New tank on wheels . . .

eiffergan

eiffergan

New Member
So on my new 75 gallon tank, I went to home depot and bought a few three-prong moving casters. Installed them on the bottom of the stand evenly to distribute weight. Now I have the option to move my tank over (slowly!) when I need to get behind it! How come no one's ever thought of that?
 
jag3365

jag3365

Member
What they mean by it is those casters are not designed to hold the weight of your tank. Your 75 gallon tank can weigh over 600 lbs in water alone. People have thought of it before, but rationale took over and realized it's not safe. Trust me...it may look fine now, but someday you will come home to a broken tank.
 
eiffergan

eiffergan

New Member

Originally posted by Jag3365
What they mean by it is those casters are not designed to hold the weight of your tank. Your 75 gallon tank can weigh over 600 lbs in water alone. People have thought of it before, but rationale took over and realized it's not safe. Trust me...it may look fine now, but someday you will come home to a broken tank.
That's interesting. The casters I put on are triangular with three wheels each, each with a holding capacity of 300 pounds. I have 5 of them, more than double the anticipated load, and the tank is on a ceramic tile floor. I don't intend to move the tank around often, if at all, and certainly if I did I'd empty out half of the water - I understand the physical forces at play such as water exerting pressure in all directions.
But with even distribution and appropriate weight handling, why would it be any different than sitting directly on the floor?
 
fishtanker

fishtanker

Member
this is very interesting...my wife owns a very large and old dresser that is 4ft long, 1.5ft wide, and 4ft tall. it easily weighs over 500lbs with the clothes in it. It has 4 casters with wheels on it. i've never had a problem with the casters breaking. Granted it doesn't have any water in it (which is a variable in itself)...i wonder if this would work :thinking:
 
fishtanker

fishtanker

Member

Originally posted by oyam1
you did not invent the wheel.
water does not stand still...........

YOU WILL SEE!
is that supposed to mean something
 
robchuck

robchuck

Active Member
I have no doubt that the casters you mention are capable of holding the tank.
My concern with this setup lies in fluid dynamics. Small spills that occur from moving the tank wouldn't be too much of a concern. But the pressure of the water moving around at the very least could compromise the structural integrity of the tank or in the worst-case scenario, cause a pane(s) to blowout.
 
eiffergan

eiffergan

New Member

Originally posted by RobChuck
I have no doubt that the casters you mention are capable of holding the tank.
My concern with this setup lies in fluid dynamics. Small spills that occur from moving the tank wouldn't be too much of a concern. But the pressure of the water moving around at the very least could compromise the structural integrity of the tank or in the worst-case scenario, cause a pane(s) to blowout.
Rob -
You're absolutely right about the fluid dynamics. If I had to move it, I'd have to be very careful, and certainly empty out some of the water to alleviate the pressure. Basically, it doesn't move, but it's nice to have the ability to do so without have to take apart the entire system.
 
baddlord77

baddlord77

Member
I had a friend who had done this w/a 90 gallon freshwater tank and had 6 casters.....several months later when he attempted to move it, the wheels had re-cessed almost a half inch into his floor and was not movable until it was completely drained and even than (i was there) , it took 4 of us to move it out of it's little bitty recessed indentations..It was very difficult. He admitted that it was a very bad idea. Try pushing something out of a little hole that is a half ton in weight...when something is flat, weight is distributed evenly out....a heck of alot more than casters...........take the advice....BADD idea.... :nope: :nope: :nope:
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member
Ceramic tile shouldn't dent. It would crack first.
If you drain it, it may work. Given the tank I used to move all the time was only 10 gallons, but hopefully the larger tanks are also stronger. I used to drain it to about 2 gallons and move it on a wooden support board. (The board was eventually replaced by a sturdy tray that was a mini "stand" I could place on a bookshelf not quite wide enough to provide proper support.)
 
baddlord77

baddlord77

Member
Yes..i was refering to a wood floor....which i would think would hold more weight than tile....yes...your tile will surely break under the stress eventually....tile is not hard to break....especially as thin as they are.....good luck.......could be a age thing too......
 
T

tizzo

Guest
I think we need to cut "ruts" into the floor before we set up the tank. That way when we need to move it, we can use a forklift...
Wait!! A stand with premade "ruts"... I'm on to something here. I can make a fortune!!
 
ericholcek

ericholcek

Member
:hilarious :hilarious :hilarious

The miute you move that tank you will get a tidle wave. I tried moving a 10 gallon fresh water tank slowly and i lost about 2 gallons over the side.
 
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