Sizes and weights
Typical ranges for what we actually meet in Central London rather than one manufacturer's specification. Measure yours before you rely on them.
| Type | Size | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Nano tank, up to 60 litres | around 60 x 30 x 30cm10 to 20kg empty, 70kg full | 10 to 20kg empty, 70kg full |
| Standard tank, 100 to 200 litres | 100 to 120cm long25 to 50kg empty, 130 to 250kg full | 25 to 50kg empty, 130 to 250kg full |
| Large tank, 300 litres and up | 150cm and longer, often on a cabinet60 to 120kg empty, 360kg and up full | 60 to 120kg empty, 360kg and up full |
| Cabinet or stand | matched to the tank footprint30 to 80kg | 30 to 80kg |
For reference, a standard UK internal door is 762mm. Older Central London stock is often narrower. Full door and van measurements.
Will it fit?
Does it have to be completely empty?
Yes, including the substrate. A glass tank gets its strength from being evenly supported, and any water or gravel left inside will slosh and shift, putting shear load onto silicone seams that were never designed for it. A tank that leaks after a move usually leaked because it was moved with something in it.
How much does the water actually weigh?
A kilogram a litre, so a 200 litre tank holds 200kg of water, and the gravel adds another 30 to 50kg. That is why nobody moves a tank full, and it is worth knowing before you consider the floor it is standing on as well.
What keeps the filter alive?
The bacteria live in the filter media, not in the water, and they need to stay wet and reasonably cool. Media sealed in a bucket of tank water travels fine for several hours. Media allowed to dry out means the tank has to cycle again from scratch, which takes weeks.
How long can the fish be bagged?
Several hours in tank water with enough air above it, and longer in an insulated box in winter. On a Central London move that is comfortably enough. What they do not tolerate is a temperature swing, so the box goes in the cab rather than the back of the van.
How we move an aquarium
- You drain and bag the livestock, or we can leave you to it and take the hardware only
- Filter media goes into a sealed container of tank water, kept with you rather than in the load
- Substrate is bagged separately, because it is heavy and it scratches glass
- The tank travels empty on a rigid, flat, padded base, never resting on its trim alone
- It is strapped upright in the van with nothing against the glass
- The cabinet goes in first at the other end and is levelled before the tank goes back on it
When this stops being a routine job
Marine and reef systems, anything above about 300 litres, and any tank with live rock or coral. Those are planned rather than booked: they want the tank drained and the livestock handled to a schedule, and we would rather talk it through than take a date off a form.
What we do and what you do
The clean division is that you handle the water and the livestock and we handle the glass and the furniture. You drain, bag the fish and keep the media wet; we move the tank, the cabinet, the substrate and the equipment, and set the cabinet level at the other end.
That is not us avoiding the difficult part. It is that the fish do better with the person who knows them, and the timing of the drain is easier to control if you are doing it. Where you would rather we handled all of it, say so at the quote stage and we will plan it properly rather than improvising.
Getting the tank running again
Refill with the saved tank water first and top up with dechlorinated fresh, put the media straight back into the filter, and get the heater and filter running before the fish go back in. Acclimatise them by floating the bags to match temperature.
Expect a small ammonia spike over the following week even when everything is done right, because some bacteria are lost regardless. Test rather than assume, and feed lightly until it settles.
Before we arrive
- Save as much tank water as you can in clean containers, since reusing it speeds up the restart
- Bag the fish in tank water with plenty of air, in an insulated box
- Keep the filter media wet in tank water at all times
- Take out rocks, wood and ornaments and bag them separately
- Have the cabinet position decided and level at the other end before we arrive
What tends to go wrong
Moving it with the substrate still in
People drain the water and leave the gravel, reasoning that it is only a few kilos. It is 30 to 50kg sitting unevenly on a glass base while the tank is tilted through a doorway, and it is the most common cause of a seam failing weeks later.
Letting the filter media dry out
The whole biological filter lives in that media. Dried out, it dies, and the tank has to cycle again over several weeks with the fish in it. A sealed container of tank water costs nothing and prevents all of it.
Standing the tank on an uneven surface
A glass tank needs its whole base evenly supported. Set down on a floor with a high spot, or on a cabinet that is not level, it carries a point load and can crack under its own weight once refilled. The cabinet gets levelled before the tank goes on it.
Aquarium moving: common questions
How much does it cost to move an aquarium in London?
Between £150 and £520 including VAT, most near £285. A tank up to 200 litres with its cabinet and good access is £150 to £300. A large tank above 300 litres, or one with stairs at either end, runs £330 to £520. The tank, the cabinet, the substrate and the equipment are all inside the figure.
Does the tank have to be completely empty?
Yes, including the substrate. A glass tank is held together with silicone and gets its strength from being evenly supported. Water or gravel left in it shifts and puts shear load on the seams, and that is the usual reason a tank starts leaking a few weeks after a move.
How do I keep the filter bacteria alive?
Keep the media wet in a sealed container of tank water and keep it with you rather than in the load. The biological filter lives in the media, not the water. Let it dry out and the tank has to cycle again over several weeks with your fish in it.
How long can fish stay bagged?
Several hours in tank water with plenty of air above it, which is comfortably enough for any Central London move and for most long distance ones. What they do not tolerate is a temperature swing, so the box travels in the cab rather than the back of the van.
Do you move marine and reef tanks?
Yes, though they are planned rather than booked from a form. Live rock and coral have their own requirements and the timing matters more than on a freshwater tank. Talk it through with us and we will schedule it properly.
Other single items
Moving more than one thing?
This page is about an aquarium on its own. The single item and furniture delivery page covers the service generally, and what a move costs prices a whole flat or house.
Across Central London
We move an aquarium anywhere in the 37 areas we cover. What changes between them is the parking and the staircase, which is what decides where in the band you land.