sliding tank?

[jc]

I wonder if this is possible. I have a 180 gallon tank that I need to move to the kitchen so that I can get my floor installed because of a flood. My plan is to drain all of the water out and remove the rocks in the tank. That would leave the tank on the wood stand with only about 1" of sand on the bottom. I wanted to try to slide the tank on the stand into the other room. I would place a track of cardboard on the ground and slide the tank over it. Could this damage the tank? I hate to have to remove the sump and the plumbing in order to remove the tank from the stand.

[LoneStar]

Does the stand have enough lateral support? It sounds like it may work if you drain everything and take out all the rock. Might order a few pizzas and get a few guys over to help pick it up? If the stand is built well, it should work. Just hope it does not buckle like a house made of playing cards (verticaly they can stand but try pushing on it and it topples to one side).

I'd go with the pizza route :)

[GMFett]

If I were you, I'd drain the water and remove the rocks. Then place each end of the tank on rolling dolly's. I'm sure someone in san antonio has two you could borrow.

[LoneStar]

Or borrow the MAAST cart.

Does Jose (z28pwr) still have it?

[erick]

An idea might be to get the tank and stand onto a large piece of cardboard, or better yet a rug. Then slide the cardboard or rug along the floor. Better chance of not damaging the tank. If you have to move the tank every few feet to get it onto the next peice of cardboard, then you are increasing your chances of disaster exponentially. Hope this helps.... Erick....

[Ping]

LoneStar is right. If drained of all water 4 People should be able to move the tank and stand. "IF" the bottom of the stand can hold the weight of the sump.

[jc]

I can remove the sump. It is an acrylic wet dry that is about 3 feet by 1 feet. The stand is a perfecto brand I believe. Now that you mention it I didn't think about the lateral support. Can the tank be lifted with the stand? I called called a store and they said they could move the tank for $75 an hour per person. They have all the necessary equipment. I may just go that route.

[blueboy]

when i used to work for a moving company, we often placed heavy objects onto a moving blanket, then just grab the end of the blanket and drag it along. this way your not putting nearly as much lateral stress. $75/hr per guy sounds pretty high to me, heck i'd move it for you for that!

[Ping]

If I am available when you are ready, I will move it w/ 3 other guys for $65 an hour or a beer and a slice of pizza.

[LoneStar]

Where are you located in San Antonio? I might be able to help too but just depends on the timing.

[jc]

Thanks for the offer guys. Problem is it will be in about 1 to 2 weeks depending on how fast I get my insurance check. I can get some guys together later, but I will let you know if things change. It's good to know we have a nice community of reefers here.

[SA-DSM]

I say pizza party. My uncle and brother in law moved a 180 tank themselves, not the stand, but they are pretty big guys. I think that a pizza party would be cheaper than paying 75 dollars an hour. I would recommend 4 guys, one for each corner. If your stand is as heavy as my uncles you will definately need at least 4 guys.

[caferacermike]

What about those "magic sliders" for sale at 2:00am on TV? lol. They just might work.

[SA-DSM]

That is what me and my dad used on his 75 gallon, yes he has them. It was pretty easy, but the stand for a 180, at least the ones that I have seen are heavy. But like I said it worked with stand and tank with the gravel on a 75.

[jc]

I moved the tank with 2 other guys. The floor installers forgot to tell me they were coming the next day so I had to do this last minute. We emptied the tank of all the water and the canopy. It was pretty hard with only just a few people. We used cardboard on the floor to help us slide it onto the tile in the kitchen. The fish were moved into my 90 for the time being. I went ahead and filled the 180g with freshwater so that I could check for leaks and so that I wouldn't smell the empty tank. Only thing is now some of the snails in the sand are dead and the water is murky. Time for a water change and maybe a freshwater puffer to eat the left over snails. The only damage I could see is that one cabinet door is sticking. I think it is because the tank is a little off balance since it has cardboard under it in some places.

[jc]

Next time I am going to try the plastic sliders. We tried using a rug to drag it but it was too heavy. Since we only could go about a foot at a time I don't think we put too much strain on it.