Moving a tank a couple of inches...

[zenway9]

first of all, let me just say i am a jackass. i set my tank up and didn't allow enough room for the filter and the skimmer in the back. i just need to move the tank up a couple of inches and i am thinking that maybe i could buy those disks for moving furniture and slide them between the carpet and the tank stand. i just think that draining the entire tank and then moving it would be way too much work. any ideas?

 

[nas19320]

Drain it down as much as you can into buckets and then refill is what I would do. It's kind of risky moving a full tank especially with the dimesions of a 50 gallon.

 

[trainfever]

I wouldn't even attempt to move it with that much water in it. You still have to lift the tank somehow to slide the diskd under the stand. If it's not lifted properly, you could put stress on the glass and cause it to crack. My suggestion would be to syphon about 30 gallons of water out and then have a friend help you move the tank and stand. If you have one of those large trash cans, put a new liner or two into it and then syphon the water into it, move the tank and then dump the water back into the tank. Just make sure that when you syphon the water into the trash can, that you have it situated out of the way or you'll play havock trying to move it.

 

[sankysyuck]

Yea don't move it while it's full, you'll be asking for a disaster.

 

[andretti]

You have to remember H20 weighs 8 pounds per gallon, so with a 50 gallon tank, you're talking 400 pounds. Plus the weight of the sand, the tank itself, rocks, etc. I would estimate you're at about 600 pounds...if it's a glass tank. An acrylic will be 50 or so lighter, but still talking about an awful amount of weight DON"T DO IT!!!

 

[murph145]

those disk suck!!! i tried them on my tank and they didnt even move at all
my suggestion is just empty it as low as possible and move it that way

 

[wwfstyle]

I tried those disks on my 75 and I have to say that it doesn't work! I was very disappointed. Also keep in mind that the stand that your tank is on. Do you think it could hold the weight when you are trying to pick it up? Mine didn't. It started to make the cracking sounds and I had to stop right away. I had 4 other friends and my self to pick it up so I had the man power but the stand wasn't made for it. My stand is like a dresser type stand and very well built, but if you add all the weight of water, sand, rocks, ext... Thats alot of weight. I would empty it in 5 gallon buckets and move the tank and replace the same water back in the tank. I dont think you wpuld have to empty to much but I would say at least 1/2 of the tank. Ya it's more work but it's worth it compared to breaking the stand then the tank. Once that breaks then you have your tank water smell on your carpet simping into the wood under neigth the carpet then the smell will always be there.

 

[bri23520]

I used those magic movers to move my 55g to the other side of the room, and did it with ease across the carpet, still filled all the way:joy:

 

[scubadoo]

Moving any aquarium any amount of distance is risky if left full of water. Even is you use those disks, you still must raise the tank and stand causing the aqaurium to be unlevel and placing additional pressure on joints . This could cause a leak or structural failure.
You are safer removing most of the water as suggested. Also, leaks may not develop right away after moving the tank full of water ....but could develop later if the structure has been weakened by the move. Why increase the risk of a leak or sturcture failure? JMO

 

[benj2112]

I had to move my tank a few inches when I added my sump. It was a major bit of work just for those few inches. The biggest problem was that the tank stand had pushed down into the carpet and created some pretty deep groves I had to first get the stand out of.
I drained the tank to the tops of my rocks. I then tipped the tank and stand just enough to get the slip pads under each corner. Smart move? Well, I got away with it.
Then came the muscle work. It was major work getting the thing out of the the grooves it had created, but I was able to move it the half a foot I wanted.