earthquake prevention???

[Ian]

Being in southern California Im curious if anyone here has done anything to make their tank a little more earthquake proof. My tank is open top so I was thinking about running this stuff around the black rim at the top so its a little less noticable...

Has anyone else done anything as a method of prevention???

 

[golfish]

I'd worry about it being to ridgid using strap like that. Its could make things worse.

I've been through both the Northridge and Whittier Narrows quakes with just a little water loss. Best prevention is to have water made up to replace what spashes out.

If its a big one then there will be more to worry about then your tank.

 

[xtm]

Brace your stand to the wall and enjoy the show.

 

[sanababit]

xtm, LOL, yep just brace your tank and hope for the best

 

[coast2coast7390]

long and low tanks braced to the wall

 

[Ian]

I appreciate the suggestions but has anyone acually done this or anything similar??

 

[golfish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11260066#post11260066 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bigian
I appreciate the suggestions but has anyone acually done this or anything similar??

Are you asking if it will work?

I doubt there are many people here that have had a good size tank that went though a good size quake. The Northridge quake was a long time ago, most of the people here were still in diapers. Nobody that I know of has their tank or stand braced to the wall (I'm sure there are a few) Sometimes its best to just let thing flow, slide, spill or slip. My tanks did moved a bit off the stand, spilled a few gals. I think I lost about 15 gals or so out of the 70 during the WN quake back in the early 80's..

IMO, you don't want to make it too ridged because that could cause breakage, you don't want breakage......trust me, breakgae is a bad thing.

Trying it is easy, trying it during a 7.0 quake is a whole new ball game.

 

[bad santa]

What you could do is put both hands together, palm to palm with your fingers pointed upwards and say a prayer during the earthquake.

 

[golfish]

bigian, I think Bad Santa's idea is just as good as yours.

 

[818]

Ian, I have used L brackets and screwed them to stand and a 2x4 behind the dry wall. If you tie around the tank you can only make things worse and cause your tank to crack probably instantly if your tank is to shake.

 

[coast2coast7390]

anything with 'backup' in the name is always a good investment

 

[savethereef]

all i know if there is an earthquke i am getting the hell out of the way that over 1k of weight

 

[reef_doug]

Consider it a wave machine that you never had!
Keep spare water around for afterwards.

Oh, and pray that everyone is safe.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/ireports/2007/09/12/irpt.quake.aquarium.cnn

 

[FOSELONE]

not a good topic...

 

[bromion]

I have braced my stand to the wall studs using truck tie-downs/straps. This is to prevent the stand from toppling over (tank is fairly narrow).

The tank is acrylic, so I am less afraid that it will break than glass owners, where seams can come apart due to flexing. With my stand design, it is unlikely that the tank would come loose from the stand, but I suppose it's possible. I am considering an over-the-top tiedown to better attach the tank to the stand.

I will post pictures and a diagram as soon as I can (next week, probably).

The attitude of "you have more to worry about than your tank" is true only for a big quake. In that case, no reasonable amount of prep will protect your tank (or your house FROM your tank). This type of preparation is for handling smaller quakes, where an unsupported tank may fall over because it is top-heavy, or glass seams may break (one reason to have acrylic).

 

[Ian]

My tank is top heavy and sits on carpet to boot. The other thing is I rent on a 2nd floor apartment which, to me, seems more vulnerable to movement. The strap I intend to use will prevent the tank from falling forward and encourage it to rock between the strap and the wall...

Isnt something better than nothing???

 

[coast2coast7390]

make sure you have it braced to the wall and putty the rocks together...cause were about do for an earthquake

 

[Kenfuzed]

The best earthquake prevention would be to move to Kansas. Of course then you would need to deal with tornado's or how to reinforce your trailer to support your tank. :lol:

Personally, I'd rather put up with the few and far between shake or something falling on my head than being sucked up by a twister and dropped in another state!

In all seriousness, I think bracing a tank to be too rigid can be just as bad as not bracing at all. You don't want your tank taking a walk just like you don't want it tearing apart at the seams.

 

[xtm]

I think it's not about the bracing, rather it's about how durable your STAND is.

If you have a massive 300G on top of a flimsy stand and the big one hits, I say buckle your seatbelt Dorothy, cause Kansas... is going Bye Bye :lol:

 

[HBtank]

I hear of people strapping just the stand to a wall, but just visualize the tank jumping off the stand.

I almost would rather both be able to move and have the tank and stand go together on their little journey...

After thinking about it a lot, I think the only real thing anyone can do is get an very well built acrylic tank and then think about anchors.