Moving tank - Carpet Laying?

[Fishery]

Hi all. My house is having its old carpet ripped up and relayed with new carpet.. But because the tank is situated in the lounge on the old carpet it has to be moved.

Would I be correct in saying that all that i should do is drain the water to a level that makes the tank moveble, i'd have to reduce the level to below 1/4, which will force the fish to hug the bottom for aleast 4 hours while the carpet is layed. I have a submersiable heater that I could lay on the substrate to hold the tempature, but filteration will not be possible because its situated at the top of the tank.

any ideas?

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Another option is just filtering water into a bucket and putting the fish there. With an airstone/heater.

 

[Fishery]

Might be a wee bit of a problem netting the fish.. I'm sure that netting the fish would cause more stress than anything else, and with planted tanks its almost impossible to do without demolishing the plants. My biggest concern is damaging the tank glass and losing fish.

 

[Cichlid-Man]

True, but would having the fish lay very close the the bottem in little water for 4hrs+ not cause just the same amount of stress? Either way your fish are going to stress out some. If it were me personally i would move the fish and most of the water if possible. I've moved a 29gal full of just wet gravel and it is NOT an easy task....even with 2 people. On a 41gal+ tank with plants, gravel, fish, and a little water still in......thats gonna be one major task. With enough people you might be better off, but idk. Just my thoughts.

 

[seastaar88]

i'm with matt.. i've tried to move a tank and it is TOUGH! your best bet is to uproot your plants and put them in a separate bucket then net your fish out and put them in a bucket/cooler with a heater & airstone. they'll be much better off in a bucket than in a few inches of water.

 

[Lotus]

You really do need to take almost everything out to safely move the tank If you leave water in there, it puts a lot of stress on the glass when you move it, and you're likely to crack the tank.

It is a big pain in the neck, but the safest way is to take out most of your plants, net the fish, put them in a bucket or storage container, take out almost all the water in the tank, then move it.
If you have a couple of strong people around, it's probably safer to move the tank with the stand, to avoid damaging the tank.

 

[fishtankmaster5]

i agree with Cichlid-Man

 

[Fishery]

Haha.. oh the joy of fish keeping! Yeah.. i think its a better idea to remove the plants and driftwood and place the fish in a bucket.. Then drain the water.. Then attempt to move the tank with it still in it stand (without the hood and glass lids). I hope the wifes visits to the gym pays off

 

[revfred]

Just thought I would throw in a few figures .... tank empty is about 58-60 #'s. Figuring 2# gravel per gallon ... that's another 82#. Water is about 8 1/3#/US gallon. Throw in the weight of the stand, and the relative success of the wife's gym program and you might be able to get away with moving it without removing all of the fish and plants. But I agree that moving the tank without moving the stand might flex the tank and create problems.

I have moved them with just removing the rocks, driftwood, filters, lights, etc... took 2-3 guys and a 12 pack of beer.

 

[steve535]

with my 55gal, I saved the water(all but 4" in the tank) in a new garbage can with a plastic bag lining it.i took out all the larger stone out. then we carried it out right on the stand. you can add an air stone if you want i didnt.just make sure you carry it level!