[chkinut]

Hi guys.....I'm going to be buying a 150 gallon tank, 48x24x31.....to replace my 75 gallon.....and I have no idea how to get it to my house. My husband doesn't know either. He doesn't care if I get the tank, but I feel like I have to come up with a way to get it in our house. I was even thinking of hiring a moving company. I'm buying it from someone 1 hour away.
Another question I have is.....when I get up into the bigger tanks....do we have to build anything under the floor to be able to support the weight? We have a basement and the 75 is set up in our living room....up against a supporting wall. Will a supporting wall be enuf for a 150?

 

[punman]

Is the issue getting it TO your house or getting it INTO your house (or both)?
Getting it Into your house should not be a huge problem if you can round up a few friends in the neighbourhood with strong backs.
Getting it to your house could be a problem. When I bought my 6 foot long 180 gallon some years ago, I had a friend with a pick up truck go to the store with me and we and staff loaded it onto the truck. My friend with the truck lived in my neighbourhood and it was about a 20 min. drive each way. I think I just paid him gas money. At my end, two people could not do the unloading so a found three of four friends plus the truck friend and we carried it like a coffin . There was also a stand as well.

Maybe you could rent a truck by the hour. You start hiring people and before you know it, you will pay more for the moving than what the tank costs. My truck guy was in construction and he looked in my basement and told me where upstairs I could put this big tank (living room). It was fine but I eventually moved it to the basement when we installed a bathroom and easy water access. I cannot speak to your particular situation about tank weight.

 

[DJRansome]

It might well cost more to move it than to buy it. If you don't have a truck and an appliance mover I would rent those things. If you do have those things then the main problem will be lifting it from the floor onto the stand...that is a 4-man job.

We have a franchise here called College Hunks Who Haul Junk. They also do small move-jobs like this. They recently did a dresser from 3rd floor to truck for $200 for me. We could not use the appliance mover as we usually do for one of the turns in the stairway.

 

[ken31cay]

If your exterior door is 30", then the 24" width shouldn't be a problem getting it inside. For my 450gal which is 36" wide, I had to bring it in through my double doors in back. As punman mentioned, best way to get it to your house is asking friends to help.

Regarding the floor supporting the new tank you may want to seek advice from a professional since that's more weight than you may realize. When I was in college I kept a 125gal on the second floor of my cheap apartment. Being older and wiser I can say I'd never take that risk again, I keep my tanks on the first floor now.

 

[fish_gazer]

It might well cost more to move it than to buy it.

Agreed, and that is perfectly okay if one is committed. I know it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. It's kinda the cost of doing business in the hobby if you will.

I'm a dude and got a friend to help me with my 6 foot long aquarium which had to be carried up a flight of stairs. It was rough but the whole thing took less than 30 minutes. Moving labor is actually not that expensive here in Michigan, it's the truck that costs the money. I imagine you could get a couple of guys for 90 minutes for around a hundred bucks or maybe slightly more (or less) depending on where you are. An aquarium with a 4 foot by 2 foot footprint shouldn't need a truck. It's something that can slide into any vehicle with a hatchback.

As far as supporting it, I'm in the skilled trades and searched exhaustively for information on if extra support was needed and decided it was not. That is not to say that you don't need it. What I found after reading a million posts was that generally speaking, homes are constructed to withstand that sort of weight.

Lastly, don't let the dilemma of getting the aquarium to its new home be a deterrent. Once you've worked through all of the particulars, you'll be rewarded with a nice new shiny crib for your fishies! :thumb:

 

[chkinut]

U guys are all awesome! Thanks so much! I agree.....I don't want to pay too much (if anything) to get it moved. I decided not to get the 150......now I have a couple choices ahead of me today....either drive an hour to get a 125 that only comes with a stand.....or buy a 100 gallon locally and it's loaded. The tank I have now is a 75....so the 100 wouldn't be much of an upgrade, but I'm leaning toward the 100. Also, the 100 wouldn't cost much at all....If I do it, I will do a trade. Thanks again guys!