how to move a 36 gallon tank

[gio28]

i have a 36 gallon bowfront in my room and my parents (im 15) are forcing me to get wood floors in it. so they said i have to move my tank for the day so they can be put in. so i have to move my tank somehow and keep it alive for a day. im holding off on corals until i get the tank permanently situated cause it'll just be a whole lot easier.
i really have no idea how to do this at all.
so i was thinking i could just get a bucket (a big one) and empty 2/3 of my tanks water into it...then place the live rock and fish+anemone in it and keep maintained for the day (temp+powerhead...but no filter). then the tank with the remaining 1/3 water and the sand i could just pick up with my dad and move onto a table somewhere (does the sand need to be at the right temp..cause i dont have another heater).
then that night i would put the tank in its new spot...and fill it with the 2/3 water and other tank stuff simultaneously from the bucket.
does this sound good? anything else i should know/worry about? any changes to this plan?

 

[jusmebabe]

Can't help with the tank part but as for the floor make sure you ask the people doing the work if it's ok to put the tank in after their finished or should you wait.
I had wood floors installed but was able to move everything in ater they fished.
Sometimes you have to wait a few days depending on how they install it.

 

[evilfishtank]

look around your area see if you can find someone who sells 55 gallon food grade drums or barrells .. i just moved a 90 2 days ago.. i bought 2 55 gallon drums and dumped all the water in those after i cleaned them out real well. I got the metal 55 gallon drums they were used to store vegtable oil... they had a primer inside with no rust. i would say look for one of the big 55 gallon blue plastic ones.. and you have all the room you need. mine cost me 8 bucks a piece. even had a resealable top.

 

[gio28]

i think the floors are ok to put stuff back onto them the same day cause i got the same type in other parts of my house...but the furniture wasnt a 500 lb tank...so ill make sure i ask.
i couldnt find any food grade drums or barrels...or anything like that. but i could always buy a $15 plastic garbage can from home depot and use that. how would i clean it out to be safe though?

 

[jayson417]

Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3078718
i think the floors are ok to put stuff back onto them the same day cause i got the same type in other parts of my house...but the furniture wasnt a 500 lb tank...so ill make sure i ask.
i couldnt find any food grade drums or barrels...or anything like that. but i could always buy a $15 plastic garbage can from home depot and use that. how would i clean it out to be safe though?
Yes the big garbage cans work perfect. Clean it with Hot Water and Vinegar to be safe.

 

[gio28]

would it be ok to move a tank full of live sand and like 1/3 - 1/4 of the water still in it? i heard to never try and move a tank with anything in it at all...but taking the live sand out of it would just suck.

 

[keish24]

moving the tank with the sand should be fine. we moved my first tank with the sand still in it. it was a 55 gallon, so i think that would be alright. as for the water and livestock....you could go to walmart (or where ever) and purchase one of the big rubbermaid plastic totes. they are cheap and will hold your water/rock/fish just fine. i did just that not to long ago when upgrading tanks. just put a powerhead and heater in the tote with the livestock and everything should do just fine.

 

[gio28]

that seems like a better idea than getting a garbage can actually...and i could carry or slide them easier when moving them.
so if i keep most of my tanks water and keep my filter media wet to not lose bacteria i wont have to worry about the tank going through the cycle again?

 

[small triggers]

correct,,, easy i say. totes all the way with powerhead and a heater. Leave enough water to cover the sand so it doesnt dry out, then when you get everything running (have some new water made too). put water in the tank and run everything for an hour before putting the fish and anemone back in.

 

[gio28]

thanks for the advice...im not looking forward to this lol

 

[i<3reefs]

I just bought and moved a 75 gallon RR aquarium 25 miles, and I used 31 gallon totes. Your water will get really dirty looking, but it will settle quickly. I placed all the fish in a cooler, with a koralia powerhead, and thermometer. The cooler will help maintain the water temperature easily, and the lid will keep it dark, so you fish wont spook as easily.

 

[gio28]

the cooler is a good idea...thanks