Ten Tips for Moving a Large Established Aquarium

One day during a visit to my local fish store, the store owner let me know that one of his customers was looking at getting rid of a 210-gallon reef aquarium. At the time I wasn’t really in the market for another aquarium as I already had a thriving 75-gallon tank and 22-gallon frag tank. The store owner then proceeded to list all of the equipment and livestock included in the sale. I was intrigued and ultimately got the contact information from the store owner. I connected with the owner and dropped by to see the tank. I was shocked by the sheer size of the system since being used to my own much smaller tanks. We settled on a price that I just couldn’t refuse. The seller did let me know that he was willing to help me move some of the equipment but would be unable to help me move any large items due to back issues. 

Long story short I was able to move all of the equipment, livestock, live rock, sand, and some of the water.  After the move, none of the equipment was broken and all the livestock but one Blue Green Chromis survived the move. The process was daunting in the beginning, trying in the middle, and satisfying in the end. I learned a lot through the moving process below are ten tips I offer to help if you find yourself moving your own large established aquarium. 

#1 Plan the Work and Work the Plan

One of my favorite quotes and general life strategies is to “plan the work and work the plan.” I found this especially useful when moving the tank. I treated this like a project and primarily used checklists to make sure that I covered as many bases as possible to not delay or have errors in the move. I used the Microsoft software OneNote to keep track of the various items and processes I needed to accomplish.

OneNote is a nice piece of online software that works well as an online digital notebook, there is also an app version. As a digital notebook, it contains sections and pages that you can use to separate different topics you might have for multiple notebooks. Each page is a blank slate that you can type into or paste many different types of media in like pictures and videos. There is also a nifty option that allows you to create lists with checkboxes that you can check off once the task is complete. In OneNote, I broke down the different phases of the move into sections and had a checklist for each one. Some of the sections included: Set up holding tanks for livestock, move the equipment, break down the tank, move the tank, and re-set up the tank. Microsoft at the time of this writing made the program free for use as part of their online software offerings.  

Planning out each step of the move helped make sure that I had everything I needed for the move and greatly increased my probability of a good move. Reviewing the lists under each section often made me think of other items to consider building into each part of the process. It also made me improve the process as some steps could be removed or improved with a continuous review of the plan. Having this plan also gives me a template to use and build on if another tank move comes up.  It was also highly satisfying to physically check off an item from the list.       

#2 Have the Right Tools and Equipment

When the day comes to move the tank, it’s always good to have some general tools on hand as you never know what you might encounter during the move. When I moved my 210-gallon tank, I had an assortment of tools on hand including general hand tools, power tools, and moving tools. Here is a list of some tools that came in handy or could come in handy during a big tank move:

Towels: I brought 5 large towels when breaking down the tank. The seller appreciated this as we had lots of splash and spillage when breaking down the display.

Tarp: Another item that the seller appreciated. I placed this in front of the aquarium and it did a great job keeping sand and water off the carpet. 

Screwdrivers: I had both standard and Phillips in small, medium, and large sizes available. There were various screws inside the cabinet holding different equipment and these got used a few times.

Small Ladder: With such a large tank a small ladder was essential to get arms into the tank and reach down to the bottom.

Power Drill: Used sparingly to remove screws inside the cabinet. 

Flashlight: A flashlight came in handy especially when the lights and power were off on the tank. 

Adjustable wrench: This can come in handy to loosen any bolts in the system. 

PVC Pipe Cutter: Sometimes hard plumbing needs to be cut to get the system disassembled. A PVC pipe cutter makes quick work cutting PVC and vinyl tubing.

Fish Nets: I had numerous fish nets available from small to large.

5-gallon buckets: Having multiple buckets on hand helped the move. I used these for the livestock, wet equipment, sand, and anything else that fit. Use good quality buckets with tight lids. 

Aquarium Pump and Hose or Siphon: I used a Mag Drive 7 connected to a water hose to drain the majority of the tank water. You can get a hose attachment at most home stores that will allow you to connect a standard hose connection to the pump. I ran the hose from the tank to the kitchen sink to drain most of the water. Take note that there will still be a good amount of water that the pump can’t get to at the bottom of the tank and sump. I used a Shop-Vac to get the remaining water. If you don’t have a pump available a siphon can get the job done too.     

Ratchet Straps: Ratchet straps are great to have for securing the tank and stand to your vehicle. I used multiple straps to keep everything nice and tight to my truck. You’ll want to be careful not to over tighten and to make sure the ratchet part doesn’t bash into the glass of the aquarium as it is tightened down. 

Small Plastic Scoop or Shovel: This came in handy to remove the sand. I used a small plastic scoop and a kid’s snow shovel to remove the sand from my 210-gallon aquarium when I moved it. 

#3 Have the Right Amount of Man Power

When it comes to manpower, the more hands the better. Large tanks are heavy and not having enough muscle puts damaging the tank at risk. When I purchased my 75-gallon tank from PetSmart, I was able to move the tank myself. I consider myself an above-average fitness and strength, and would probably not attempt anything larger than a 75-gallon tank. Generally, you’ll want one person on each corner and two more on each side of the middle of the tank. Two additional people are helpful to have if available too. 

Finding people to help can be a challenge. Incentivizing people to help might get you a better chance of having people show up on move day. Food is always a good incentive. Offer to provide lunch or a BBQ after the move as a way to get help. With my friends, a six-pack of their favorite beverage goes a long way. If you are having trouble finding help, the next thing you can try is to pay people to help move your tank. Reach out to neighbors and friends with an offer. Many times you will find capable teenagers willing to help for some extra money in their pockets. Another way to get help is to hire professional movers. This is usually the most expensive option but could be worth it if you can’t find enough people and they will probably have the experience and tools to get the job done safely.  

Set the right expectations with the people you have helping. Let them know the time of the move, how long you think it will take, how heavy the tank is projected to be, and the plan for moving it. Right before moving the tank review the path with the team and discuss any obstacles that might pose a challenge like stairs, corners, and doors. It helps to appoint a leader or somebody to orchestrate the movers as it’s happening. Let your people know what to expect and what to say if they encounter any issues while the lift is happening. 

#4 Have Extra Water Ready

If you plan on using the existing water in the system, know that transporting 100% of it is not feasible. You’ll want to have some freshly brewed saltwater available to get to the right operating water level for the tank. I made extra saltwater the day before and attempted to match the salinity to the water that was existing in the tank. When I moved the 210-gallon tank I kept about ½ the existing water and ½ new water. 

#5 Level the New Location

One of the last things you want to happen is for you to get the aquarium in its final spot, filled with water, and then find out that it is not level and needs to be drained to correct. You’ll want to make sure the floor is level beforehand and work to level it out if possible before the tank is moved. If the floor can’t be corrected, be prepared to have leveling items ready such as shims. Most floors are not level and you’ll want to level the stand that the tank is going to sit on before placing the tank on it. You can use shims to level the stand. Shims are objects used to fill space or wedge in between surfaces to help level and align. Thin strips of wood are generally used for leveling. You can wedge thin strips of wood to raise a part of the stand on a corner or side to get the stand to level.  Place the stand and tank and check the level before you get too far in the re-setup.  Check the level on both the front to back and left to right.  

#6 Have a Shop-Vac on Hand

I found that having a Shop-Vac on hand was a huge advantage in breaking down a tank. I used a pump connected to a garden water hose to drain the majority of the water in the tank. After using the pump, there was still a large volume of water left in the sump, overflow columns, and on the bottom of the tank. The Shop-Vac made amazingly quick work of the extra water. It’s important to make sure that you have a Shop-Vac that is designed for wet and dry applications. Generally, you remove the filter of the Shop-Vac to convert for wet usage. Within seconds I was able to drain the overflow towers. It did take a few Shop-Vac emptying trips to completely drain the sump and the rest of the tank, but it was quick and easy. The suctioning also did a good job of sucking all the gross detritus off the bottom of the sump and tank. I didn’t have to use it for this purpose, but having a Shop-Vac on hand gives another tool in the case that spilled water needs to be quickly cleaned up.

#7 Have the Right Vehicle Available

If you don’t have a large vehicle or a truck now would be a good time to reach out to friends and family for assistance or the use of their truck. When moving my 210-gallon tank it fits well into the back of my full-size pickup. I was able to get the stand right next to the aquarium. My truck also has multiple tie-down points that helped secure the tank and stand with ratchet straps. If you don’t have access to a large vehicle, another option is to rent a moving truck. If there is a high chance of rain in the forecast a covered vehicle may be the way to go.   

#8 Prepare Your Body

Large Aquariums, live rock, water, and sand are heavy and can pose a heavy strain on one’s body. It’s important to be aware of the physicality that takes place when moving a large aquarium. Large tanks can weigh hundreds to thousands of pounds and can be awkward to lift. Throw in the fact that you may need to make turns around corners and go up and down stairs can make the risk of a body injury high. You’ll want to prepare yourself before, during, and after moving the tank.   

Just like before you exercise or participate in sport, you’ll want to properly warm up and stretch a bit. I like to start by getting my heart rate up a bit. You can accomplish this by a light jog for a few minutes or some jumping jacks. After your heart rate is up a bit, consider some core warm-up exercises. I like to do a few pushups, squats, and lunges to warm up. From there you can do some light stretching before moving heavy objects. 

During the move, you will want to ensure that before any lifts you lift with your legs as much as possible. Position yourself where you will not put the majority of the weight on your back. It’s also a good idea to use work gloves to protect your fingers from pinching and smashing. Know the route you are going with heavy items and anticipate the best body movements for any obstacles including doorways and stairs. If you have a lot of stuff to move it could take all day. It took me two days to move the 210-gallon tank and the temperature was in the 90’s most of the time. It’s important to stay hydrated and take appropriate breaks throughout the move day.

After moving heavy items it’s good to do a little post stretching especially if the day was long. I find myself to be less impacted and more limber the next day if I conduct a quick stretch routine after a hard day moving heavy objects. Lastly, get a good meal and a good night’s rest.     

#9 Plan Your Electrical and Plumbing

You can run into a lot of unwelcome surprises if you do not plan and consider options for electrical and plumbing. For electrical, you’ll want to assess your destination site and make sure you have sufficient power capacity on the circuit where you will be connecting your tank. You can do this by determining what capacity is at the outlet where you want the tank and how many devices, lights, or appliances are currently being run on that circuit. Safety should be a priority when considering electrical tank needs.

Follow this link to check out some additional tips on electrical safety with aquariums. You’ll also want to make sure the aquarium equipment can reach the plug. You will also need to have enough outlets to accept all the power cords that come with your aquarium. 

For plumbing, you’ll want to assess what is currently on the tank and what the process is going to look like to disconnect and reconnect the plumbing lines. You should see how connections are made and if they can be easily disconnected and reconnected with union valves or will the piping need to be cut and be completely replaced on re-setup. When I moved my 210-gallon aquarium I had intended to remove the bulkheads on the bottom of the tank so that the tank could sit flush on the bottom of my truck bed. Upon closer inspection, there were unions hard glued to the bottom of the bulkheads making it impossible to remove the bulkheads without cutting them out. This meant leaving the bulkheads on and flipping the tank over onto its top to move it. This is a great time to inspect all the connections and particularly the bulkheads. If the bulkheads are old and look worn, replacing them before re-setup is the perfect time to do so.  

Top 10 Aquarium Electrical Safety Tips

The Complete Guide to Hard Plumbing in a Reef Aquarium

#10 Consider the Health of the Fish During the Move

If you are moving fish in addition to the aquarium you’ll want to take some preventative measures to ensure your fish make it through alive during the move. When a reef tank is up and running, the various points of water movement happening throughout the tank oxygenates the water so that it can be used by the fish of the tank. When fish are placed in minimal still water they use up the oxygen and without an additional resupply, your fish will run out of oxygen and die. There are various ways to prevent this and you’ll want to take different precautions depending on how long your fish will be out of a functioning setup. When I moved my 210-gallon tank I used 5-gallon buckets to transport all of the fish. I used 5-gallon buckets with very tight-fitting lids. I drilled holes in the top of each lid to allow some airflow. My trip from taking the fish out of the tank to my home was less than 45 minutes. At my home, I had a stock tank set up and ready to go to accept the fish as a temporary holding tank while I moved and re-setup the 210. In the stock tank, I had a heater, air stone, and powerhead to sustain the fish.   

If your fish are going to be outside of the tank for a longer amount of time you might consider transporting them with some sort of oxygen supplementation. One way to do this is to bag your fish. Use a high-quality aquarium fish bag with the fish, water, and air in the bag. Tie it securely so that the air and water are trapped tightly in the bag. Another option is to use a small air pump to deliver oxygen to the water as the fish are being transported. There is a great option that is powered by batteries. Here is a link to the product. With the pump, you run a line from the pump to the container and continuously provide oxygen to the water. 

Removing fish from their tank, transporting, and introducing them to a new environment can be very stressful to fish. You want to consider stress and remove as much stress as you can. Catching the fish out of the tank can be a very hard task especially if there is a lot of water, live rocks, and coral. I found the easiest way to catch the fish is to remove the coral first, remove most of the live rock, and then remove half to three-quarters of the water. You’ll want to leave the base rock on the sand if possible so you don’t kick up trapped detritus. If that happens the water will cloud and it will be hard to see the fish and further stress them out. Using this method I was able to easily catch the fish which would have been nearly impossible had I tried with a tank full of rock, coral, and water. Next is to consider the containers. I had a lot of fish that came with the 210 aquarium and I kept it to 2-3 fish per 5-gallon bucket keeping the larger more aggressive fish apart from each other. Another consideration is to have a lid or cover ready for fish that tend to jump or dart around if a fish jumps out it could get injured or further stressed. Once the fish was in the bucket and in the truck I covered the buckets with a blanket to keep it dark. When the fish are out of the tank the clock starts and the quicker you can get them to their permanent home the better (including acclimation). 

Conclusion 

Moving a large established tank is usually no easy task. Many pitfalls can happen including damaging the tank, killing existing livestock, injuring yourself, and a multitude of other mishaps. Having a plan, enough people, and the right equipment will go a long way in mitigating risk and making the move process as painless as possible so you can get to the enjoyment part of your new tank or space.