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Earthquakes and Aquariums

2K views 31 replies 12 participants last post by  Sakura8 
#1 ·
This question is for all the 'quake prone aquarists on the forum...

Do you do anything special to protect your tanks from quakes?
 
#4 ·
I think it's definitely important to secure large aquariums (40g and up) by fastening them to the wall or something but overall I'm not sure what can be done to earthquake proof a small tank short of gluing it to the table. And even then, pieces of ceiling etc can pretty much shatter the tank in a big one. But now that you mention, I'm right in earthquake central here and I didn't even think about it.
 
#5 ·
Sakura8,

"I'm right in earthquake central here and I didn't even think about it."

I supposed if there was a method or system available to supress tank failure in an earthquake, your local pet stores would be trying to sell it to you, lol...
 
#8 ·
cajunamy,

I think they'd still shatter when they hit the floor, because of the weight of the water and stuff inside...

I was thinking maybe if the stands were bolted to the floor and the tanks had been strapped to the stand, they would be more likely not to tip over. You still could lose the tank from falling debris, etc., but a major failure is less likely (theoretically speaking).
 
#10 ·
*sigh*

If only you could pre-plan your 8.0 tremblors, the styrofoam idea might, uh, work?

Okay, so I suppose in an earthquake, smashed tanks are the least of everyone's worries...

...unless you have tanks at a university or large public aquarium, or a serious collector/breeder of rare species.

Surely, someone SOMEWHERE has invested serious money in their fish and is trying to prevent specimen & equipment loss due to earthquake, especially along the Pacific rim...
 
#11 · (Edited)
Engineers, here's your BIG chance to make lots of $$.... (I get half when you get rich because it's my idea... lol)....

You've heard of a "hovercraft"..... well, how about a Hover'Quarium! :brow:

Super-duper air jets positioned around the base of your tank make it hover over your table or stand. :)

(wait.... I haven't figured out yet what to do when the stand goes crashing down and the tank now has nowhere to "land". Maybe it gently hovers and sets itself down on the floor. Hmm)
 
#12 ·
Yeah, I wonder what the Monterey Bay Aquarium does. There's also a smaller aquarium in San Francisco. I don't remember what happened to that in the '89 quake there. I do know the building was damaged so they renovated it but no one said anything about the actual fish.

But consider, even if a betta tank survived an 8.0 quake, what about afterward? No power for the heater or filter, probably no clean water for changes. And I'm not sure, the shock of the quake itself could kill a little betta outright as they get sloshed around, possibly banging against the glass multiple times. It's a grim scenario.
 
#15 ·
"And if you have to evacuate, it can hover along behind you."

That would be a cool concept anyway... taking your fish for a walk! :)

I might just write those Aquariums out in CA, to find out what their contingencies were...
 
#16 ·
They have those really strong Comman Hook brand velcro-type things for surfaces.. For smaller tanks, like 5 gallons and under, it'd probably at least keep it from lurching off the table, or fast enough to not catch it. They managed to keep my white board (large, with only 2 fasteners) on my door even when my drunk friend decided hanging off of it was a GREAT idea (sigh), with no damage to the door. They came off fairly easily, as well!

(similar to this, they have big and small ones)
http://www.epinions.com/review/3M_Smal_Removable_Interlocking_Fastener/content_421639720580
 
#17 ·
Growing up My father had 3 different 200+ gallon saltwater tanks, We lived about 15miles from the San Andreas Main Fault line. We had a number of 5.0+ earthquakes at that home. All the tanks were the same. The only real problem was the rolling blackouts in California during the late 90s and early 00s. Filter down for 24 hours is a bit uh-oh. The glass thick enough to hold the water within a little shake won't do much. Only falling debris will be a problem. Or if the tank is on a really weak stand. Think of how heavy, I mean 1gallon is roughly 8 pounds, so can an earthquake throw you off your bed in the middle of the night?
 
#19 ·
yah about $500 in fish later my father purchased a backup genearator just for the tanks. Lost most of the sensitive and rare fish.
 
#21 ·
Everytime he tried to get a live coral or anenome going it would just crash his tank when it died and rotted. So he stuck to just fake stuff. He had some of the most exotic fish, mind you this was his collection hobby this and his private airplane that he was always messing with so he'd have quite a nice collection. His office always got the hardy normal fish. Tangs, Damsels, Clonwfish, Queenies. Nothing really special but at home I saw Batfish, exotic puffers and parrot fish, etc... Was nice to have. I was really sad the day he tore it out for an area to store the grandkids toys. Of course he only had my sisters one daughter but she needed a whole room for her spoilage at grandpa's house. Someday I'll have a tank room with a variety.
 
#22 ·
Heh, well, I guess that's grandpa's perogative. I guess he really loved his one grandddaughter to give up his collection just for her. Sounds like he had a nice job too so he could afford some of the rare fish. I looked online once, some of those are amazingly expensive so I can imagine both the financial and emotional loss when the power outtages got some of them. Did your dad ever go diving for fish himself? (I don't even know if that's legal actually, so if it's a dumb question, just ignore it. ^_^)
 
#23 ·
well i read somewhere that if you NEED to get out of the house fast, and don't have a cup or anything, soak a towel or even the corner of your shirt in the water, and wrap ur betta in it! the betta will survive long enough for you to get it to water... THIS IS A LAST RESORT ONLY!
 
#25 ·
My dad was an avid scuba junky, going on trips to the Carribean a lot to scuba. Yah he could afford the fish. Someday I will too but I have to get through school first.
 
#29 · (Edited)
I live in San Jose and we get small earth quakes pretty often. I worry ever time I'm in a tunnel on the train about a huge earthquakes making all my aquariums fall over. I just hope I'm at home to save my fish and not in SF where the buildings are big and scary lol I worry about the buildings collapsing even though they were designed for that type of thing. But a lot of buildings are art deco style which are older......

I don't do anything for my aquariums, just hope I'm home to help. If I was in my room I'd probably run over to my 48 and try to keep it steady, although if that's going to fall I'm not strong enough to save it :(

if they did fall I'd try to get all my fish in Tupperware containers so they can still swim if the pipes are working or enough water is left in one of my tanks for it.

Originally Posted by thePWNISHER
Think of how heavy, I mean 1gallon is roughly 8 pounds, so can an earthquake throw you off your bed in the middle of the night?
Fish tanks are rigid and filled with sloshing water that can move them, in bed we are laying flat and are flexible so we absorb the waves better. Also if you in a tall building the building will also sway which makes it have even more movement in the tank.

here's a small 5.5 earth quake (not my video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhMa1LuXzYU
 
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