# rock in a 180g



## Johnnyfishtanks (Apr 21, 2010)

i was thinking of setup a river rock tank look maybe.
but how many pounds of rock can you put in a 180g tank . im just a little worried if i do this the tank might bust . i would not want that to happen lol


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## Chronick (Apr 27, 2010)

if your tank stand has a solid base i don't think it should matter, the pressure should be on the bottom pane and distributed through your substrate base


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## -DC- (Apr 21, 2010)

it wont, you could fill it too the top and stack it past and it'll hold. the glass is allot stronger then you'd think and once you calculate in the water buoyancy you really don't need to worry at all.

For example in the tank below a 160g, sure the rock in it weighs several hundred pounds, and I've actually added more rock since these pic's and i'll be adding more again this weekend since I've added more fish!


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## kelownaguy (Jan 1, 2011)

I don`t know the answer,but figure the average rock weighs 3 times the same volume of water.

Adding water doesn`t "reduce the pressure".
Tank needs to support the total weight of rocks and water even if the rocks are bouyant enough to float.


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## -DC- (Apr 21, 2010)

Absolutely right, pressure not reduced but dispersed. 

In the end the important thing is that the tank is going to be strong enough to hold more rock then you could possibly fit into it so no need too worry...


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## spit.fire (Jan 3, 2011)

also take into concideration of how many pounds of liverock people put in saltwater tanks


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## jkcichlid (Apr 21, 2010)

If you are worried about pressure points on the bottom glass you could put some chunks of acrylic down to spread the weight around a little


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## Nanokid (May 18, 2010)

i have put 100s of lbs of rock in large tanks. the key is egg crate. put down a whole bottom of the tank with the stuff, the backs and sides too if you can (just till ya fill it up) that way if you drop it the glass wont crack, and the weight will be distibuted.


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## darb (Apr 21, 2010)

Typically 1 to 1.5 lbs of rock is used in marine tanks. I am willing to bet that aquariums are designed to hold water with a minimal gravel layer and a safety factor of X (can't recall what exactly it typically is atm).

Any "reasonable" amount of rock is relatively safe, what is reasonable, well 1 to 1.5 lbs per gallon would be commonly used in marine tanks so maybe round it up to 2 lbs per gallon.

You could try and get an answer out of the manufacturer, but I am willing to bet that they will not give you an answer or say _no rock_ simply due to liability issues. Realistically they could probably even use rocks in a tank to invalidate warranty on a tank that leaks or fails altogether.

Another avenue to get an answer would be to hire an engineer or figure out the calculations yourself.

Obviously there are limitations to the weight of both rock and water that the tank and stand will be able to hold. Think of an extreme, do you think that it would hold if you filled it up with lead?


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## hgi (Jun 13, 2010)

I think we should post this up to mystbusters.


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## Johnnyfishtanks (Apr 21, 2010)

i wanna putt in maybe 50 pounds if that


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## -DC- (Apr 21, 2010)

wont be a problem then!


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## Shell Dweller (Jul 11, 2010)

I have at least 50lbs in my 49gal BF. Not a problem.


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## Aquaman (Apr 21, 2010)

Hey Johnny You saw the 200 plus pound in my tanks ,plus the gravel. You could pretty much fill that tank with rocks till it over flowed.Providing your stand could take it. You would want to avoid having any rocks touch the sides though if you. were to put 4 or 5 hundred pounds in.
For nay sayers....check this vid out ! 

YouTube - ‪Tempered Glass Aquarium‬‏


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## -DC- (Apr 21, 2010)

I was looking for that link,had seen it in the past but couldnt find it again. thanks for sharing!


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