Seismic Question / Californians Little Help Here.

[ScottbytheSea]

Just wondering what you do to brace up against mother natures movements.I know I'm in New England but were due here eventually.......Want to go with a 175 and want to think out my needs well ahead of time......before the new home prints are in stone.....Any Help would be appreciated.

ScottbytheSea

 

[cdeakle]

Interesting question, I would love to see what other have to say....

 

[investigator1]

Here in California we don't plan for such things..........We buy insurance.

 

[Anonymous]

You can brace the stand a canopy by attatching them to the studs in the wall behind the tank, much like those bookcase straps.
I am in Ca and have a 150 and figure if a quake knocks my tank down, I'll have more important things to think about.

 

[ricky1414]

no kidding, me too. I used to live in northridge, and our walls buckled, and our chimney was in our pool back in '94

 

[tangir1]

Ditto above comments. Bracing the tank to the studs will work, but only in the sense that the tank and the stud will be together. For little book case it works well, but the tank can pull down a wall due to its weight.

In New England, I won't worry too much about quakes. It is better for you to worry about other disasters like power failure during winter snow storm (2 wks w/o power in the 80's), garbage truck going thru the wall, etc.

 

[SDMike]

Just wondering what you do to brace up against mother natures movements.I know I'm in New England but were due here eventually.......Want to go with a 175 and want to think out my needs well ahead of time......before the new home prints are in stone.....Any Help would be appreciated.

ScottbytheSea

I've heard stories earthquakes with houses falling down around tanks that are still standing.

You're much more likely to have a fire in NE...

Mike

 

[cdeakle]

Here in California we don't plan for such things..........We buy insurance.

Of course buy insurance but why not take extra measures to try and protect our living little buddies as well instead of just wanting to replace them? :wink:

 

[ScottbytheSea]

Do you big guns not use anything but insurance...........Any public aqurium folks out there.....

I'm sure a slip pan under a Big tank(like a thin sheet of sealed wood w/ silca sprinkled between sheet and flat surfaced stand or teflon skids or something) between the stand (that has bigger foot print then display would allow for movement w/ kicker on corners of tables ..........Allowing tank to stay relatively quiter then whats below it.... I'm quite sure a big one would not be totally guarded agaianst. But.........If it is only the difference of extending out a shelf a foot all around I can figure that in know while I'm drawing up pre plans for the draftsman.

Theres no bad answers just looking for usable stuff.

SOMETHING LIKE THAT LINE OF THINKING. any one else?

In NEW England you do have to worry about it,,,,,,,,,,,three small ones in past two years were due for a bigger one says the scientific comunity..That mountain chain though small ,we sit on in the east which is only west one hour of me here on the coast is the other side of you westerners techtonic plate.

Currently houses require the bracing hear under current hurricane codes but it also covers earths movements in its developmental write up. All new structures as in tall building require it here for many many years as part of there designs...


Just looking for Answer that can help with the blueprint drawings I have.


ScottbytheSea

 

[ScottbytheSea]

Insurance

This is New England Folks, Are insurance (which is required for everything out here) is probably more than alot of salaries around this country.......Unfortunetly....

Yes I have plenty though I'd be scared to use it ...............Then what would it cost after a claim ,IF they even kept you a holder of it... Rotten Bas....


Just though theres a better way then assuming all those loses of life in my reef ,only to have to get more....Oh and I have battery back-up 12 volt system and bilge pumps rigged and ready with solar capablities if we have long power out due to what ever befalls are wonderfull country side be it storm or foe...

Thanks ScottbytheSea

 

[Anonymous]

our local plumbing code requires water heaters to be seismic strapped to the wall and it is nothing more than what Righty has described. this is a given that a water heater is quite a bit less volume than many reeftanks.. but it could help. another idea would be to add allthread rods or lag bolts through the base of the stand and through/into the floor.

if you are concerned with the tank above the stand then i suppose the canopy could be fastened to the wall as well.

i myself have had concerns with my 90g as it sits pretty high and i might be able to pull a Deuce Bigalow if i desired to

 

[Anonymous]

Our wholesale facility went thru Northridge with just water on the ground, no tanks fell. The rows were set on cinder blocks stacked on each other without any slip pads. My 30g went thru the Loma Prieta quake in 89 and it only lost some water. That tank was just place on top of a stand without an earthquake lip. I really wouldn'tr worry about it.

 

[Acrylics]

Do you big guns not use anything but insurance...........Any public aqurium folks out there.....

It's impractical for most, but about 12-13 yrs ago we started adding vibration dampeners (essentially shock absorbers) to tanks we shipped to certain aquariums. The tanks used to bolt to the walls (unseen areas) and sit on concrete, now they have these dampeners and foam footings to absorb some of the vibration in quake prone areas. One *could* do this with a stand & provided the lip around the bottom of the tank was strong, could help keep a tank in place.
Of course the problem with this is permanence aspect, should you decide to move or get rid of the tank, you'll have to repair this area as well as fit the new area for the same.

James

 

[ScottbytheSea]

I did a stint in time( 13 yrs) building nuke subs and they have a similar vibration dampening ......as you mentioned but it was for sound shorts to the hulls......And that is not classified if your wondering.

Thanks again, as I will put alot of what was said to serious thought.

ScottbytheSea

 

[Kevin1000]

I suspect that if a quake was strong enough to topple a 175 gallon tank you won't have much left of your house to enjoy the tank anyway.

 

[ScottbytheSea]

Topple is not my cocern,

Housing water damage 30,000(flooring,sub and walls burber rugs Eletrical,art works getting it yet Kev) and loss of 10,000 in live stock is ...........but I really appreciate your input...

Just try to learn what others already have...Enough Said!

ScottbytheSea