Moving My Tank!

[ApistoNut]

need some help, my mrs wants to re arange the front room which means we have to move our fish tank 6 meters.

its a 129litre tank on a wooden cupboard stand, is it possible to move without draining alot of water. if i undo external filter and plugs etc lift the tank across with someone to help and someone else shifts the stand to the new posistion???

 

[fluttermoth]

Fish tanks aren't built to withstand the stresses of being moved with anything more than a couple of inches of water, and perhaps the substrate in.

I'd empty it completely; much safer than risking having it spring a leak.

 

[Cazgar]

Tbh I wouldn't risk moving that weight, it's about 130 kilos.
I think it might put undue strain on the tank & risk breaking it, I'd take out at least 1/2 or even 3/4 of the water first

 

[Jimbo1984]

Drain it down to the gravel, it's the only way. I moved mine across the room a few months ago, similar size to yours and I was struggling to lift it with just the gravel and a bit of water in..

 

[ApistoNut]

but what do i do with all my fish? and what do i do about refiling it?

 

[Jimbo1984]

Net them into buckets temporarily. I have a couple of 25 litre buckets with lids I bought for when we were moving house which are great for water changes and a couple of normal size buckets. So didn't have to lose much water. Or even a plastic bin, water butt or something. Just remember to unplug your heater or move it to a bucket before draining the tank low, fail...

 

[ApistoNut]

awl i dont like the sound of all this

looks like i need to get some more buckets, might need to keep some fish in there as there gonna be a pain to catch

 

[Jimbo1984]

No seriously, take the time to do it properly and drain it to gravel level. You'll put a lot of strain on the glass and joints otherwise. Fish are easier to catch with less water in the tank and no ornaments. If you plan it, it won't take that long!

 

[fluttermoth]

Ok, here's a step by step list of how to do it.

1. set out as many containers as you can lay your hands on.
2. switch off all the electrics
3. drain off about half the water into your containers, if you have enough; if not, just as much as you can.
4. carefully remove the plants and put in one of your containers
5. remove all the rocks/decor and put in another container
6. you should now be able to catch most of the fish; remove more water if you have to. Don't chase the fish around with the net; go slowly and use two nets if you can; or a large ice cream/margarine tub for anything spiky, like plecs.
7. remove the rest of the water, substrate and the electrics
8. move the tank to it's new spot.
8. replace the substrate and decor, some of your saved water and replant
9. replace the electrical equipment
10. replace fish and the rest of your saved water
11. top up with new, warmed dechlorinated water
12. switch everything back on
13 have a nice cup of tea. Or a beer