Transporting an aquarium has all the workings of a shipping failure: it’s bulky, hollow, and made of a fragile material. It may be a tedious and risky task but not impossible if proper precautions are met. If for any reason you need to ship a fish tank, bear in mind that these items are usually made of fragile glass and thus require a lot of preparation before being shipped elsewhere. Here are some tips on how to ship a fish tank.
Only ship empty fish tanks. Moving a tank filled with water and sand is an accident waiting to happen. An empty tank is much easier to handle and safer to move around. Remove water, sand/pebbles, aquarium accessories, and fishes first before packing the tank. Loose aquarium parts like the glass top, lighting, filters, and other accessories should be packed individually with enough packing materials and shipped in a separate package.
Smaller tanks can sure fit in some shipping boxes but no amount of double-boxing, paddings, and packing materials can guarantee that it will survive the tossing, falling, bumping, and dropping the package will go through during the entire shipping process.
The best way for safe and damage-free shipping of fish tanks would be with a reputable moving company. The tank should be padded sufficiently, crated, and encased in a wooden box. Most movers offer professional packing and crating services, which could eliminate costly packaging blunders.
To cut on costs, you may contact a mover that has a shipment of packages going out for someone else but to the same destination as yours. If space is still available for your tank, they may take it and you will only pay a portion of the shipping rate.