Moving an aquarium on carpet?

[victoriaatx]

Howdy -

So... my 75G half circle has been up and running for about 3 years now and it has been gradually shifting forward more and more. The lean is now to an almost uncomfortable level. I thought I set it up off the tack board for the carpet, but I can't think of any other cause for the lean. :mad2:

IF I drained it, how hard would it be to move a 75 gallon tank with a 30 gallon sump 1-2 inches on carpet? Or would it be a better idea to put shims in the front to balance it?

Thanks!
Victoria

 

[mcgyvr]

If you drain it its easy to move..
Shims would do just fine too.. and no need to drain (shim under the stand and not under the tank)

 

[davocean]

[welcome]

To drain into a brute can or similar and pump back in can be done quickly and I would prefer to do that before shimming, if you do that.
My bigger concern would be a noticeable shift in that lean as you describe, are you sure you are on solid footing?

 

[victoriaatx]

Define "easy to move"

Even drained, there will be a ton of rock, sand and coral in there ... And the stand. And the rubble-filled sump. I'm thinking easy to move means "easy to move with a couple friends"?

Shimming sounds way easier/better, but if moving is the right thing to do, I'll start making friends

ETA: Not sure about the footing ... I'm on the third floor of an apartment, so I really *HOPE* it's solid!

Thanks!
Victoria

 

[davocean]

Well, if you are on 3rd floor and not on good solid joists you could end up making some new friends soon...
I would have that against a load bearing wall spanning joists.
Drained you could move it but it would take a couple/few friends to do.
Many floors will hold that weight but long term begin to sag if not spanning solid joists.

 

[Sk8r]

Lowes. Dinnerplate sized teflon moving pads. Drain tank down, critters in buckets, tilt tank slightly to put these under it (you need a friend) and smoothly and easily glide it along. They can be left under the stand, not too obvious on most carpet, in case you need to do an adjustment.

If you're seeing tippage---you may be so close to the wall the tank stand is sitting partly on tackboard that holds the carpet snug.

 

[davocean]

Lowes. Dinnerplate sized teflon moving pads. Drain tank down, critters in buckets, tilt tank slightly to put these under it (you need a friend) and smoothly and easily glide it along. They can be left under the stand, not too obvious on most carpet, in case you need to do an adjustment.

If you're seeing tippage---you may be so close to the wall the tank stand is sitting partly on tackboard that holds the carpet snug.

But that tippage should not increase over time.
If you are 2-3" from the wall I'm sure you are clear of any tack strip.
I agree those moving pads are a great idea.

 

[vhuang168]

I think you should find out if your floor is sagging with all that weight 1st. Sounds like that may be an issue with the slipping you are getting. Was there any major leaks or seepage in previous years? Or even constant drip, drip, drip, drip from hands/tools going in n out of the tank can saturate the carpet padding and cause damage in the floor boards.

 

[victoriaatx]

Thanks for the replies ... and MAN do I hope that it's not a floorboard issue - YIKES!

 

[victoriaatx]

Thanks again ... wanted to just share a pic and the measurements we've taken to see if there's any further input. I'm leaning (pun intended) toward draining and moving, since I'm not really sure how to check the floorboards without destroying the carpet in the apartment.

Wall to top of tank: 3.5"
Wall to bottom of tank: 3"
Wall to base of stand: 1.75"

Victoria

 

[davocean]

Tack strips are about an inch, once n a blue moon I see them doubled if an installer was lazy but usually not.
Tack strip would crush, so if anything a tip would decrease over time.
Outer perimeter or load bearing walls are best to back up to, and best if you can span joists rather ride parrallel to them if you know what I mean, not sure if you can check joist layout or not.