# Secure tank for earthquake



## pf983 (Dec 6, 2011)

I recently upgrade from a 10G tank to a 40G tank. I am getting a bit nervous with so much water sitting in my living room. Being in Vancouver earthquake is a matter of when, not if ...touch wood. If the tank tips over, even if a small quake, that is a lot of water to create water damage.

I searched through the web, this site (Secure Your Aquarium For An Earthquake | | Totally Unprepared) suggested using Furniture Strap. And I found the same strap (White Furniture Safety Strap-4164 at The Home Depot) in homedepot.com, but at homedepot.ca.

Questions, how do you secure your tank? And do you secure the tank, by itself, or another set of strap for the stand as well?

- PF the newbie


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

I over-engineer my stands with 2x6 legs and everything glued and screwed together. However I also know that if we have tremors powerful enough to cause my 165g reef to sway and collapse the stand, then my house is probably not going to be livable anyways. Ideally, I would have stapped my open frame to the wall by attaching them to the studs before setting up the tank. However, my main system also has a 90g wide sump with about 50g of water in it so that should help keep it from swaying.

My 2' cube reef is surrounded by a wall on one side, my couch, loveseat and desk on the other three sides so it's got nowhere to move. Felicia's new RSM seahorse tank is protected by the loveseat and desk on two sides, which would help stop some of the swaying in a big quake.

Most importantly, we bought in Burnaby and not in Richmond or other areas built on river delta sediments. Don't mean to scare anyone, but in a big quake, these areas will likely experience soil liquifaction as the shaking causes the ground to become like quicksand and buildings and structures collapse.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

I think all you can prepare for is for any minor jostling that might happen. Anything bigger than that and your tanks and the least of your worries. You can "strap" or secure the tank stands to the wall to give it more rigidity. We do that at work for all our racking in our storage rooms. 

We recently had an earthquake preparedness seminar at work. The consultant asked who lived in Richmond and basically said, "sorry to hear that." LOL.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

that seems really all you can do, securing the stands.


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## pf983 (Dec 6, 2011)

Yes, small and mid size tremors are my concerns. In a big one everything will be written off. My home insurance requires almost $45K deductible for earthquake coverage. If the tanks tips over, I am pretty much on my own.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

I have thought of this, too. Several years ago there was an earthquake in Seattle that was strong enough to shake my house in Vancouver. Our heavy monitor and computer practically walked off a big desk onto my young son's lap. An adult in the room caught it.

I think that it would be a good idea to secure the stand to the wall, of course, and to make sure it's very sturdy (including for lateral movement), but after our experience with the monitor, I also think it's a good idea to put a lip on the stand or counter so that the tank can't just walk off. 

Now, most of my tanks are in the basement where we have a concrete floor under carpet. If the tanks end up on the floor, I don't really mind as long as they don't hit anyone on the way down. But that is a possibility, as I do have quite a few tanks these days.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

Another reason to go with 'long' tanks, more stable.


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## Sprucegruve (Apr 11, 2011)

just putting this out there.
if anyone is worried about earthquakes,i live in spruce grove alberta(not close to the fault line)
just mail/bring me your fish friends and i will take care of them lol

but seriously,the strap idea is cool but i dont know if it would hold up to a real earthquake.


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

Seriously you know you a true hobbiest when you strap your tank or stand to the wall.
Great idea I suppose as long as the wall stays standing during the quake. I think being concerned is all good though.


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## neoh (Apr 22, 2010)

If the big one hits, I think your tank will be the least of your concerns.


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## onefishtwofish (Apr 21, 2010)

my friend suggesting adding talapia to my collection. then if there is a disaster I will have a food source.................aren't non fishy friends so helpful..................


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## ShabbirUnprepared (Jan 11, 2012)

*Adventures in fishtank shaking*

Hello! My name is Shabbir, I'm on the totally Unprepared project team that made that video on a shake table where we shook a secured and unsecured fish tank that you referenced in the original post. Here's the video: Will an aquarium survive an earthquake? - YouTube

I thought a couple of things we learned from our shake table experiment would be useful to know:

The momentum of the water meant that the fishtanks fell over at lower "magnitudes" than all the other experiments we did (wine racks, bookcases, etc)

So, securing your tank is really important. At a low magnitude the tank will fall over while the rest of your house and belongings are fine. If you secure it well, it will be one less thing to worry about when you're cleaning up the rest of your house.

Cleaning up the broken glass from the fishtank was extremely dangerous. If you're in the room when it hits you, you're seriously injured. If you're not, you still have to clean it up, which is both a hassle and very dangerous.

Dismissing preparation as pointless because "if the big one comes, it won't matter" ignores years and years of insight about what we've learned from earthquakes. You want to prepare for the events that can be mitigated, and there are a lot of damaging earthquakes possible that will damage your home, its occupants, and its contents without flattening the structure.

In any of those events, even the light ones, your unsecured tank is going to fall.

In summary: what we learned is that a small earthquake can still destroy your fishtank, so you should prepare.

Thanks for finding our resource!

-Shabbir


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## big_bubba_B (Apr 25, 2010)

if it is going to tip a strap wont hold it plus if it is big enough to tip over a little tank like a 45 everything else is gonna be wrecked. big problem in that video is earthquakes do not go just back in forth they make the ground roll and go up and down . Lott's flaws in that experiment


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