Need to move my tank to paint behind it. Help!

[Lolita]

Splendid, did you leave your fish in there while moving it?

Yes, I did. A lot of people may disagree that this is safe to do, but as long as your tank is on a solid, easy-to-move stand and you don't have to lift it more than a half inch to an inch off the ground (or not at all if you can slide it, even better) I think you'll be okay. I didn't have a problem at all. We just went very slow and moved it a few inches at a time.

I did it this way because my fish are IMPOSSIBLE to catch. A few weeks before hand I had tried to catch them all to do a tank remodel, and spent about 6 hours catching fish...only to have caught half of them. Maybe I just suck at netting them, not sure... but I couldn't for the life of me do it.

[Cliff]

I would recommend you empty all of the water before moving a tank

Tanks are meant to hold water, not move water.

You will be taking a risk moving it with water. It very well may work OK for your as it has for many others. Or,.... it may cause damage to the seals on your tank as it has for others as well.

What ever you decide, you need to be aware of the risks.

[WindyCityFlyer]

Appreciate all of the help. I will take it step by step and see how it goes. Worst case I drain everything.

One last question, will I have to recycle my tank? I have two filters on it right now with plenty of good bacteria.

[ijankrom]

Also, should I save the water?

Well is this the same water you will hold the fish in temporarily? How long do you plan on having the fish out of the aquarium?

Think the fish will still go on pooping and such and if the water is not continually being filtered you might just want to add new water to tank if it's going to be several hours.

If I where to just move my tank and only have the fish out for 30-60 minutes, I'll just put the water back in. IMO!

[Cliff]

If you keep your filter media in old tank water and have it off the tank no longer than 24 hours, your filter media and all the bacteria will be fine, no need to recycle.

If your fish are only going to be out of the tank for a hour or two, they should be fine as long as the temp will not drop too much

[~firefly~]

1. Drain 75% of water, keeping about 1/3 of tank water.

Interesting maths there!

No, seriously though...I'm with the others who have said remove all the water. It is not worth the risk. Water is heavier than most people realise...just a bucketful is very heavy and that's like half an inch in that bowfront I'm sure.

[scotchbonneteater]

I painted the wall behind my tank a while back without moving it using one of these :

http://www.diy.com/nav/decor/decorat...?skuId=9703987

worked a treat

[inuudo]

Interesting maths there!

What's "interesting" about 1/3 of 75%? Seems pretty basic to me. The fish should be fine in that amount of water for a short time, too.

However, OP, I agree with the advice to remove all the fish and water. Yes, it's possible to move it with some water in it, but it's more likely that something will go wrong and then you have an emergency situation on your hands WHILE you're getting ready to paint a room. I don't know about you, but painting itself stresses me out; I can't imagine adding a broken tank on top of that! Breaking down the tank won't take as long as you think and is not particularly tricky to do.

[~firefly~]

LOL...I read that as if you were saying that draining 75% of the water left you with a 1/3rd of the tank volume. Sorry

[Goes to 11!]

LOL...I read that as if you were saying that draining 75% of the water left you with a 1/3rd of the tank volume. Sorry

I agree 109% firefly ;-P

How it is written initially does not indicate at all what inuudo infers . . . Moving on...

Either way, It has already pointed out more than once that tanks are not structurally designed to be moved with water in them so if it cracks or leaks later due to seal damage you can't say you weren't weren't warned.
Good luck