Moving a running tank...

[hocky]

I just purchased my first salt tank, a 125 gallon complete reef ready set up. It is currently a running tank with a handful of fish and plenty of rock. There is less sand than I like, so I ordered another 90lbs of LS to add after moving. To move it, I am going to drain the tank into 3 50 gallon trash cans, keeping nearly all the water and of course the fish will go in one can, rocks in the other. I hope to keep at least 75% of the current water for the new set up at my house. Does anyone have any suggestions for making this transition go as smoothly as possible?

 

[jrandolph1]

Good luck...LoL Let me know how it works out cause I gotta move my 180 so I can finish my floors.

 

[mpls man]

depends how far your going to move the tank ?
i moved my 75 gal about 6'.
1. i took out all corals that would fall or get crushed
2. i had a couple big tubs to put corals and half full of water in tub with heater and power heads
3. i then drained most of the water into big containers
4. i then had to remove at least half the live rock from tank
5. i had to drain water at least 6-8 " from bottom.
6. after thet i was able to get under 1 end of the tank and insert 5 pieces of steel pipe spread out under the stand. the stand will very easy but slow on the pipes. :joy:
if this helps at all great, if not let me know ad i might be able to help more.
from the sounds of your post you purchased the tank from another person, if thats the case, i would drain the tank completely, you may be able to leave some of the sand moist in water , with a 125 i would be scared of the tank flexing, better to safe then sorry, either way your looking at a lot of weight.
good luck

 

[lesleybird]

I wonder if it would be better to place a couple of live rocks in with the fish? Some that would not fall on top of the fish? This might keep the amonia level from spiking with the fish. I hope you have a dolly or something to move the 50 gallon cans. Even if you only put 40 gallons of water in one you have to multiply this by 8.3 pounds per gallon...about 340 lbs. for 40 gallons not including the weight of any rocks. Lesley

 

[hocky]

Yea, I expect the cans to be heavy, but they have wheels on them, so it shouldn't be too bad. I am moving the tank ~20 miles and will definitely drain it completely and just leave the sand in it.

 

[spanko]

You probably don't want to leave the sand in there either. Tanks are not designed to be moved with any weight in them. The stresses on the seams and movement while you are transporting it may cause you problems down the road. A 125 is unwieldy enough to carry without the additional wieght and the possible twisting that may cause.

 

[sherms]

Ya good luck moving your tank, im moving this weekend and i have to move my 92gal corner so thats gonna be a pain.