Earthquake preparedness?

[Crispy001]

I've been planning a new tank for awhile and recently started thinking about the possible damage an earthquake could cause.

How do tanks generally hold up in earthquakes? Is there any difference in acrylic vs glass for durability? Are there any tips for setting up a tank to be more quake resistant?

 

[Coelli]

In my experience acrylic will hold up better than glass. I lived about 3 miles as the crow flies from the Northridge epicenter. That quake was a thrust fault, and the initial ground movement was almost 2gs. My 40g acrylic tank on a low stand was one of the only things left standing in the apartment (which was on a concrete slab foundation). It slid off the stand by a couple of inches and most of the water came out but it didn't topple. My friend who was maybe 8 miles from the epicenter had a 125g acrylic on a higher stand it and also slid a couple of inches but stayed upright. I don't think either tank would have survived if they were glass.

 

[rott161982]

Honestly if have an earthquake strong enough to break ur tank or make it fall over u got lots more to worry then ur tank

 

[edinphilly]

Honestly if have an earthquake strong enough to break ur tank or make it fall over u got lots more to worry then ur tank

Not necessarily. A milder quake could cause rocks to fall and break the tank that way.

 

[colotl]

Build a pvc stand, drill holes thru the live rock and slide them thru the pvc post. Keeps the live rock stable and won't fall and crack/scratch your tank. Doesn't guarantee that it will save your tank during an earthquake but will help.

 

[cmspet]

I live in Petaluma and we were very close to the Napa earthquake not long ago. My 80 gallon and 32 inch tall tank sloshed around a lot and a couple gallons spilled out onto the floor, but my 120 pounds of life rock stayed secure to the PVC frame that supports it.

 

[Coelli]

I'm in the process of upgrading and will be building a foam/rock wall for the back of my 24" high tank rather than trying to pile rock up the back. It's lightweight and will be siliconed to the back. That way if anything shakes hard enough to topple rocks the damage will be minimized - there will still be additional rock, but anything that's stacked will be much lower and for the most part, puttied together. I'm also having the stand built with a lip on the sides and front even though it's a rimless tank and plan to put 1/2" neoprene between the tank and stand.

Fingers crossed.

 

[Jenacho]

A good preparation is better than no preparation at all. I live in California and small shakes happens from time to time. Having a lip and neoprene are great ideas. I am thinking adding lips on the sides and front too because it is the problem for rimless tank.