Moving the whole tank just a few inches. Is it possible?

[dani5]

I got a HOB fuge for my tank but it barely fits in the back. I only need to move my tank one inch away from the wall. How much water do I need to drain out before I'll be able to move the tank? And how do I do it to ensure the stand won't break? My tank is 75gal Marineland.

Thanks all!

 

[Crustaceon]

Lol. Been there. Water is REALLY heavy. What I did was set up several large rubbermaid trashcans next to the tank, added a 1” siphon tube for draining and another 1” tube attached to a 4000gph return pump for filling. I drained all but two inches of water from the tank into the trashcans using the siphon tube, removing nothing else. I then moved my setup over a full 12” (my stand has retractable casters). Within two minutes, I was pumping that water right back into the tank with the big return pump. Speed is key here.

 

[Glass Algae]

Lol. Been there. Water is REALLY heavy. What I did was set up several large rubbermaid trashcans next to the tank, added a large siphon tube and another tube attached to a 4000gph return pump. I drained all but two inches of water from the tank into the trashcans, removing nothing else. I then moved my setup over a full 12” (my stand has retractable casters). Within two minutes, I was pumping that water right back into the tank with the big return pump. Speed is key here.

Screenshotting this advice for later!

 

[Crustaceon]

Screenshotting this advice for later!

When you do this, Make sure to slide the tank/stand from the bottom corners of the stand. It really helps to brace yourself against a nearby wall to gain more leverage. Just be VERY careful and deliberate when you get to that point. Try to smoothly move things. You definitely don’t want any swaying.

 

[Fishko]

I have moved my 29g closer to the wall filled and running, it was terrifying. My overflow is so close to the wall rn maybe 4mm. Thankfully nothing bad happened. i would def drain as much as you can. you can remove the rock with coral if possible into a tote and just drain entirely. Thats what i did when i moved my tank to a new stand. Its in my build thread if you wanna check it out.

 

[1ByLand2BySea]

Lol. Been there. Water is REALLY heavy. What I did was set up several large rubbermaid trashcans next to the tank, added a 1” siphon tube for draining and another 1” tube attached to a 4000gph return pump for filling. I drained all but two inches of water from the tank into the trashcans using the siphon tube, removing nothing else. I then moved my setup over a full 12” (my stand has retractable casters). Within two minutes, I was pumping that water right back into the tank with the big return pump. Speed is key here.

Been there myself. it is hilarious afterward when you realize what you did in just a min or two.

 

[Crustaceon]

Everyone keep in mind. I had acropora fully exposed to air for a few minutes. No problems. I just wouldn’t push it past 2-3 minutes so plan thoroughly and execute smoothly.

 

[Crustaceon]

Been there myself. it is hilarious afterward when you realize what you did in just a min or two.

No kidding. I was like YES!!! YES!!!!! YESSSS!!!!!!!

 

[chrisjj625]

Think it depends what it’s sitting on too, I slid my tank an extra 1 inch or so completely full when I got my new light. My tanks on a mat on a wood floor so it’s slippery and it’s only 30 gallons. Good luck!

 

[ichthyogeek]

I got a HOB fuge for my tank but it barely fits in the back. I only need to move my tank one inch away from the wall. How much water do I need to drain out before I'll be able to move the tank? And how do I do it to ensure the stand won't break? My tank is 75gal Marineland.

Thanks all!

It depends on how weak/strong you are. And also if you have rockwork.

I am a weak person; I can lift one of the 5 gallon rodi jugs, but it's hard. Two is doable, but I can't travel far distances. That being said, I have drained a 55 gallon tank, left the sand in it, and then moved the tank by myself onto a rolly-chair in order to move the stand, and then put the tank back on the stand itself. This took me a good 2 hours to do so, but it did happen. Remember that sand and rockwork are both heavy, and the tank itself weighs a lot too!

Oh, and lift with your legs, not your back!

 

[Wee Mad Arthur]

I moved my 24G to a new stand this week. Had to drain right down to the bottom and still took 2 of us to lift it. Refilled with a 3000lph pond pump so that everything was out of water for the least amount of time. No issues seem to have occurred from it. A few corals took a day to look happy again whereas others were happy within minutes of the water going back in.