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Old 03-03-2021, 01:58 PM
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most professional moving companies will not move the tank when i inquired about 15 yrs ago. You may be able to hire some muscles from local craigslist moving companies that only accept cash............

When I had to move a large 300g tank, I built a sled out of 2x4 and 2x6. The tank sat on the inside of the sled so it was an additional 1.5" on each side. The sled bottom that touches ground should be limited to decrease friction but not so thin that it creates too much focused pressure. I used the 3.5" width of a 2x4 for each side of the sled that I wrapped with short matted carpet. The screws and staples used to hold the carpet in place were always on the edges that do not touch the ground. Do use 4-5" lag bolts with washers for the main frame. Do not rely on 3-3.5" deck screws to hold the main frame together. The weight and torque on the main frame when pulling can cause the deck screw to strip or the heads to rip through the 2x4. Deck screws are fine for the cross frames though.
The only heavy lifting was getting it off the stand and onto the sled. Once on the sled, it was secured to the sled with ratchet straps. A long heavy duty thick 1.25" rope (similiar to ones used in tug of wars) was tied to the front of the sled so that multiple people could pull to get it up the stairs while a few people pushed from the bottom end of the tank. All railings were removed to give people more space to move along the stairs.
Getting your tank over railings is going to be very difficult and dangerous. I suggest looking at how your railings are secured to the wall and see if you can remove them just for the move. If you can get it out of the house via the long route, its not a problem on a sled. Just keep pulling and pushing it along the route.
Most railings are a pain in the ass to install but very simple to remove. But once removed, its quite simple to put them back since all the screw holes and joints are already there.
This process will be 3-4 days of prep, planning, and contruction followed by 30 min of execution.
good luck.
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