How to safely transport 125 gallon aquarium across town?

[wvned]

What the warranty says.
• If the aquarium is placed on any surface that that is not commercially manufactured for use with
an aquarium of its size and weight or is inadequate to accommodate the size and weight of the
aquarium.

How many people can say this?

The stand is not a rigid body. It is engineered to hold the weight vertically and be a tiny bit flexible side to side. Otherwise it would be an eggshell waiting to crack.

The top where the tank sits needs to be smooth with no upward protrusions. It may not be flat until the tank is on there.

I have a Marineland 75 that has been set up, moved to a different house, taken down, drilled, set up, taken down and moved to another room and it has been fine.
My 180 reef ready tank is also a Marineland. It sits on a stand I made myself.

Sit the tank on the stand. Level it on your mat and it will be fine. But if it was me with such a nice floor I would extend the mat a few feet beyond the tank and up to the baseboard behind it. Then I would cover that with a thin rug or carpet piece. That will catch most of the drips and things that will happen over time.

the right side tank is a Marineland.

You may want to check your homeowners policy on water damage from aquariums. The tank warranty only covers replacement of the tank. Small change in the great scheme of things.

 

[ddang]

I see, thanks. Actually, on the topic of settling...I'm going to level the stand with the tank on it, but empty. but when water is placed on it, settling will occur, and that settling may not be uniform, which could mean the frame won't be level again?

out of curiosity, why didn't you use the stand that came with the 180G marineland?

just messaged my insurance agent to double check coverage. that's a good, if this thing bursts and floods my first floor, I'm looking at $10k+ in damages easily... (wow he's quick, already responded with "
That sounds awesome! Yes, I have had 3 claims with fish tanks over the years, all covered by homeowners. First two, electrical fires, really bad damage. Last one, broke and flooded did a lot of damage. Happy Holidays!
"
before I even finished typing this response lol

also, I will be sure to outsize the waterproof mat.

i'm actually going out of town this thursday for almost a month, and I'll set everything up when I return.

the jack post arrives today, so I should have answers on how the post will fit in that basement space before i leave

 

[ddang]

Do any of you guys keep turtles?

I have a yellow bellied slider with a couple goldfish currently. They've been together for years. Initially, he used to try to eat the fish, but stopped after the first few days. But I understand that could all change at any moment. For this 125 tank, I'll probably keep the turtle and put a bunch of small fast aquatic fish in there

 

[griss]

Shimming an aquarium stand voids the warranty? That's a new one for me. I've been in the SW hobby since the early 1980s and was into FW before that. I've always used shims to make my stands level.

 

[ddang]

yeah sounds ridiculous/BS, but this guy I'm also not confident this rep I spoke with knew what he was talking about. he seemed offended (evidenced by his tone changing and him starting to sound condescending) when I questioned a few of his claims.

idk how they'd even know if I shimmed it. anyways, I'm not sure if I'm going to shim -- see prior comment regarding settling.

 

[wvned]

The price of the 180 and the fact I had to drive to a local fish store in another state to get it. Both would not fit in my car.
I have confidence in my skills and it was way cheaper building my own.
The 75 sitting next to me is also on a stand I made.

We wanted a turtle but have reached an age where getting a pet that will possibly live 3-5 times longer than the time we have seems irresponsible. So no turtles or parrots anymore.

 

[ddang]

so good news is I was able to get the post in there (see 2 attached pics). that smaller diameter adjustable piece towards the top plate really saved me. otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to clear that duct right behind the post (the one to the right of the joist I'm supporting in the side view picture).

I haven't fastened it yet. I think getting the top fastened will be another challenge. I have about 1/2-3/4" of space to work with above the top plate which is not thick enough for a wood block.

where it's sitting right now is approximately the middle of the length of the aquarium, maybe slightly to the left about 6" or so. i would have a lot more room if I moved it to the left by another foot (i can move the electrical junction box elsewhere), but then the support would be 1.5" from the left side of the aquarium and 4.5" from right.