help with moving a tank

[scrapman]

Hi,
I need to move a 55 GAL tank 48"L 12"W, 201/2H.
I'm planning to drain the water and leave just about 5" of water above the live sand.
- some live rocks will be exposed to air during the move which will last no more that 45 mns.
- the three small fish will hide somewhere.
What about the weight? Do you think that two people can lift the tank without breaking it?
Have someone done that?
Thanks

 

[red tiger]

That might be a bit heavy for the bottom tempered glass when you talk about moving it
Why not drain all the water and leave your substrate only?

 

[snakeblitz33]

Quote:
Originally Posted by scrapman http:///t/392962/help-with-moving-a-tank#post_3492865
Hi,
I need to move a 55 GAL tank 48"L 12"W, 201/2H.
I'm planning to drain the water and leave just about 5" of water above the live sand.
- some live rocks will be exposed to air during the move which will last no more that 45 mns.
- the three small fish will hide somewhere.
What about the weight? Do you think that two people can lift the tank without breaking it?
Have someone done that?
Thanks
What you are proposing is practically impossible. It's difficult for just one person to easily lift a 55g tank on their own. You're talking 60 pounds of sand, at least 60 pounds of rock and then 8.2 pounds per gallon of saltwater approximately 113 pounds... Easily
Your considering having two people lift 252 pounds and carry it a distance? You're asking for trouble.
Best to remove everything, bag the fish, put the rock in individual rubbermaid containers with some old saltwater.
Make some new saltwater up at your new place and have it available.
Also, if you bump the tank at all with that much weight in it you really do risk the tempered glass bottom shattering.

 

[flower]

Yep!!! Totally agree 100% NEVER move a tank with anything in it at all. It is not a time to get lazy if you are moving the tank.
Be sure to have enough water already made up and waiting on you in the new place before you even begin the break down. The rocks will not die out enough to worry about a spike in 45 minutes...cover them with damp newspaper and put them in a tub...bag the fish and acclimate them like they were just purchased after you set the tank back up.
If the sand was undisturbed for 6 months to a year...rinse it in saltwater before you reuse it, and put it back into the tank. Don't replace the sand, because it holds your good bacteria, along with the rock. You would need to rinse the sand (in the old saltwater draind from the tank) if it was deeper than 2 inches or aged, because toxins get trapped in the lower sand bed..and moving stirs it all up.
Good luck with the move, let us know how it went.

 

[red tiger]

Agree with Snake and Flower, It's just easier to tear it down, and expect a phosphate/nitrate spike from disturbing the sand bed, but just remove everything to be 100% safe. With all that weight, the tank can flex and the tempered glass can explode! be proactive!

 

[scrapman]

Thanks all for your info. Sounds like a lot of work! We'll kepp you posted.

 

[pezenfuego]

The tuperware container suggestion is gold, but if your rock is too large or you don't have enough containers, then covering the LR with salty wet newspaper works well too (for short periods ie 45 min).

 

[achilles tang]

I moved my 55 gallon tank and it was not easy. I suggest you buy alot of containers and break down the entire tank. I put all my rock in buckets and put water in the buckets and put the tops on. I also thru out like 15 or 20 gallons of water i cant remember. and i just try to watch out for ammonia spikes.

 

[jpercy]

Just to add my 2c from someone who just recently did this with a 72 bowfront. I put all the rock in rubbermaid tubs and filled them with tank water. I also filled a couple other tubs with just water, so I could add it back to the tank and a place for the fish to go. I drained it down far enough so that the water was just above the sand line. I then had a friend help me lift the tank with the stand high enough to put 2 heavy duty dollies underneath the stand. It was pretty heavy with just the sand and a few small rocks. If you have to go up or down any stairs ( I was just moving it on the same floor) this will not work for you.

 

[xcali1985]

I moved a 55 and a 80. I removed all the rock and bagged all the fish, then did a gravel vac while removing about 50% of the water. I never run DSBs. I then siphoned the other 50% out a left just enough water to keep the sandbed wet. I then moved the tank.
Issue you will run into with any sand bed is that it has to get stirred up when you move, because you have to get the rock back onto the glass. With a tempered bottom it can hold the sand weight. If you can hold the tank. I went up 2 flights of stairs with it like that.