Ok To Lift A 29G Tank With A Little Water In?

[Loops]

Evening all,

We need to lift our tank but really don't want to take all the fish out.

Is it ok to lift with a bit of water in enough to keep the fish in? We need to do something to the
cabinet.

Thank you x

 

[Truck]

No, It will need emptying, if you lift it with water in it may crack.

 

[Cossie333]

y u need to lift it lol

 

[mr130gallon]

i lifted a tank of that size with about 2 inches of water in it, as well as substrate, but i wouldnt do it again, its heavy and i wouldnt do it again and if you are emptying most of it anyway then the fish are so easy to catch anyway, so you might as well move them to a bucket and continue emptying it.

 

[james_fish]

It would need a strong base, not to mention two meat-heads to carry it.

It may also 'unsettle' the fish.

James

 

[Monty-2010]

Just be careful you don't hurt your back!

 

[jameshughes1989]

Its not great for the tank. I personally wouldn't risk it! Can cause the tank to crack or weaken its structure.

 

[spectrum]

My cousin was foolish enough to lift his 120l half full! Up stairs! With fish! I mean WHY? Actually don't get me started on how terrible my cousin is at fish keeping, he doesn't even know what the nitrate cycle is.

 

[Tolak]

You can, you risk tank damage, your call. That's a lot of water to have on the floor.

 

[rdd1952]

If you decide to try it, I would suggest getting a piece of plywood (3/4" if at all possible) larger than the tank. Tilt one end up just enough to slide the plywood under and they slide it all the way under so you are actually lifting the plywood. Hopefully, that would lower the risk of damage but definitely wouldn't eliminate it.

Best option though would be to get a large container/tub that will hold about 12-15 gallons of water. Siphon tank water out to fill it and move fish there. Empty tank (including substrate) and move it. When you're ready, just put tank water and fish back in, refill and you're done, having just made a 50-60 percent water change.

 

[walkers101]

i lifted my 28g tank half full on my own the other day and as i type this im sitting with a back brace on dont do it!

 

[Shred]

And on the other side.... I have two 20 litre tanks which I lift whenever I need to, never had any problems. Not sure if I would try it with anything larger though, depends how strong I was feeling

 

[MOW4T]

one way to find out

 

[walkers101]

only one way to find out Fiiiiiiiiight lol (sorry i love harry hill)

 

[the420buzz]

Well, I can say this. I had to move not too long ago with my 60 gallon tank. Looking back, I have no idea why I came to the conclusion to do what I did, but I did it and surprisingly didn't lose a single fish. Anyways, back to the story.

I drained it down to about 3 inches of water in it, just enough for my severum to be able to sit straight up and down. Little did I realize at that point how easily water is thrown around. Anyways, me and my friend proceeded to carry this tank, 3 inches of water, sand substrate, fish and all, down the stairs from the 2nd floor, into the car and driving then into the new house. Little to say, after even reaching the top of the stairs I knew it wasn't going well. Water was swaying back and forth from one end of the tank to the other, fish getting left dry in the sand at times. By the time we got down the stairs, I had thought for sure we had killed every fish. I had seen my severum at one point, drained of color and eyes glossed over, flopping around on the sand when the water rushed to the opposing side on him, and thought he was gone for sure. Managed to get it done though, filled up and, looking at it now, every fish is still doing great after that - including the severum. I'm sure it put them through a ton of stress, as well as myself, but I'm glad that it worked out, and if I ever had to do it again or give advice as to moving, I'd say DON'T do it with the fish in the tank, or water for that matter as it moves and splashes way easier than you'd think.

Sorry for the story, but that would be my experience moving a tank with water in it. My tank is still in use as I write this, mind you that was about 2 months ago that I moved. No damages, no cracks. *knocks on wood*

That also reminds me, I did the same thing with my 29 gallon as well (smaller fish mind you, livebearers and such). Couple of inches of water and, same result as the 60. No cracks, no damages, no lost fish from it (surprisingly once again).

I'd say if you were just *carefully* lifting it off your stand with the minimum amount of water your fish need, and moving it say across the room to a temporary table or something, then you should be fine. I must say that it is at your own risk to do so, but in my experience, it worked out with little to no ill effects (besides stress on the fish).