This is part 6 in a series of videos about my new 300 gallon tank from Custom Aquariums.
If you missed the first 5 parts I will link to a playlist for the project down in the
video description.
And I know that may sound like a lot of parts,
but I promise they're all quick and to the point,
and they all pay off in this video so I think it's worth watching the whole thing.
Because finally, after lots of planning, and prep work,
it was time to move out this 220 and move in the 300.
Now I have an overflow on this tank that leads down a pump,
and then down to a drain in the basement via that tubing there on the left side of the
tank,
so all I had to do to start draining it was open a ball valve,
turn on the pump, and let it go.
While it was draining I started to remove things,
like the glass tops,
the rocks,
and the driftwood.
Then once the water level was lower than my overflow,
I used a pump hooked to a Python water changer
to keep it going.
I removed the few remaining items
and stopped the pump once the water reached a level just above my fish's head.
Then I moved two of my canister filters down to the stock tank
where the fish will be living while the tanks are being moved.
Then it was time to move the fish.
I hadn't moved this guy since I put him in this tank
the day he arrived here,
so I had no idea how difficult it would be to net him.
Fortunately, it was super easy.
I tried to show him to you close up so that you could get a better feel for how big he
is,
but it's still kind of hard to tell.
Then downstairs I just put him in the stock tank,
put some weights on the top just in case he tries to jump and knock the wood off the top,
and he was good to go.
Back upstairs I restarted the pump,
removed the final canister filter and other miscellaneous equipment,
and drained as much of the water as I could.
Then I just scooped the sand into some buckets,
which is one of my least favorite parts of this process.
But in the end, I had what I needed, which was an empty tank.
The next day was moving day.
I had two extremely important things that made this move possible:
One is a set of 12 heavy duty suction cups that I rented from Custom Aquariums.
And the other is a enough people to help move the tanks.
The first step was moving the 220 out into the garage.
This didn't end up being too difficult.
The hardest part was navigating through doorways
because not everyone could keep holding on to their handles
as we went through.
So this meant a lot of scurrying around and meeting the tank on the other side.
But in the end it came out no problem.
And then the stand was so light that a couple of the guys just grabbed it
before I even realized they were doing it.
Next, it was time to move in the new stand.
This was a little bit tougher to move than the old stand,
partly because it's heavier,
but mostly just because of its size.
It was actually a pretty good test because it's close to the same dimensions as the tank.
But it went in just fine.
Then it was time for the toughest part of the day.
I had been thinking about this moment for a few months,
just hoping we were able to get a tank this big through the house and into place.
It took some more running around to account for doorways,
and it definitely wasn't fun,
but we got it through without any issues.
We set it down on the floor so that I could do some final plumbing work,
and then it was time to move it up onto the stand.
This part was actually a little tougher than I had anticipated,
just because of the hoses hanging down from back of the tank,
but after some maneuvering we were good to go.
Huge relief all around.
That was the end for the crew, but not for me.
I put my driftwood back into the tank,
including one new piece that you'll get a better view of here in a bit,
and then it was time to add the sand.
Again, not my favorite activity but because I had done a lot of prep work
it was all ready to go.
I also added a few small rocks that I wanted to try out
to complement the driftwood.
And then, finally, it was time to start filling the tank.
I could have just used the fill line that's connected to my return lines,
as you saw in previous videos,
but I didn't want water falling on the sand from that high.
So I just started out with my normal method,
which is a python leading down into a bowl.
This way the water doesn't splash the sand,
which really helps prevent cloudiness.
Once the water was high enough I removed the bowl,
and then sat back, hung out with my family
and waited for it to fill.
And here is the end result.
I know it might seem crazy to have a tank like this for just one fish,
and it probably is,
but he's just a really awesome fish.
And I'm sure I'll get comments about how this tank looks empty,
but I like for him to have a lot of open room to swim,
and if I added any plants he would probably just destroy them.
So for now, this is how it's going to look.
I still plan to do a follow up video to show
a few changes I ended up making to the plumbing,
the media I'm using in the sump,
and the lighting.
So stay tuned for that.
I couldn't be happier with how this tank turned out.
A big thanks to everyone at Custom Aquariums,
and if you're in the market for a really nice tank,
one that you want to last.
Then be sure to check them out.
As always,
thank you so much for watching,
and until next time,
have a good one.