Moving a tank

[drew81]

My 10gallon tank has been up and running for about 8 months now and i need to move it to another stand..
The current stand i have on it now is a black iron one with the top only about an inch in width all around the outside of my tank.

Any suggestions on how to move this without cracking/ breaking the aquarium.
Its got to weigh about 150 pounds with gravel and a lava rock in the middle.

Suggestions please

 

[Rbishop]

If your tank is a framed tank, that is all you need...why are you moving it and to what?

 

[dixienut]

i have moved one like this i emptied it as i do with water change and leave a few inches in there then refill when moved

 

[ktkt22]

I have found it relatively easy to do it this way:

Put fish in bags
Take out water until you can carry the tank or until you dont think it will spill over in the car
Transport and set up when you get to the new location

That has worked for me in the past.

 

[drew81]

i had no plans to move it until i was made a custom wooden stand by my girlfriend. it would only be moved to replace the stand. The location is the same.

I just wanted to be very careful because its hard to get a grip on the frame because the stand fits it perfectly.

So you guys suggest i should lower the water about 50-75%. Can the fish stay in there?

 

[Notophthalmus]

You should take the fish out. The rocks will probably shift around and could injure the fish.

 

[OldMan47]

If you can drain it to only an inch or two of water and not stress the fish, you could move it easily. As someone said, objects that might fall on a fish should be removed but the gravel shifting a bit won't hurt anybody.

 

[jgray152]

I can move a 10 gal by my self full of water and sand. Its got weight but I don't find it that bad.

Usually I would just lower the water level to about half way and move it. Keep the fish in it.

 

[TheFanatic]

Drain the water down till the fish can still stay upright. Then slide the tank a little off the edge of the metal stand until you can get your fingers underneath it. Move the tank and refill....

 

[Notophthalmus]

I can move a 10 gal by my self full of water and sand. Its got weight but I don't find it that bad.

Usually I would just lower the water level to about half way and move it. Keep the fish in it.

It's not so much the stress that the tank puts on you, but the stress you put on the tank. It's easy to pop the silicone seals when shifting a full tank.