Moving an aquarium

["Piechowski, Rod" <rpiechowski at heidrick_com>]

Daphne said about Mark's move:

"In terms of the tank and plants, I have a few concerns.
1.  That is a long time for wet, exposed plants to be subjected to those
kinds of temperatures.  I think I would definitely consider packing them up
in Styrofoam boxes to protect them.
2.  Picking up a 75 gallon tank full of gravel is going to be a major feat I
would think.  Does anyone besides me have the fear that the bottom could
fall out of the tank with that much weight being moved around that much?"


I agree; we moved an aquarium last December when the temperature was about
18F. I picked up a covered, plastic tub and filled it about halfway with
water; into this I placed all the driftwood, plants, etc. I wrapped the tub
with blankets. Fish and shrimp were put in large plastic bags kindly donated
by my LFS, and these bags were placed into another covered tub and wrapped.

I was indeed afraid of picking up the tank with gravel in it. I took out all
the gravel and placed it wet into buckets and covered those with plastic.
Unfortunately, this meant having to dig up my crypt garden, but those were
replanted when I set the aquarium up again. 

Our move was about 3 hours, but it took at least two more hours before I
could get the tank set up again. (We didn't arrive at the new place until 3
in the morning, and after unloading the truck I slept a bit...). Everything
survived, including the trumpet snails, and the tank has come back
beautifully!

Mark, the one additional suggestion I would make is not to underestimate the
amount of time it will take you to do all of this. Getting the fish out of
the tank was not fun, especially after I'd been packing for a few days. Your
back will hurt and you will be low on patience; it's stressful for you and
for the tank inhabitants. It was hard to rip everything apart after trying
for so long to make it "just right." The fact that you are planning ahead
will make it a lot easier!

Rod Piechowski
Swaying in the Sears Tower, Chicago
Visibility 10 feet