That Fish Tank Isn't Going Anywhere on Its Own
The hobby ended years ago. Maybe the fish are long gone, or the tank sprung a leak, or you just need the living room back. Either way, you're now staring at a 4-foot glass box sitting on a wooden cabinet that weighs more than your dining table — and you have no idea how to get it out of the flat.
A large fish tank with cabinet can easily weigh 40–60 kg empty. Fill that same tank with residual water, gravel substrate, and a canister filter still plumbed in, and you're looking at something two people can barely budge, let alone manoeuvre through a corridor. Plate glass flexes under uneven pressure, so picking one up by the rim without proper support is a fast way to crack a panel and scatter shards across your floor.
We collect fish tanks — from compact desktop setups to full 6-foot aquarium systems — and deal with every part of the removal so you don't have to.
What Actually Happens During a Fish Tank Removal
First: the tank must be fully drained before our crew arrives. No water, no gravel, no livestock. We can't carry a partially filled tank safely, and sloshing water shifts the centre of gravity mid-lift.
Once we're on-site, the job breaks into stages. External equipment comes off first — hang-on filters, lighting rigs, CO₂ regulators, airline tubing. Then the tank itself is separated from the cabinet stand. Large tanks (4 feet and above) need at least two crew members supporting the base evenly to prevent the glass panels from flexing apart at the silicone seams. We carry it flat, not tilted.
The cabinet stand is often the heavier piece. Solid wood or MDF stands built for a 4-foot tank are dense and awkward. If it won't fit through your doorway assembled, we dismantle it on-site. In our 10+ years of clearing Singaporean homes, we've pulled fish tank cabinets out of tight HDB bedrooms where the original owner must have built the stand inside the room.
If you're clearing the fish tank alongside other household items — old furniture, a second mattress, boxes of stuff — that's a single trip for us. Our residential disposal service handles mixed loads regularly, and bundling items keeps things efficient for everyone.
Where Does the Fish Tank Go Afterwards?
Glass is recyclable, and the plate glass from fish tanks gets routed through proper recycling channels where possible. Cabinet stands made of solid wood or plywood go through a similar sorting process — reusable pieces get directed into second-hand channels, and the rest goes to licensed intermediaries for further processing before reaching disposal facilities.
Pumps, filters, and lighting units contain mixed materials (copper wiring, plastic housings, small circuit boards). These get separated and routed accordingly rather than dumped as general waste.
We won't pretend every gram gets recycled. But we sort what we collect, and materials that have a second life get one.
HDB Flats
No service lift in an HDB block, so the tank and cabinet come down through the passenger lift or, in older walk-up blocks, down the stairwell. A 5-foot tank on a solid stand going down four flights of stairs is genuinely hard work. Surcharges may apply for walk-up buildings — we'll confirm that at the quote stage. If you're tackling a full HDB flat clearance or dealing with multiple bulky items on the same day, the fish tank just rolls into the same job.
For walk-up HDB blocks, let us know the floor when you send photos so we can plan crew size accurately.
Condos and Private Properties
If your condo's MCST requires a service lift booking or lift padding for bulky removals, that's on you to arrange with building management before the pickup day. Rules differ per building, and we don't have the authority to make those bookings on your behalf. Let us know the access details when you request a quote and we'll work around whatever logistics your building requires.
Common Questions
Do you buy old fish tanks or offer any trade-in value? No. We're a disposal service, not a buyback operation. Even high-end aquarium setups with custom sumps and expensive lighting — we collect and dispose of them, but we don't pay for anything we pick up. If the tank is still in good, usable condition, we'll route it into second-hand channels where possible, but there's no cash or credit back to you.
Does the tank need to be empty before you arrive? Yes, completely. Drain all water, remove gravel and substrate, and rehome or surrender any fish or plants beforehand. We can't transport a tank with water in it — even a few centimetres of residual water adds significant weight and makes the glass panels unpredictable during lifting.
Can you take the tank, the cabinet, and the rest of my junk in one go? Absolutely. Most fish tank pickups happen alongside other items — an old sofa, a broken shelf unit, bags of clutter. Send us photos of everything via WhatsApp and we'll quote the full load together.
Ready to Get Rid of That Fish Tank?
Snap a few photos of the tank, the cabinet, and anything else you want gone. Send them over on WhatsApp and we'll get back to you with a free quote — no obligation, no site visit needed for most jobs.