Earthquake concerns!

[BDeVaney]

Hello, so I live in Southern California and we have been having some quakes lately. I've grown up here so they don't bother me but I do get concerned with my tank. Last night we had a 5.3 two cities away and I lost a good chunk of water. The tank and stand swayed back and forth so I dont know if it would have withstood much more. Any tips and tricks for managing a tank during quake season?

 

[specvjeff]

I'd just insure your rock work is secure. If the quake is big enough to knock the tank over all together, you're likely going to have bigger things to worry about. It would suck to have a 5-6 pointer and the rock work tumbled over and cracked the tank. There's not much else you can do. You could secure the stand to the wall with straps. Most furniture these days come with them.

 

[MAKcorals]

+1 on making sure the rock work is secure. Other than that I guess all we can do is pray that the big one doesn't hit soon, and if it does we will have bigger things to worry about other than our reefs hehe. I didn't even feel it.

 

[BDeVaney]

Yeah the rock work is secure and low profile for the most part. My biggest worry is that the shaking will cause the stand to collapse

 

[jeneratesomefun]

In light of the quake that just hit the Bay Area I started wondering about precautionary measures one takes living in a quake - prone region. Great points made here! My other thought is about electrical - ensuring it's up/out of the way/covered from the top from any water coming down due to sloshing.

 

[Eric B]

You could probably go on the inside of the stand and strengthen it with some extra wood or metal straps for support! If going this route then if using wood I would glue and screw anything you added and if using some type of metal straps then screw them in place as it will hold better than nails. Good luck out there!

 

[Defect]

I'm just glad my tank wasnt rimless. Woke up and it was sloshing around like crazy.

 

[jeneratesomefun]

I'm just glad my tank wasnt rimless. Woke up and it was sloshing around like crazy.

Yikes Defect! Out of curiosity, do you have glass covering the top, and any leakage? I'll be moving from Boise to Sacramento by the end of the year... Thinking I should keep this type of hazard in mind when I get set back up!

 

[Defect]

I didnt get any leakage and my tank is open top. May have got a couple of drops thats splashed out but nothing crazy.

 

[swk]

Yikes Defect! Out of curiosity, do you have glass covering the top, and any leakage? I'll be moving from Boise to Sacramento by the end of the year... Thinking I should keep this type of hazard in mind when I get set back up!

I lost about a gallon or 2 on the floor. Nothing else major. All of my power strips are hung inside the stand and nothing sits on the group equipment wise.

I wouldn't be too concerned about earthquakes in Sacramento. Rarely do they have any effect that far inland in California.

 

[Finnaddict]

I woke up and ran downstairs to check on my tank. All good, not even a drop on the floor. House was swaying pretty good too.

I have used 2 large L brackets bolted together in a Z formation. One side to the tank and the other to the wall. Small tanks on tall stands like to wobble a bit.