling up to Wales tonight to help my sister pick up a used tank she's buying tomorrow. Are there any pitfalls I should be looking out for? We've got the obvious ones covered like keeping the filters full of water so they remain cycled, bagging of fish, etc. It's about a 1 hour journey back to hers place. Oh, and the tank is 1.5m x 0.5m x 0.5m and we have hired a van.

Specifically, I read somewhere that it's risky transporting tanks empty. Apparently the glass can crack? Not sure how or why, but all advice will be gratefully received.

many thanks,

Irf.

 

[vinylman]

Don't try to save space in the van by putting equipment and/or decorations in the empty tank during transportation. Sounds obvious but I'm sure some people do it.

 

[Irf]

Thanks to all that have responded so helpfully!

My basic plan now looks something like this:

1. pick up van tomorrow morning and see what kind of base it has.

2. depending on base, buy something suitable to sit the tank on. The polystyrene idea sounds good as does plywood, perhaps with a blanket to sit in between

3. drain a lot of the water out

4. catch all fish and bag up (including the 30cm plec!)

5. disconnect filters and bag up media in fish bags with air inside

6. drain remainder of water and remove substrate into buckets

7. put media and fish bags into a large plastic bin, in the van

8. remove all rocks, wood, heaters, lights, etc. and put them into a separate vehicle

9. lift tank into van onto base as above

10. ensure no movement around van as suggested

​

Off we go.....

OK, now that may sound a bit gung-ho but I've incorporated some of what has been suggested. What have I missed that's really really important?

Thanks again,

Irf.

 

[fishyfreak]

You can buy Styrofoam coolers at most hardware stores if you're interested, they can be used to house the fish while being moved, they will hold your water temperature for several hours, they're inexpensive and they come in different sizes. Plus they're great for storing stuff after the move. Or if you have a cooler at home you could also use that.

 

[Snooks1!]

I would drain ALL the water out if I were you. Less mess, way less chance of dropping it because of added weight, along with water sloshing around inside while you try to carry it...

 

[dthoffsett]

I would drain ALL the water out if I were you. Less mess, way less chance of dropping it because of added weight, along with water sloshing around inside while you try to carry it...

I'm fairly certain he is going to remove all the water, he was just going to remove most of it to make catching the fish easier, then drain it.


Sounds like you have the right idea Irf, good luck with the move.

 

[Amunet]

I have a question!
How long will the bacteria last when you bag the filter media?
We might be moving very soon, and I'm going to have to get 5 tanks ready to move and I know it's going to take me a while to bag fish and empty the tanks and all of that mess and just need to make sure that the bacteria isn't going to die off too much before I can get it all set back up once it's transferred to the new house.

 

[Tolak]

I've had cycled filters shipped to me, for acclimating & quaring some expensive fish, the media is good for at lest 24-48 hours. I've also shipped cycled media, I add a little frozen bloodworms in with it. Rotting food creates ammonia, bloodworms are easy to see, & easy to rinse out of filter floss. 3 days in transit with the worms kept the bacteria alive just fine.