advice on picking up and moving a 180g

[stevebydac]

I just emptied my 180g glass aquarium. I am planning on storing it in another room on the same floor. I don't recall the brand mine is, but Allglass claims 338 pounds of empty weight. It is currently dropped into a wooden stand with a 2 inch lip on three sides (the non-lip side is against the wall, 4 inches from the wall).

Just for giggles, I tried to tip and lift up one end of this tank by myself, just to judge the weight, and it didn't budge AT ALL. :eek1: I was startled - perhaps salt creep has gotten it stuck a bit?

I wasn't the one who brought the tank into the house (two semi-burly guys did it for me). But I work out and I assumed that a buddy and I could move this thing with a little grunting and groaning. I mean 338/2=169 pounds each - not too bad, I thought. Now I'm a bit nervous about how difficult it may be to lift this out of the stand, away from the wall and into the other room. A bit harder than lowering a new, clean empty tank INTO a stand??

Any advice from those who have moved similar tanks?

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Two people "should" be able to move it. I moved my 190 glass tank around by myself and even moved it up on the stand from the floor. Took a little leveraging here and there and I never really picked up the whole thing at once though. So I don't see why two healthy strong people couldn't pick it up.

 

[downlimit]

I second blown63chevys motion, right now it wont budge due to gunck buildup in the bottom, its just kind of stuck to the stand, but with a little leverage you can release it from that.

 

[Highlander]

FWIW, it's a lot easier to slide a 180 than carry it.
If you can get it off the stand and standing vertically onto a piece of material which will slide on your flooring, the rest will be a breeze. You can also "walk" the tank, end over end with a bit of care.
My reefing buddy and I, got my 180 off my truck, into the house, and onto the stand, using the walk, slide, and pivot method

PS, I would try and pull the stand forward and slide a table in behind the tank, to get it off the stand initially, otherwise , that 2 inch lip is going to be a bear. I have the same set up.

 

[stevebydac]

Thanks for the thoughts guys! Anyone else?

 

[jarhed]

 

[Ocicat]

stevebydac, you seem to be looking for all the opinions you can get so I will chime in ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Â I didn't at first b/c I don't do the lifting myself, but my husband did. We have an AGA 180, and at the recommendation of the LFS, we took 4 guys when we went to pick it up. It was still a bear, although manageable. Coming up our front steps, which are rather narrow, my husband ended up holding one end by himself and bearing the brunt of the weight b/c he was bringing up the rear. He is 6'5", 240, strong, but it was still very tense and unpleasant.

Presently it's sitting on my living room floor across 2x4s -- I noticed that it was crooked so tried to slide one end to adjust it, and was shocked that I couldn't slide it without really putting my back into it! (Yeah, I'm a girl, but I do work out. )

Anyhow, my point in all that is that if you can get more help than just one other guy, do ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Â even if somebody is basically just a spotter. None of the three guys who helped us were as big as my dh; maybe with another guy his size two people could have handled it without too much difficulty, I dunno.

I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't really gunk that is the problem ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Â but just the fact that you're trying to lift it without being able to get your hands beneath it.

Also, since you don't know the brand of the tank... There are heavier tanks around than All-Glass ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Â Glass Cages for instance.

Just my $0.02... more from observation than any first-hand experience...

 

[windsor-aquatic]

It would seem to me that your biggest problem initially is lifting it ovet the lip that you described earlier. I'm not sure if they are available in the US, but in the UK most tool hire shop have 3-or 4-pad suction clamps to hire out. We keep 4 sets of these with us on every delivery we make, each set is rated at 150 to 200 kg lifting capacity. They make life infinitely easier, but if you can get hold of them, remember the glass MUST be clean and dry for them to be effective.

 

[jnfallon]

None of the three guys who helped us were as big as my dh;

What does dh stand for? Dumb Husband? D*ck Head?

Nice. Very NIce. :rollface:

 

[dc1718]

Use those orange moving suction cups. We moved my buddies 400 and it made life soooo easy. Its amazing how light it was.

 

[Psyire]

For the easiest way possible, definately go with the suction cups. A world of difference.

 

[Ocicat]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6812477#post6812477 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnfallon
What does dh stand for? Dumb Husband? D*ck Head?

Nice. Very NIce. :rollface:

Dear husband.

You may not see it too much on RC since most posters are male.

 

[DorsalFin]

I moved my 300 with 3 or 4 guys but it is acrylic.
Good luck

 

[stevebydac]

Thanks folks!

Though I don't have to move the tank very far, it is going through a fairly narrow doorway, so it is two guys or bust. :bum: Too bad jarhead wasn't here, he apparently can do it himself. Must be the caffeine.

The suction cups are a great idea -- I hadn't thought of that. Since a couple of you have such confidence in them, I assume they don't slip off. :eek1:

 

[dc1718]

No they are stuck on like glue, just have to make sure that they are on correct and form a good suction. Like I said we moved a 400 with ease.

 

[windsor-aquatic]

It may sound obvious, but if you opt for the suction clamps, ensure that the tank and the clamps are perfectly dry and clean, otherwise their efficiency is seriously in doubt. We use a drop of meths to clean the heads of the suction clamps and the sides of the tank.

 

[bergzy]

two strong guys (movers) and me (note that i did not include myself in the first part) hoisted my 180g leemar up onto its 40 inch high stand and the two guys were tired but i personally thought i had a triple inguinal hernia (you can have two but three would be anatomically really, really hard!!!).

i give total credit to any guy who can single handedly hoist any 55g glass tank up!

my buddy and i thought we were going to die when the two of us moved my 125g glass. but what do you expect from two doc's, right!

gonna try the suction cup thing...do i have to buy them or can i just rent them from a glass store?

 

[Soltaker]

my bro and I pick up and move my 220 ourselves. A 180 shouldn't be all that different.

 

[reefarchitect]

Make sure you don't get the suction cups at Harbor Freight. Opt for the high quality ones. You should contact a local LFS that handles large tank setups. They probably have the best available suction clamps and may rent them out to you. I've heard of a few bad experiences with the cheapo ones, but when my buddy and I moved my 180, the "cups" made all the difference.

Good luck.

PS, we had to lift the tank into the stand a few days later without them and it was a whole different ball of wax.