How To Move a Fish Tank | Top 5 Things You MUST Do Before

Are you planning to move your home but are quite uncertain about how to move a fish tank? Well, moving an aquarium or fish tank can be a difficult task. Speaking of which reminds me that it can be made feasible by adding a couple of safety measures and considering a few factors, especially in the case of larger tanks.

There can be made proper planning, to make the fish tank move. Although it might differ based on the distance and mode of transportation. Therefore, to take a better insight into how to move a fish tank, take a look at the below mentioned top 5 facts to consider.

How to Move a Fish Tank

Here are some of the most important considerations when choosing your aquarium tank:

Look at How big do you want to go?

Size has a huge significance in the feasibility of fish tank transportation. This is also because the size of the tank will somehow determine the number of fish it can keep. It also dictates your budget big time. Speaking of this generally, there is a nominal calculation which transcripts the tank capacity. There is a rule of thumb to follow, where you need to allow, 1 gallon of water for every (1) inch of fish you keep. So, further calculating it, makes 10 fish with a length of 1 inch per 10-gallon tank.

Choose the Right Fish Tank Material - Glass or Acrylic

We have been watching fish tank aquariums being made from glass for ages now. But according to what the latest trend says that it should be beautiful as well as super portable. Speaking of which acrylic fish tanks are light in weight and even more transparent than glass. This doesn’t just look better but are also much easier than big bulky old glass tanks. The best thing that adds up is that an acrylic tank comes in a wide variety of shapes. Although, there are still several advantages of a glass tank as they are more robust and have a longer life. So, you can choose according to your convenience.

Decide the Location You Are Going to Put Your Fish Tank

The location, where are you going to put the fish tank also influences the decision of the type of tank you should intend to get. This is a fact that you need to consider while learning how to move a fish tank. Never expose the fish tank directly to the sunlight. This is because it promotes the growth of algae and is also much likely to disturb the temperature stability of the fish tank. Other than this, do not place a tank filled with water at standard home furniture. The reason for this is that most tanks are above 10 gallons which is much too heavy for home furniture to support the tank. Therefore, you might need a special stand to support the weight.

Shape and Style of Fish Tank to Opt for

The shape and style of the fish tank have a huge role to play in the efficiency of learning how to move a fish tank. Now those days when a fish tank use to be a plain rectangular tank are long gone. So, now you have a huge variety of fish tanks that you can prefer. They are now designed to be more convenient while moving the fish tank. 

To make it more stylish yet super portable, by going for freestanding tanks. These tanks offer a 360-degree view, hence is very easy to clean or move. These tank’s filters are usually neatly tucked away in the lid or base.

Once you are done with taking care of above-mentioned facts, you also need to take care of a few more things. Take a look at those little majors that can save you from doing any damage to the fish tank.

Prepare your fish for transport

You need to make sure that before starting the transportation you have prepared your fish. You can do this by making them familiar with the environment. Drain some of the tank water and mix it with fresh distilled water then let the fish in one by one in the water. Do not put all the fish at once in the tank as that might create chaos for them. Do not use a before-used pail or plastic bags and also make sure that the room is airy enough. This is a way of how to move a fish tank without emptying it.

Drain the tank Completely

This is an important step to follow when you are learning how to move a fish tank. You need to make sure that the fish tank water is completely drained and it properly cleaned. This is done by applying cleaning powder. Especially if you have a larger tank, this is an important step to follow. You also need to consider saving water. You can do this by refilling the tank once you’re at your new place. The reason behind cleaning it at the new place is that you do not have to re-clean it. And as an addition, It’s much easier on the fish and also minimizes health risks.

Pack the tank equipment

Once you are done moving the fish into a safer and fresh tank, pack all the equipment. Equipment that is used in a fish tank such as water filter, pumps, and heaters needs to be packed separately. You can reinstall the same filter when learning how to move a fish tank to another room or to any nearby place, but if moving to a distant place, you can start over with a new filter.

Disassemble the tank

Once you are done with the equipment packaging, start disassembling the fish tank. Start wrapping your fish tank. It is very obvious that anything that you use to wrap the tank it is much likely to get wet and sandy. So, make sure that you are using an appropriate wrap around the tank. This is the time when you can easily clean your fish tank and make it newly ready for your new home. Also, make sure to place the pails with fish, live rock, and live sand in safe places so that they aren’t getting jostled too much.

Fix the tank well before reinstalling the fish

Do not hurry in reinstalling the fish in the tanks. Make sure that you have checked the fish tank pretty well before finalizing the installation. This will help in avoiding any type of damage to the fish due to tank damage or any other issues. So, once you are done with the inspection of the tank, you can set up your tank in your new home. The most ideal way of doing it would be to wait until the tank is established before moving the fish back in.

You can, in fact, wait for a couple of days by keeping your fish in a pail with adequate filtration and heating. Reassemble the filters and heating system and keep this cycle for a few days. Also, be very careful that your rock work is settled properly before moving your fish back in the tank. Considering the fact that unsettled rock work can cause a hazard to fish. This might also result in damaging the fish tank or killing your pets.

So, these were a few factors that need a higher consideration when you are learning how to move a fish tank. Though, another thing that makes a huge difference is the brand and quality of the fish tank. That makes a huge difference in it’s look as well as its durability. The more sophisticated your tank choices are the more your budget keeps growing. So, you need to see if that particular fish tank matches your budget feasibility and then make a decision of whether to purchase it or not.

Making the right decision in choosing a fish tank aquarium can be overwhelming. After all, it’s not an easy task to choose one suitable tank out of hundreds of fish tank in the market. So, make sure that you are taking care of a few important points and you will be good to go.

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Conclusion

We hope all these tips would help you in moving your fish tank with ease. You can look for several fish tanks with various prince ranges. They are quite easily available on online platforms as well. Make sure that you are choosing the fish tank wisely which is both durable and beautiful. This makes it convenient for both the fish and the fish owner. So, make sure you always purchase a quality fish tank.