Tips on moving large tank

[gdmiller123]

I just bought my buddies 340 gallon tank. The tank is 11'X2'x2'. I will start a build thread as its going to be quite awesome with a fish room addition for the sumps ect. Im pretty excited.

That being said, the first and most worrisome task is getting it moved from his house about 20 miles away to my house. The tank itself is roughly 5 years old and has been drained and sat empty for about 2 months now.

i need some tips from people that have moved large aquariums successfully. I know it wont be easy. So far, i figured im going to need at minimum of 10 people with more being a plus. Im going to get some glass moving handles and put the tank and stand wrapped in moving blankets on my buddies trailer. Obviously ill keep it flat. Im going to get some lift jacks to slide the tank off and on the stand at both locations.

Any other tips other than be careful and good luck?

 

[shocker444]

Just trust worthy friends you don't want some one giving up because they don't care. I used 8 guys to move my 800 gallon glass tank its 1700 lbs on the scale. 8 was pushing it but i had some big guys. I found that the suction cups are not trust worthy they really can only handle 250 lbs each and if some one lets off on one then the others half to take the load. That runs the possibility of coming off. Just take your time and make sure everything is dry good luck with the move.

 

[gdmiller123]

Just trust worthy friends you don't want some one giving up because they don't care. I used 8 guys to move my 800 gallon glass tank its 1700 lbs on the scale. 8 was pushing it but i had some big guys. I found that the suction cups are not trust worthy they really can only handle 250 lbs each and if some one lets off on one then the others half to take the load. That runs the possibility of coming off. Just take your time and make sure everything is dry good luck with the move.

Yeah im not banking on trusting the suction handles. More like having them on the very ends of the tank to help get it through door ways and to help get it off the stand ect. I'm with you on having trustworthy people. Id be highly upset if it got dropped somehow.

 

[Dmorty217]

Take your time and measure twice! In all seriousness I don't know where in your house your putting the tank or how many doorways you have to go thru ect but you could make a cardboard mockup of the tank to run thru how you plan on getting it in the house and room it's going in. I didn't do this for my 625g and had to have the builder cut a hole in my floor to lower the tank down to the basement... Just saying

 

[gdmiller123]

Take your time and measure twice! In all seriousness I don't know where in your house your putting the tank or how many doorways you have to go thru ect but you could make a cardboard mockup of the tank to run thru how you plan on getting it in the house and room it's going in. I didn't do this for my 625g and had to have the builder cut a hole in my floor to lower the tank down to the basement... Just saying

Dang that sounds rough! Thankfully I only have to go through 2 doorways total. One at the main entrance in the house the tank is already in and one at my house. I got lucky there for sure.

 

[Dmorty217]

Is it glass or acrylic? If the later you should be fine with 4 people. I have a 210g that acrylic and I can move that by myself

 

[gdmiller123]

Is it glass or acrylic? If the later you should be fine with 4 people. I have a 210g that acrylic and I can move that by myself

Glass. Its 11ft long and I was told 1100 pounds. Im going to need 10 people minimum.

 

[snulma1]

While having more people in theory sounds great, maneuvering with that many people gets difficult.

The cardboard box method is a very good idea, plus afterwards its helpful to cover surfaces and help with sliding.

 

[gdmiller123]

While having more people in theory sounds great, maneuvering with that many people gets difficult.

The cardboard box method is a very good idea, plus afterwards its helpful to cover surfaces and help with sliding.

It more like over prepared than under prepared. The tank is 11ft long so 10 people will spread out a good ways.

Maneuverability wont be a issue as at both locations its quite open. The 2 door jams are going to be the biggest issue as well as getting it off the old stand.

 

[apcoleman]

If you know anyone who has the suction grips for moving large pieces of glass they can really help with the tank. I used a few when moving my 250DD in and they were a lifesaver. It made moving the tank through the doorways much easier because there was a real place for people to grab on rather than just lifting from the bottom.

 

[gdmiller123]

If you know anyone who has the suction grips for moving large pieces of glass they can really help with the tank. I used a few when moving my 250DD in and they were a lifesaver. It made moving the tank through the doorways much easier because there was a real place for people to grab on rather than just lifting from the bottom.

Yeah I have access to some of them. I don't know how much I trust them so not sure I want to rely on the solely.

 

[sfsuphysics]

A friend moved a 150g tank, but the back panel was made of 1.25" thick glass, he rented a lifot from a rental place, that allowed him to lift it from the ground to the 2nd floor, it also had wheels. Not sure what it was rated at, but that thing saved some real back ache. 1100 pounds is a lot though, make sure you have good beer and snacks/food for them, don't skimp!

Bottom line, try to do as little lifting/carrying as possible, try to roll as much as you can.

 

[kmbyrnes]

That much weight I would hire some pros.
One, they know how to move a tank that big, and will have the equipment and manpower to do it.
Two, they will have insurance against damage.
Three, they are not your buddies and if something does go wrong, no damage done to a friendship.

It cost me just $500 to move a 350 gallon tank/stand combo 65 miles. Worth every penny.

 

[Kaidman]

I moved my 300gallon from the garage to the living room with 10 guys, 1 suction cup per guy. They really made it quite easy. The cups were rented from the company I bought the tank from and they all looked like new, no wear/tear. The weight estimate on their website is 400-500lb though, not sure where your guy estimated the weight of your 340. Maybe the glass is much thicker since it's a few feet longer.

Minor issues we had:
- Getting through the 36" door with suction cups lining the sides of the tank. We peeled off two guys at a time, they ran around the house to another entrance door so they could grab their handle from the inside. So we took that slow.
- Lifting the tank from the ground onto the 40" stand. Since we really only had access to 3 sides of the tank the lift put the tank a little lopsided, but we still got it on fine with no incidents.

If I ever get something 500+ gallons I'll be hiring professional movers.

 

[usmc1812]

Make sure you will be able to maneuver an 11' tank inside of your house. Get lik 3 floor dollies and plenty of strong hands to grab ahold.

 

[FuzzyZipperbaum]

I would build a pvc mock up of the tank and then have everyone move it as if it were real...you will find where the squeeze points are, the turns or angles you didnt realize...etc... I did it for my five hundred and it was well worth the few bucks and twenty minutes it took to build it.