Moving tank and new stand

Fishko · May 12, 2020

1. I want to move my tank to a new stand that i built. Should i just drain all the water and then move or remove all rock too. Its a 29g.

2. I need to finish my stand first, just finished the new sump. What should i use for the layer the tank will sit on it has a black plastic brace its a Standard 29g. And what should i use for the sides. If you made a diy stands id love to see how you finished it. Heres mine so far, my friend helped me build most of it. The garage is no longer that messy btw

Bam327 · May 13, 2020

A 29 gallon should weigh somewhere around 300 lbs full of water, rocks and equipment. I would get a friend, drain half the water and carry it to the new stand, assuming its not too far away.

You can check out my build thread if you like, it has the finished DIY stand and canopy on it. I framed it out similar to you, and them skinned it with 1x4's and 1x'6's.
You could put a piece of ply under the tank and on top of the stand if you like, but if all sides of the bottom rim are touching the frame then its unnecessary. Make sure the stand is level and flat. If you are going to set the sump "inside" the 2x4's on the bottom, so that the sump tank is on your bare floor, I would put a piece something under the 2x4's on the bottom so the sump sits on something other than the bare floor. I used a sheet of PVC cut to accomplish this but you could use a piece of ply. A lot of people put a board on top of the 2x4's on the bottom and have your tank sit on top of that rather that "in" it if that makes sense. For me, I needed that extra 3.5" of height in my sump so I did a reverse version of that. I also sealed the seams of the 2x4's to the PVC sheet. I'm saying all this because you will have spills in the cabinet, but I discourage you from setting your sump directly on the floor.

Fishko · May 13, 2020

Bam327 said:
A 29 gallon should weigh somewhere around 300 lbs full of water, rocks and equipment. I would get a friend, drain half the water and carry it to the new stand, assuming its not too far away.

You can check out my build thread if you like, it has the finished DIY stand and canopy on it. I framed it out similar to you, and them skinned it with 1x4's and 1x'6's.
You could put a piece of ply under the tank and on top of the stand if you like, but if all sides of the bottom rim are touching the frame then its unnecessary. Make sure the stand is level and flat. If you are going to set the sump "inside" the 2x4's on the bottom, so that the sump tank is on your bare floor, I would put a piece something under the 2x4's on the bottom so the sump sits on something other than the bare floor. I used a sheet of PVC cut to accomplish this but you could use a piece of ply. A lot of people put a board on top of the 2x4's on the bottom and have your tank sit on top of that rather that "in" it if that makes sense. For me, I needed that extra 3.5" of height in my sump so I did a reverse version of that. I also sealed the seams of the 2x4's to the PVC sheet. I'm saying all this because you will have spills in the cabinet, but I discourage you from setting your sump directly on the floor.

I plan on placing the sump on a piece of ply in the bottom. I will being giving it a coat of klitz primer again. My plan was to drain all the water and quickly refill to halfway when i placed it on the new stand with a friend. Thanks! Ill check out your build thread, maybe ill start my own too