earthquake proof fish tank setup

iamborg

New member
Hi,

Just curious to know if everyone living in California earthquake proof
their aquarium setup.

If so, how do you do it..

Thanks.
 
Big enough earthquake and it won't matter. You can tie the stand to the studs with straps...maybe even the tank somehow, but it's out of our hands.

Let's put it this way - if it's big enough to wipe out the tank, then likely the tank will be the least of your concerns.
 
Of course if the big one hits, virtually no tank is going to survive.
But I am interested in what if, say a 5/6.0 hit. Not too big to destroy, but
big enough to cause significant damage if the tank is not tie down.

Last week, I had a 20G L tank shuttered on me, and it was not even in operation. The amount of broken glass was crazy, not to mention the sharpness
of all the pieces.

Just curious because it seems like not many people talk about it .
 
When the Loma Prieta quake striked in ‘89, I had a standard 55g long tank on a standard stand without any other support. The water surface swayed and splashed but the tank didn’t fall. At work, they latch all bookcases and cabinets to the wall. I guess you can do the same using a belt to strap the tank from the top front.

Hope that give you peace of mind.
 
I remember reading somewhere that it's a bad idea to secure them to the wall because during an earthquake the walls bend and flex so much that it would rip the stand/tank apart.

During Loma Prieta I had a few glass tanks and all I recall was water splashed out.

I have heard that tanks will "walk" across the room and potentially off the stand. Mine is secured to the stand and on carpet, so I don't think either will walk. I do not have them secured to the wall because I think the combo is deep/wide enough that they shouldn't fall over (24+").
 
Last edited:
Back
Top