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my mom is redoing my room and we have to move the tank in order to put wall paper behind it. what would be the best way to do this?

would i have to empty it enough so that we can pick it up to move it. would this bother the fish any?

any ideas welcome!!!!!

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
20 Gallon Album
5 Gallon Album

if its only a small tank. say 5 gal or smaller than depending on the size and number of fish you could probably just half empty it and move it remembering to support the bottom because it WILL fall out otherwise.

anything larger i would empty it completely and put the fish in buckets because it might just be too heavy to move otherwise. whereever you are moving the tank to it would probably be best to run the tank from the new position until your room is completely done. just make sure to be keep as much of the tank water as possible when you empty it out.

if you really wanted to demolish the entire tank to make it lighter you could i suppose but it probably just be easier to get more people to help u move it.

i've changed bedroom since i got my tank. they become sooooo unbelievably heavy when they're full! It took 3 of us to do it - one on either end and one in the middle supporting the bottom. definately empty it though at least 3/4 of the way, and if you dispose of the water, don't add heaps of fresh tap water straight away. Wait a little bit and add maybe a few litres a day.

have fun!

well it is 20 gallons and it has 6 bags of gravel which adds up to 30 pounds plus about160 pounds so should i empty it out most of the way and put the fish into buckets with all the extra water. it should only take about a day to at the most to do it all.

i do not really want to take the fish out because i have not had any deaths for like ever. or is it better to remove the fish or empty it enough to give them room to move around a bit until we can finish?
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
20 Gallon Album
5 Gallon Album

Take them out and put them in a bucket. Siphon all the water out, move the tank, put the water back in and put the fish back in. This will be alot less stressful for the fish than sloshing around in the tank while you try to move it.

Good luck, Mike

5 gal plastic moving bins work good as well, that is what I use. Try to cover what ever you use. The darkness will help relax the fish and reduce some stress. Use an airpump and stone if they are going to be in there for awhile.

Last edited by openwater at 04-Oct-2004 18:36

so just net the fish out and put them into the bucket that i siphon the water into. they shouldnt be out too long but just enough for my mom to wallpaper the wall and then to move the tank back and then put them back in. i just hope that i do not kill them in the process.

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
20 Gallon Album
5 Gallon Album

I recently had to do the same thing. We got a piano and had to move our tank to the other side of the room. My tank is a 55G tank. What was suggested to me, and worked well, was to go to your local DIY store and look for a plastic, Rubermaid is a name brand, tub. I found a 50G tub for only $10. I drained about 1/2 the water from the tank into the tub. Then I moved the fish and put the other 1/2 of the water in the tank. I kept enough water in my tank to keep my gravel wet and my biofilter alive. Finally I put the HOB filter on the tub. After the move, I used a bucket to get the water from the tub back into the tank. Again 1/2 the water moved, move the fish, last 1/2 the water moved. If the move is going to be less than an hour, you can get away with just keeping your filter media wet.

I hope this helps, and I hope the wallpaper looks good!