how to move a tank

optical · 08-07-2006, 09:38 PM

my wife and i are moving into a new house in march. the problem is, is that were putting our existing home on the market next week. if it sells soon we will have to either rent until march or move back in with the parents until then.
what do i do with the in wall tank? i dont really want to leave it with the new buyer (because they will probablly kill everything in the tank and want money back because i sold them bad stuff). but on the other hand i dont want to have to move the tank and its inhabitants twice!

would't that be too much stress on it?
what should i do? i think im screwed either way.
the worst part is all the time i put into it to have to start all over!
if i did move it twice, how do i go about doing it?

i thought about transporting it all in seperate bins with water.
dividing all the species in individual bags and suspend them with foam in water. the move is not far at all wich is good.

what can go wrong with the sand bed in the moving process? can i keep the sand in the tank with a couple inches of water? or will that be too heavy to move? its a 90 gal tank and heavy without sand and water!

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
if i do decide to get rid of it, i would be willing to sell the corals and live rock to anyone who would want it. pick up only in the chicago area.
the rock is super purple with lots of life on it. most of it came from a 5 year old tank before i put it in mine in october of last year.
what do you think?

DiSkuStiNg · 08-07-2006, 09:49 PM

Trying to move a large tank with a little water and sand isn't the best idea. I remember I tried it with a 75 and when it came to moving it up and down stairs the sand and water moved to one end anyways so it kind of defeated the purpose anyways. You would be supprised how much leaving some stuff in the tank complicates moving it. IMO the best bet would be to just bucket the sand in water and move it by itself.

optical · 08-07-2006, 09:55 PM

ya, i was worried about that. i guess this is going to be a bigger process than i anticipated

fish outa wata · 08-07-2006, 10:05 PM

Optical, I am moving back to RI (1200miles) for good in late Oct. and I am dreading it. I am planning on splitting everything into rubbermaid containers. Everything is coming out of the tank, I wanted to keep the sand in the tank but like DiSkuStiNg said the layers will shift so the dsb will be disrupted anyhow.

I am going to buy an inverter for my truck so I can run some powerheads for the lr tubs. I'm pretty sure that the motion of the vehicle will be enough but it can't hurt.

I think that I would have a hard time parting with my tank. I'm sure you have spent countless hours tending too it. Don't think of it as being screwed. Hey at least the second time you move, you'll be an expert and it will go much smoother than the first time.

WillieM96 · 08-08-2006, 09:57 AM

Fish outa wata- I'm thinking of moving to PA (about 300 miles away) next year and I was intrigued by your post. Are you moving fish, too, or are you just going to move the live rock? Is it even possible to move the fish and expect the tank to not cycle when it's set back up?

fish outa wata · 08-08-2006, 07:03 PM

Currently I have two fish and several corals... they are all coming with me. I still am not certain about the fish but I think that I going to place them in bags like they would be from an online fish store. I expect a small cycle when I get there and I will have to plan accordingly. I think that I will have them remain in a qt for several weeks since those parameters shouldn't be affected.

optical · 08-09-2006, 11:00 PM

i have 7 fish and lots of inverts. one of my concerns are the Nassarius snails in the sand bed, along with sand sifting star and tiger tail cucumber. i dont want to mash them up while tryin to dig out sand.
i think i have about 70 lbs of sand in the tank plus with a couple inches of water, another 40lbs. that wont be so bad with 2 big guys moving it- or maybe 3.
is there a chance the tank could rupture while moving because of the weight inside while jiggling around in a truck?

fish outa wata · 08-14-2006, 06:15 PM

There's a chance for everything but I sure hope not. I'm going to take every precaution and cross my fingers.

08-07-2006, 09:38 PM	#1
optical Citizen Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: chicago Posts: 249	how to move a tank my wife and i are moving into a new house in march. the problem is, is that were putting our existing home on the market next week. if it sells soon we will have to either rent until march or move back in with the parents until then. what do i do with the in wall tank? i dont really want to leave it with the new buyer (because they will probablly kill everything in the tank and want money back because i sold them bad stuff). but on the other hand i dont want to have to move the tank and its inhabitants twice! would't that be too much stress on it? what should i do? i think im screwed either way. the worst part is all the time i put into it to have to start all over! if i did move it twice, how do i go about doing it? i thought about transporting it all in seperate bins with water. dividing all the species in individual bags and suspend them with foam in water. the move is not far at all wich is good. what can go wrong with the sand bed in the moving process? can i keep the sand in the tank with a couple inches of water? or will that be too heavy to move? its a 90 gal tank and heavy without sand and water! any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! if i do decide to get rid of it, i would be willing to sell the corals and live rock to anyone who would want it. pick up only in the chicago area. the rock is super purple with lots of life on it. most of it came from a 5 year old tank before i put it in mine in october of last year. what do you think?

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08-07-2006, 09:49 PM	#2
DiSkuStiNg Just Moved In Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: OHIO Posts: 18	Trying to move a large tank with a little water and sand isn't the best idea. I remember I tried it with a 75 and when it came to moving it up and down stairs the sand and water moved to one end anyways so it kind of defeated the purpose anyways. You would be supprised how much leaving some stuff in the tank complicates moving it. IMO the best bet would be to just bucket the sand in water and move it by itself.

08-07-2006, 09:55 PM	#3
optical Citizen Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: chicago Posts: 249	ya, i was worried about that. i guess this is going to be a bigger process than i anticipated

08-07-2006, 10:05 PM	#4
fish outa wata Tenant Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: belleville, IL born&raised in Rhody Posts: 91	Optical, I am moving back to RI (1200miles) for good in late Oct. and I am dreading it. I am planning on splitting everything into rubbermaid containers. Everything is coming out of the tank, I wanted to keep the sand in the tank but like DiSkuStiNg said the layers will shift so the dsb will be disrupted anyhow. I am going to buy an inverter for my truck so I can run some powerheads for the lr tubs. I'm pretty sure that the motion of the vehicle will be enough but it can't hurt. I think that I would have a hard time parting with my tank. I'm sure you have spent countless hours tending too it. Don't think of it as being screwed. Hey at least the second time you move, you'll be an expert and it will go much smoother than the first time.

08-08-2006, 09:57 AM	#5
WillieM96 Tenant Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 93	Fish outa wata- I'm thinking of moving to PA (about 300 miles away) next year and I was intrigued by your post. Are you moving fish, too, or are you just going to move the live rock? Is it even possible to move the fish and expect the tank to not cycle when it's set back up?

08-08-2006, 07:03 PM	#6
fish outa wata Tenant Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: belleville, IL born&raised in Rhody Posts: 91	Currently I have two fish and several corals... they are all coming with me. I still am not certain about the fish but I think that I going to place them in bags like they would be from an online fish store. I expect a small cycle when I get there and I will have to plan accordingly. I think that I will have them remain in a qt for several weeks since those parameters shouldn't be affected.

08-09-2006, 11:00 PM	#7
optical Citizen Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: chicago Posts: 249	i have 7 fish and lots of inverts. one of my concerns are the Nassarius snails in the sand bed, along with sand sifting star and tiger tail cucumber. i dont want to mash them up while tryin to dig out sand. i think i have about 70 lbs of sand in the tank plus with a couple inches of water, another 40lbs. that wont be so bad with 2 big guys moving it- or maybe 3. is there a chance the tank could rupture while moving because of the weight inside while jiggling around in a truck?

08-14-2006, 06:15 PM	#8
fish outa wata Tenant Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: belleville, IL born&raised in Rhody Posts: 91	There's a chance for everything but I sure hope not. I'm going to take every precaution and cross my fingers.

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