Moving tanks for new carpet

[Crabs McJones]

You are set! You can do this. It's a lot of work, but you can do it. Yes. Pictures please. I wish I had taken some during the move. But once my main rock crumbled, I was in panic mode and just wanted to get it back together.

I'll also note that before pictures can help with the reassemble if you cant remember where a rock was

 

[davocean]

If it were me, I'd probably drain water into brutes on furniture dollys, put fish in one w/ a pump and heater, block pump w/ eggcrate.

Rock and corals would depend on setup, if minimal and easy to pull, put those in another brute also w/ ph and heater.

There is a chance you could drain tank, slide it, fill back up right away, I've done this myself several times, but you'd have to have a real solid frame and secure rock structure, it may not be a novice move.
My stand frames are 2x and rock solid, a prefab or 1x probably too risky

Carpet does go fast, usually a day, 2 max

 

[oceaninabox12345]

You are set! You can do this. It's a lot of work, but you can do it. Yes. Pictures please. I wish I had taken some during the move. But once my main rock crumbled, I was in panic mode and just wanted to get it back together.

I think im just really stressed so im probably overthinking this. The one tank is brand new(well, 4 months old) in this house, and when we bought it off of craigslist it the pipe on the bottom for the sump cracked so we had that disaster, and it seems like everything is FINALLY doing ok, and then we have to get new carpet. Thank you all for the help, and let me know if you have any other suggestions

 

[davocean]

Brute containers are the best thing to have around, they help w/ WC's and also can be great holding vessels.
I have 4 of them just in case, and I have a 120g myself.

 

[oceaninabox12345]

Brute containers are the best thing to have around, they help w/ WC's and also can be great holding vessels.
I have 4 of them just in case, and I have a 120g myself.

120s are the best, arent they?[emoji6] Yep, ill definitely get another container.

 

[Mebbid]

Why carpet? Carpet is terrible. Switch to hard wood then it's not a big deal to cut the carpet around the tanks and replace the hard wood later.

 

[Rcpilot]

Why carpet? Carpet is terrible. Switch to hard wood then it's not a big deal to cut the carpet around the tanks and replace the hard wood later.

I wouldn't put hardwood floors under a saltwater tank if I could avoid it. We're doing ceramic tile.

The OP is a minor still living at home, so it's not his/her wallet or choice on the flooring type. The parents (mom) wants carpet. Ya know the old saying, "If momma ain't happy... ain't NOBODY happy!"

 

[CindyKz]

This is really no different than a tank move, only shorter term as new carpet will only take a few hours in that room (assuming it is being professionally installed).

As everyone else advised, brute containers or rubbermaids. Use as much as your old water as you can to avoid shocking your inhabitants, but have plenty of new water made up and heated. YOu'll need some.

Great opportunity to rescape, get out unwanted fish, clean your skimmer and sump, and change out your sand.

 

[Walts O]

Cut the carpet the transfer of everything could get messy

 

[jschultzbass]

I feel for you. It'll be hard to convince otherwise but best bet would be to cut carpet around the tank and save a piece of the new carpet and then when you do move you can patch it. Done right, you can't even tell when a carpet has been patched. Otherwise, everyone else seems to have you covered.

 

[oceaninabox12345]

I feel for you. It'll be hard to convince otherwise but best bet would be to cut carpet around the tank and save a piece of the new carpet and then when you do move you can patch it. Done right, you can't even tell when a carpet has been patched. Otherwise, everyone else seems to have you covered.

I wish we could do that. I asked, and they are worried about it looking bad so... i guess they would rather transfer two 120s around. Oh well. I guess ill get rid of a damselfish and a ton of xenia. Yay [emoji17]

 

[Pntbll687]

It's stressful to move tanks, but I think you're worried something that really isn't that bad.

Just make sure you have enough containers to hold everything. Plan ahead on where you're going to move the tanks to and how you're going to move them back.

Heaters and powerheads to move the water around is all you really need if it is just going to be a few days.

1) Plan where containers are going
2) drain water into those containers
3) move rocks
4) move live stock and add heater and pumps
5) move tank and stands
6) reverse process to set back up

Just a couple tips I learned moving my tanks 7-8 times (it was between two apartments, then to a house, then multiple moves within the house)
- drain the water as low as possible with fish in tank, they're alot easier to catch with only a couple inches of water
- move the rock first, you dont want to crush a fish by accident
- grab some cheap HOB filters if you're worried about nutrients spiking in the temporary containers
- RELAX and TAKE YOUR TIME, don't rush things. Fish and coral travel hours on planes and trucks to get to stores. The hour or two it takes you to transfer everything to a holding container isn't that long
- use this time to frag coral and get rid of anything you don't want
- don't worry about lights, people recommend 3 day black outs to fight dinos and some algae, your coral and fish will be fine without it
- Relax, relax, relax
- if you have sand, leave enough water in the tank to just coat it, some detritus may come to the top, and that 1/2" of water on top makes it easier to clean the detritus out
- put the rock back in first, then use a small pump to get the water in, letting the water run over the rock then into the sand. This will help reduce the amount of nutrients released from the sand, and the tank will clear quicker, making you feel like you did it right

 

[jtl]

Good call on the sand! I didnt even consider that

I disturb the sand by blowing it off and vacuuming it all of the time.

 

[oceaninabox12345]

It's stressful to move tanks, but I think you're worried something that really isn't that bad.

Just make sure you have enough containers to hold everything. Plan ahead on where you're going to move the tanks to and how you're going to move them back.

Heaters and powerheads to move the water around is all you really need if it is just going to be a few days.

1) Plan where containers are going
2) drain water into those containers
3) move rocks
4) move live stock and add heater and pumps
5) move tank and stands
6) reverse process to set back up

Just a couple tips I learned moving my tanks 7-8 times (it was between two apartments, then to a house, then multiple moves within the house)
- drain the water as low as possible with fish in tank, they're alot easier to catch with only a couple inches of water
- move the rock first, you dont want to crush a fish by accident
- grab some cheap HOB filters if you're worried about nutrients spiking in the temporary containers
- RELAX and TAKE YOUR TIME, don't rush things. Fish and coral travel hours on planes and trucks to get to stores. The hour or two it takes you to transfer everything to a holding container isn't that long
- use this time to frag coral and get rid of anything you don't want
- don't worry about lights, people recommend 3 day black outs to fight dinos and some algae, your coral and fish will be fine without it
- Relax, relax, relax
- if you have sand, leave enough water in the tank to just coat it, some detritus may come to the top, and that 1/2" of water on top makes it easier to clean the detritus out
- put the rock back in first, then use a small pump to get the water in, letting the water run over the rock then into the sand. This will help reduce the amount of nutrients released from the sand, and the tank will clear quicker, making you feel like you did it right

Thank you very much. I will take all of this advice. Hopefully it will only be a matter of hours, and i can move them back, but i suppose its not the end of the world if it takes a day. Ill add pictures as it goes along, we should be changing the carpet within the month. Ill try to relax about it [emoji6]

 

[navathehutt]

I wouldn't put hardwood floors under a saltwater tank if I could avoid it. We're doing ceramic tile.

quality bamboo hardwood is fine under a tank.

 

[damselindistress]

I feel your pain... I just moved 3 fish tanks a couple months ago when we moved. I took the opportunity to upgrade my tank and to go bare bottom in the new tank . I’d been battling nutrient issues in the old tank because it was my first reef tank and I tend to think if a little bit of something is good for a tank (like coral food) then a whole lot should be even better . Being a child of the 80s I call this the “Aqua Net Model” ;Joyful you are too young to understand that but I’m sure there are some old skool reefers on here that know what I’m talking about.

Best tip I received was to go to Lowe’s and buy several 5 gallon buckets to use for moving my different corals safely and that worked like a charm. They, along with my fish all made the move to our new house an hour away beautifully.

Also - we did luxury vinyl plank in the room where my tank is....waterproof and easy to take care of. Just my flooring tip for the day.

It’s going to be a lot of work but look at it as an opportunity to address everything about your tanks you’ve ever considering changing. Good luck!

 

[rossco]

I had my new carpet installed around my tank. I kept the piece that was cut out in case I move before it’s time for new carpet again.

The installers did a great job, cannot tell at all.

 

[twreefer]

I feel your pain. Been wanting to retile my floor including under my DT, which takes a bit longer. Maybe I could do half the room, build a new much bigger DT (bonus!?), transfer, then finish the room where the current tank sits. Just a lot of work I don't want to do, but trying to convince the wife we get a bigger tank out of it. But then I don't like to clean glass.