# Temporary Tank Move - Advice Appreciated



## carriejeanz (Jul 18, 2013)

I'm new here and planned to *lurk* a little before posting, but an unexpected water accident has prompted me to post.

Yesterday morning one of the air hoses to our relatively new 55 freshwater gallon tank became unhooked at the base. The problem wasn't noticed until we returned from having breakfast with my family and as a result about 25% of the tank water had drained out onto the carpet. My husband and I used towels to sop up water, replaced the drained water (looking back we might have been hasty on that part) and called the carpet guy to come by today to attend to the carpet. After thinking about it all afternoon I became concerned about the stand we have the tank sitting on. I'd like to temporarily move the tank so that we can inspect the stand and check the damage. Since it's from Petsmart and primarily particle board I'm thinking a new stand is in order.

I wanted to see if there were any good tips on how to accomplish the aquarium move. . Our plan is to temporarily move the tank to the hallway floor until we can assess the damage to the stand, dry out the carpet & pad and/or get a new stand. My husband plans on getting a large trash can to be rinsed out so that we can siphon a good deal of the water out of the tank into the trash can so that after the tank is moved to the floor we can refill it with the same water and don't have to fill the tank with fresh tap water. We've only had the tank since May and just recently added our two Jack Dempseys and Golden Algae eater. 
Since we are pretty new aquarium keepers I wanted to see if we could avoid any rookie mistakes before we get started. 
Any and all advice is appreciated!

Thanks in advance - Carrie


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Welcome to CF! 
Your plan is sound, allowing that the trash can, or any container is free of chemicals or other contaminants that could pollute the water and affect the fish. If it were me, I'd use fresh dechlorinated water to fill the container and tank.
You may be surprised at how heavy the tank can be with only a little water and substrate in it. Your best bet may be to remove all of the water *and* fish into the container, then remove some or all of the substrate into a separate container before attempting to move the tank. Depending on how long it takes to accomplish the move, you may want to add a heater and air stone to the tank water. Another thing to consider is the filter media, which needs to be kept submerged, or at least wet. I would add it to the tank water, in a mesh bag if possible.


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## carriejeanz (Jul 18, 2013)

GTZ said:


> Welcome to CF!
> Your plan is sound, allowing that the trash can, or any container is free of chemicals or other contaminants that could pollute the water and affect the fish. If it were me, I'd use fresh dechlorinated water to fill the container and tank.
> You may be surprised at how heavy the tank can be with only a little water and substrate in it. Your best bet may be to remove all of the water *and* fish into the container, then remove some or all of the substrate into a separate container before attempting to move the tank. Depending on how long it takes to accomplish the move, you may want to add a heater and air stone to the tank water. Another thing to consider is the filter media, which needs to be kept submerged, or at least wet. I would add it to the tank water, in a mesh bag if possible.


Thanks for the welcome!  
If we use fresh dechlorinated water to fill the entire tank, do we not have to worry about the tank having to re-cycle? Or does keeping the current filter media, gravel, etc help reduce that risk?


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

The bacteria responsible for nitrification resides on surfaces, so yes, it's in the filter media, substrate, etc. Keeping the substrate wet and the filter media submerged (and oxygenated) will eliminate the need to cycle again.
The only thing of concern would be the nitrate levels of the tank water versus the fresh dechlorinated water. As long as the old water isn't overly high in nitrates (80ppm+), the fish should be fine moving from the tank water to 100% fresh water. Be sure to match temperature.


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## carriejeanz (Jul 18, 2013)

Move successful! Thanks for the advice.  
The tank is now temporarily housed on our guest room floor. I was right about the stand, and the carpet pad was still damp under it. We're going to leave the tank set up on the floor in the guest room until it dries out and we can set up a new stand.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Congrats!


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