Moving an Aquarium

[katt-ja]

Hi,

I want to move my 55 gallon aquarium to a different room in my house. I was just wondering if it was necessary to take the gravel and plants out if it's going to be carried for a total of 1-2 minutes max?

[Graham]

carrying a tank around should be a problem as long as you slide it onto a peice of plywood or take the stand along with it.

What you want to avoid is twisting the tank with a fair amount of weight in it.

[Tropical Haven]

Carrying a 55 gallon with gravel should not be a problem.

[target]

I move a 33 gallon about 25 kms, on 2 seperate occasions (house moves) with the gravel and a couple of inches of water, plus my 12" pleco and never had a problem. Like was said, just make sure not to twist it and move slowly. Should be fine.

[Ed13]

You can, but you shouldn't:D

[Wahter]

You can, but you shouldn't:D

I agree - you can, but you probably shouldn't.


Walter

[Valik]

Yup like they said you can, and probably will be fine, but its a dice roll and if your unlucky a broken 55 gallon tank sucks. Especially if it doesn't go until after it gets filled back up. I would just take the extra time to take everything out and then move it, but I have a probably unnatural fear of my glass tanks breaking and leaking I actually have had a quite a fear bad dreams about it:)


Matt

[Condor]

Good time to go bb!:D

Adrian

[Valik]

Good time to go bb!:D

Adrian

LOL true true

[katt-ja]

haha i like the "i could but shouldn't"

it's just so messy sounding to take all the gravel out. especially since it's planted. it's only 20 feet away so i think i might leave the gravel in...

[Lexopt]

Has anyone ever damaged a totally empty 55g by moving it awkwardly or twisting? I carry one of mine across my basement empty by myself everey 1-2weeks for cleaning. Picking it up and setting it down can be a bit difficult, never thought about this problem before.

[Ryan]

I've always left the gravel in when moving tanks around. It's never been a problem for me. It seems pretty senseless to remove all that gravel just to move the tank into another room. It's a lot of work.

Drain as much of the water out as you can so that you lighten it up as much as possible, then recruit someone to help you carry it. I always put one person on each end of the tank when carrying it to a new location.

[korbi_doc]

I've always left the gravel in when moving tanks around. It's never been a problem for me. It seems pretty senseless to remove all that gravel just to move the tank into another room. It's a lot of work.

Drain as much of the water out as you can so that you lighten it up as much as possible, then recruit someone to help you carry it. I always put one person on each end of the tank when carrying it to a new location.

I concur with Ryan......I've moved tanks around my fishroom often, just cautiously....the 55's, I put those big round sliders under the legs of the iron tank stand & push'm around by myself..... just empty as much water as possible, so they're light enough, even moved with fish & plants intact... when I set up the shelving, I used a hydraulic table & with one other person was able to move the 110g & the 90g onto the shelves....& these were all moved from NJ originally, tho of course they were completely empty then, lol.....it is difficult to find help to accomplish this, so have to use alternative methods....whatever works...lol.....

Dottie ;)

[Peachtree Discus]

it probably will not be a problem. a 10G or even a 20G is pretty cheap to replace, but a 55?

just throwing out ideas now...maybe take out some of the gravel. maybe u can slide it on a piece of cardboard....still, only 20 feet. it probably will not be a problem but if so, ultimately you are the one that will have to deal with it.

[laliyorayado]

Good Luck :D

[katt-ja]

Thanks. the moving date is around the middle of november... so i have about two weeks to think about this. i was thinking i was going to take my discus out and place them in a large tote with my air pump going and heaters and filter so the filter can keep running and i wont kill any of the bacteria in the sponges. then i'm gunna put my other smaller fishes in a bucket separately. then another bucket with my driftwood and plants. and i'll try and save about 2/3 of the water in the tank. also i'm going to take this chance to put styrofoam under my tank. i hear it's a great idea.

i have half gravel and half sand. so i'm going to take a colander and sift all the gravel out while a bit of the water is still in the tank. i want to get rid of the gravel it seems too dark. and then drain all the water out with just the sand in the bottom... then i'm going to get my bf to help me move the tank down stairs. then put more sand in(do a couple water changes with a syphon to rinse out the sand). then put in my plants and driftwood. then fill about 1/3 of the way with new water. then put in my small fish. then put in the filter and heaters. then my discus. sound good? my plants should do fine in just sand shouldn't they? maybe i'll keep a little gravel in the back... i'm not sure. any thoughts would be great! or maybe separate it by a piece of acrylic to kind of fence the gravel to the back?

[bs6749]

I've moved a 55 gallon tank several times by myself with a little bit of sand in the bottom. It's not really heavy but it is cumbersome. It's pretty awkward but I figured out a good way to carry the tank that works for someone with long enough arms. I grab that tank at each end with my right hand grabbing the back right corner and the left hand on the front left. I had to move it about 150 feet this way out of may old apartment and down 2 flights of stairs to my car. I suggest that you find someone to help you move it unless you are like an uber-giant.

I'm not sure why you are planning on keeping 2/3 of the water. You could simply keep what you need for the fish and plants and then put all new water in the tank and transfer the fish once the water is close to where it needs to be. This might work out more easily for you.

I'd get rid of the gravel. I don't like the look of it at all. The only thing I would consider is to have several (or many if you prefer) larger rocks that are golfball sized up to teh size of a deck of cards. They don't have to be the same shape though lol. Ideally, you'd find a variety of flat and round rocks and work your magic. I'd go with pool filter sand and then strategically scatter the rocks on the surface if you are going for a more natural look.

How long do you think all of this is going to take you? You more than likely won't need to run a heater, nor a filter and air isn't necessary either. If all of this is done in under 3 hours your fish will be fine. For rinsing the sand I'd consider doing half immediately and then the other half in a week or two so you don't lose the beneficial bacteria. You are more apt to lose the bacteria that way than you are to have the filter sit out for a day or two. I recommend putting the sand in a 5 gallon bucket about 1/2-2/3 the way full and then rinsing it in the bathtub. Get the water going and then dig down into the bottom with your hand and stir the sand around so that the water removes all of the nasties. Immediately pour out the brown water and repeat the process until the water goes clear.

Just make sure that your plants are completely under water and you won't have a problem. They will start to dry out once they are exposed to air.

[katt-ja]

i am using pool filter sand. but all sources that i have looked at says that sand alone with plants is a bad idea. so maybe i'll leave some in the back.... but good. this sounds like it will work. and i think i need to leave at leas the heaters in the tote i have my fish in cuz i have a very cold house... and i think it would just be better for the filter if i left it running in the tote on low... i will use your suggestion on rinsing my new sand i'm putting in.

[bs6749]

Pool filter sand is extremely common in planted tanks. I've used it in mine and I know several plant experts that swear by it. It won't offer anything to the plants as far as nutrients but it is much better than regular sand, which will suffocate the roots of plants and will trap toxic gasses underneath. PFS is not the same as regular sand because it is more coarse. PFS is very easy to clean and is attractive (IMO) as well. It's ideal for a discus tank because it's easy to clean and also because it is light in color, which will help to keep the discus from darkening.

[katt-ja]

so i don't need to keep ANY of my gravel?

i love how my discus looked when i put a clean layer of sand on top of the gravel and the gravel wasn't visible. they all went so bright and started sifting and playing in it.

thanks again bryan, i'm going to remove all the gravel! :) gunna look great. i don't think i'm gunna get rocks, but i'll order some sinking drift wood with anubias attached to it already so i guess that will help keep some plants rooted.

[bs6749]

If I were you, I'd keep some larger rocks and scatter them on top of the PFS like I suggested ealier. I liked the look of your tank when it had some larger stones on top. You had a nice tank going with the plants and certainly know how to make things go together. I'm not very artistic and just put plants "here and there" and the discus don't seem to mind.

I'd look for 1-2 larger pieces of driftwood but skip the anubias already tied to them. They are generally more expensive and you can get anubias for $5 each and tie them on yourself and put them where YOU want them, not where someone placed them without knowing how the wood was going to be arranged in the tank. Thin string will work or you can use rubber bands to go around the wood and plant until it takes hold. I'm sure it will look awesome.

I still need to finish off my 100g. Right now I have it half BB half PFS and there are some plastic plants. I don't really feel like spending a couple hundred dollars to get lighting for the tank so I'll probably get some anubias, crypts, and java fern and keep it low light or spend $50 more and get more plastic plants. Then I'll add some of the driftwood I have laying around and maybe make a smaller rock formation or two for my female BN pleco. Plus, I need some cover for the 40+ neons I have in there. One of my PB's loves chasing them down and he occasionally gets one. It's really cool to watch. It's also amazing how stupid the neons are.

[stallion150]

Hey--I just redid my 55 to get rid of all the gravel and added pool filter sand.
It looks great, the only problem is that algae can stain the white pool filter sand green, though you probably know that since you've used it for a while.

The only other thing I would caution you about, is that since I switched over to sand exclusively, the pH in my tank keeps bottoming out unless I add crushed coral to buffer it. It might be because the gravel I had in it before served as a buffering agent.....def check your water to make sure its not as soft as mine is before you ditch all the gravel.

[katt-ja]

my ph is normal... and i don't have a problem with green on the sand. i have mts and my water changes seem to keep it away.


but why would the silica sand effect the ph?

do you have plants in your tank, how are they doing in only pfs?

[bs6749]

Hey--I just redid my 55 to get rid of all the gravel and added pool filter sand.
It looks great, the only problem is that algae can stain the white pool filter sand green, though you probably know that since you've used it for a while.

The only other thing I would caution you about, is that since I switched over to sand exclusively, the pH in my tank keeps bottoming out unless I add crushed coral to buffer it. It might be because the gravel I had in it before served as a buffering agent.....def check your water to make sure its not as soft as mine is before you ditch all the gravel.


I've never had a problem with algae growth on the sand and I've had high lighting (130W PC lighting over a 55) on for stretches of 10 hours/day. Plants did well too but you'll need to add ferts. Gravel won't act as a buffer either. You'd need something like limestone in the tank in order to provide KH/buffering capacity but that's only needed if pure water is used. Most tap water will have a good enough KH for an aquarium. If not, baking soda is a fast, safe, easy, and inexpensive way to provide KH.

PFS is inert and the pH will not be effected one bit by it. I suspect that your water was changing. Where are you located? Get any of your water from mountain streams?

[stallion150]

Hey--I'm actually in a fairly large city, chapel hill. My plants are doing fine, really well rooted. Its just our water is really soft, so i don't think it stands pH shifts well. I added some crushed coral and that fixed it. Our water pH is in the low 8's, but lacks mineral content i think

[katt-ja]

Thanks.

would it be a bad idea to have my aquarium across from a fireplace? it would be about 8 feet away from it on the adjacent wall. it's a gas fireplace so it would be easy to regulate.

[White Worm]

You would be able to move it without removing everything. I've done it with my 72g planted tank. The fireplace shouldnt be a problem either.

[katt-ja]

i think it do because i have to sift the gravel and separate it form the sand i have in there already.... but that's ok, it'll look great in the end.

thanks for all your help everyone.

do you all remove your discus with nets or can i use a container if they let me scoop them up?

[katt-ja]

white worm, your website is very nice byt he way.

[White Worm]

i think it do because i have to sift the gravel and separate it form the sand i have in there already.... but that's ok, it'll look great in the end.

thanks for all your help everyone.

do you all remove your discus with nets or can i use a container if they let me scoop them up?


white worm, your website is very nice byt he way.
Thanks, I have scooped them up with my hands, a washcloth, spaghetti strainer (sounds funny but works very well), plastic pitcher but very rarely a net. I find they get damaged in a net unless you have a huge net but then they still get their fins caught sometimes.

[katt-ja]

i actually picked mine up for the first time the other day to see if they would let me. it's amazing how much trust they have in me...

[katt-ja]

is there a type of garbage bag i can line a tote with?

[katt-ja]

here is an update. I have successfully moved the aquarium downstairs. the silica sand is still clouding the water and my discus are sitting in a large tote on the floor until the water clears up.

and fyi i made a new stand otu of cinder blocks for about 30 bucks. lol

http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p419/katt-j/PC280005.jpg

http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p419/katt-j/PC280004.jpg

[katt-ja]

put them in. they don't seem to mind the murkiness. i hope it goes away by tomorrow morning though!

http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p419/katt-j/PC280002.jpg

http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p419/katt-j/PC280004-1.jpg

[Eddie]

Looks like they are at home, lovely discus. I especially like the pigeons.

Eddie

[rickztahone]

hey katt-ja, isn't it a little tight in there for 7 discus?

[katt-ja]

well i've had them for almost a year and there have been no problems.