Tank Maintenance

W

Web2000

Member
I have been in the hobby for about two years now. I know about cleaning filters and pumps and all that. What I was wondering is if there is ever a time that you need to check the seal of the tank itself. I have three glass tanks, one is 4 years old, one is two years, and the other is 1 year old. Having hardwood floors my biggest concern has always been a tank leak, or of course earthquake. I live in California where of course earthquakes are a relevant concern. Two of my tanks are more than 100 gallons and I haven't found a good way to strap them down in case of earthquake, but I realize it would take a big one to tumble them and if that's the case hopefully my insurance would cover it. Anyway, my real question is do I need to worry about the tank seal ever??

Thank You
Bill
 
J

jimeluiz

Active Member
Don't know about the seal, but... my insurance person says that in the particular case of an earthquake I am NOT covered. Perhaps you have "earthquake insurance" that provides this coverage. But general policies have an earthquake exclusion.

I too have not heard of a good way to secure the tank against quakes. Affixing the stand to the wall may just intensify the shaking of the tank itself. Not securing anything may (or may not) provide enough sway to keep things upright. There is no way of anticipating... sigh.
 
skinnychinaman

skinnychinaman

New Member
I forgot wherei have read about this, but the manufacturers of Glass tanks suggest to re-seal the tank every 5-6 years. But again, maybe jsut checking the seams for buuble or peal off spots of silicon would be a starter. That is the reason i go with acrylic tanks because they are actual bonded together and not glued together..
 
W

Web2000

Member
Yeah, I checked on my policy and as long as the damage meets the extremely high deductable ceiling it will cover it.

Bill
 
corvettephreek

corvettephreek

Active Member
also- with glass tanks you have to make sure there isnt an absurd pressure in the tank, from sloshing water, etc. in the event of an earthquake, there will be alot of sloshing around in the tank, some spill, and possibly cracked tanks. (only in medium/major quakes). strapping your stand to the wall will help a little bit, as long as there is enough give from side to side where the stand can sway slightly without collapsing. in an earthquake, it doesnt matter how prepared you are. my buddy lives right on the fault line, had all of his china cabinets and floor-standing equipment mounted with rubber straps, and his house collapsed in the loma prieta. (noone in it, TG). my only suggestion is that you make sure you can prevent damage from minor quakes... sway your tank slightly, to see which direction it does sway, and make sure you can dampen that or at least limit it. other than that, you (and your creatures) are in Gods hands. best of luck, and keep us informed!!!

Will
 
NaH2O

NaH2O

Contributing Member
Bill - I'm not sure that there is a way to check the seal, other than if it starts leaking. There was a similar question on another forum about earthquakes and tanks. I asked a question about seams in an earthquake. I'll quote what was said:

crazzyreefer said:
your post didnt include a size, over 200 gal forget bolting it to the wall, it will take the studs with it, check the floor, if you jump on the floor does the tank sway?, if so place a large 1 1/4 ply wood under the base to give it sabillity, also a lip helps on the stand, but in the big one... say good by.. in SF my safe and tank went down 6 stories in to the garage, but it didnt help that I had a wells fargo bank safe that weighed 3000 lbs in the living room and a 400 gal tank in the next room. as for bolting it to the wall, I found the best way is to use 1/4 steel plates to span all the studs and bolt it with the plate on the other side of the wall, what you do is cut out the sheet rock, put the plate into place, then cover it with a thinner rock to match the depth, at that point it will take mort than a good shake to break it free
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NaH2O said:
crazzyreefer - the tank size is 55 gallons and glass. What do you think about a glass tank in an earthquake? Would there be any damage to the seams on the tank in a smaller earthquake? I was wondering about that.

My tank (120 gallons) was mounted to studs in the wall with steel brackets attached to the stand. The reason I did this was not because of earthquakes or tornados, but simply because my stand is tall (36") and I was afraid of it toppling over onto the little one. So, it was more for stability.
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cutndrag2 said:
Hey Crazzyreefer, about that 1 1/4 plywood under the base what do you think about attaching a piece of neoprene foam to the top of the plywood for the tank to rest on and to absorb some of the vibrations.

Good question NaH2o I hadn't even thought about the seams.
Also another threat to glass tanks is falling rocks, but we have attached the rocks to a solid base made out of PVC pipe.

Patrick
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crazzyreefer said:
after 1 hour the neoprene will compact,leaving you no better off, the plywood is for floors that ae soft when walking on them, your tank moves, not a good sign. at 55 gal ataching it to a stud is fine, but having a lip on the base is more important then. As for seams earth quakes dont cause seams to split but they can shatter, there is also diffrent types of quakes, having been in many.... the rolling quakes, violent shaking, and the up and down, yea they are not the correct nomenclature, but thats what they do. some you prepare your tank for others it wouldnt matter, I went to a friends home in the loma quake, his home was off the foundation, bricks from the fire place exploded and stuck in a wall 2 rooms away, I love my tank, and I enjoy my home, but in a big one, my home and tank will be in the bottom of the hill, and ill be talking to my AAA rep on replacing the home and contents.
Click to expand...
from: Tank to Withstand Quake

Hope this helps with a little insight about the seals during a quake.
 
Witfull

Witfull

Well-Known Member
earthquakes,,ugh,,i was a kid during one on vacation in LA ('71),,skeered the begeebus outa me,,,how do ya'll do it? ill deal with hurricanes and nor'easters, even a few tornadoes,,,but earthquakes,,,no thank you.
 
fugazi

fugazi

Member
that would be the silmar quake. that rock and rolled!! I grow up in LA. anyway, most buildings in so cal are built specificly with a certain amount of sway. that way when a quake does happen there is give. I don't think there really is much you can do to earthquake proof your tank. just hope for the best. hey wit, earthquakes are a piece of cake. It's tornado's that scare the bageebees out of me.
 
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