Picking up aquarium in pick up truck help?

[hrdneglcry]

I am on my way to pick up a 180g tank and a 120 g sump. The bed of my truck is about 2" too narrow (wheel wells) to fit them in flat. Any tips on getting both home without cracking them? I was thinking of leaving the sumo behind. Its an hour drive home.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Build an elevated platform with 2x4's to get the tank up over the wheel wells. Then use ratchet straps to buckle the tank in place. Keep the buckles and hooks off the tank. Use the tie downs in your truck.


Like this here. Not my truck but I've done similar.to move sheet goods under my bed cover in the rain. I wouldn't even put the felt caps myself.

 

[hrdneglcry]

Build an elevated platform with 2x4's to get the tank up over the wheel wells. Then use ratchet straps to buckle the tank in place. Keep the buckles and hooks off the tank. Use the tie downs in your truck.


Like this here. Not my truck but I've done similar.to move sheet goods under my bed cover in the rain. I wouldn't even put the felt caps myself.

too late omy there

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

too late omy there

Stop at home depot, buy stacks of 2x4. Transport tank safely. Return to home.depot return 2x4's.

Or go home and frame up a half wall with a counter top bar.

 

[hrdneglcry]

we broke the tank moving it. it had a slot drilled across the 24" side along the top for an exterior overflow. when the galss was pushed to slide that side glass panel cracked

 

[Sleeping Giant]

we broke the tank moving it

oh no

 

[Reefering1]

That's too bad, especially given that you had 2 good solutions within 15 minutes of asking

 

[littlefoxx]

I am on my way to pick up a 180g tank and a 120 g sump. The bed of my truck is about 2" too narrow (wheel wells) to fit them in flat. Any tips on getting both home without cracking them? I was thinking of leaving the sumo behind. Its an hour drive home.

Use tie downs. This is how I transported a 125 six foot tank that couldnt be taken off the stand and didnt have an issue, just make sure its tight and cover the glass

 

[littlefoxx]

we broke the tank moving it. it had a slot drilled across the 24" side along the top for an exterior overflow. when the galss was pushed to slide that side glass panel cracked

Oh no!!! Thats horrible

 

[hrdneglcry]

Oh no!!! Thats horrible

Yes. I'm not sure a glass tank should be slot drilled along the length of the side glass. When pushed on it cracked. A regular tank would not have cracked so I wonder if one day I might have burst. It was a nice 180 though

 

[CoralB]

 

[ptrusk]

Hindsight 20-20 but I would never move a large tank without crating it.

 

[blaxsun]

So, did the sump make it?

 

[hrdneglcry]

I did get the sump. But was gonna use it for the 180. I may try it under my 120 but I have to wait awhile. I was gonna possibly have gotten the tank today and sump tomorrow. Its a 125 3 chamber sump. I think the guy made a mistake. He cut a slot along the top of the side for an overflow. The slot was around 20" long and 1/2" to 3/4" tall. It really weakened that side and cracked when pushed.

 

[littlefoxx]

Yes. I'm not sure a glass tank should be slot drilled along the length of the side glass. When pushed on it cracked. A regular tank would not have cracked so I wonder if one day I might have burst. It was a nice 180 though

Kinda sounds like you dodged a bullet to me. Did you take the parts you could at least for all the trouble?

 

[R-balljunkie]

too bad there's not a hardware store that would rent you a trailer for really cheap that you could use....

 

[vetteguy53081]

we broke the tank moving it. it had a slot drilled across the 24" side along the top for an exterior overflow. when the galss was pushed to slide that side glass panel cracked

Sorry to hear - Bummer

 

[Gtinnel]

I did get the sump. But was gonna use it for the 180. I may try it under my 120 but I have to wait awhile. I was gonna possibly have gotten the tank today and sump tomorrow. Its a 125 3 chamber sump. I think the guy made a mistake. He cut a slot along the top of the side for an overflow. The slot was around 20" long and 1/2" to 3/4" tall. It really weakened that side and cracked when pushed.

You see holes for bulkheads but I’ve never heard of a slot almost as long as a panel especially. If just shoving on the side panel to load it cracked it then I agree that I wouldn’t have trusted it anyway.
Did you still take the cracked tank? I’ve never done it myself but you could probably buy a replacement piece of glass and take the tank apart and reassemble it for relatively cheap. Depending on how comfortable you are with such a project.

 

[hrdneglcry]

You see holes for bulkheads but I’ve never heard of a slot almost as long as a panel especially. If just shoving on the side panel to load it cracked it then I agree that I wouldn’t have trusted it anyway.
Did you still take the cracked tank? I’ve never done it myself but you could probably buy a replacement piece of glass and take the tank apart and reassemble it for relatively cheap. Depending on how comfortable you are with such a project.

I thought about that too. I never did it though. I think its all in pieces now. But yeah there was no need to put a slot in glass. A hole or two would have been enough. The sump is really nice though. Its a 6 foot by 18" three chamber sump with a divided refugium in the center chamber. It has an auto top off float, and the last baffle is a bubble trap baffle. Its pretty basic but huge and very finctional.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

we broke the tank moving it. it had a slot drilled across the 24" side along the top for an exterior overflow. when the galss was pushed to slide that side glass panel cracked

Darn, sorry to hear that!