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machodik
01/14/2014, 08:56 PM
Dear All,

As I came from a small Island Country of Taiwan, due to the land area (high prices of land), mostly living in the city are staying on high rise apartment. like me, my apartment is on the 15th floor. and Taiwan is one of the country that constant shaking by earth quakes be it small or big. so, I am thinking that everytime there is an earthquake, the next thing I need to do is to sweep the floor, as water from the tank splash out , I wonder if anyone have better idea how to modify tanks to prevent the water from splashing out, be it move right to left, front to back or up and down moving mode. but please don't. tell me to just filled the tank with half of its volume....

I wonder if I siliconed a gutter on the four top corner so that when water splash out, there is a basin like object to hold it...but I think it will use up some spaces and may not look good.

I am also thinking about having it covered with some glass but still water somehow coming out from the spaces around, in fact my tnak has cover on top.....

so, is tehre any better idea???

cheers,

davocean
01/14/2014, 09:12 PM
Good lord I can't imagine what that's gotta do to your nerves, thought I had it bad here in So Cal on a single story, much less 15 up!
Quite the challenge, but I guess the rain gutter idea is doable, or an acrylic lid that has holes drilled for ventilation to at least block part of the splash.
Good luck to ya brother!

rlm2005
01/14/2014, 09:12 PM
No idea on the splashing but what are you using for the tank? Acrylic? I would think that the water splashing is still going to come out even if you have a cover, like you said. We get small quakes here but not enough to cause water to spill out.

acabgd
01/14/2014, 09:19 PM
The only solution I see is not on the tank itself but rather around the stand. Paint the floor with a waterproof surface, then construct a small raised barrier around it, creating like a small basin in which your stand and tank reside. This way if there is any spillage it will end up in the waterproof basin under your tank and you can easily clean that up.

machodik
01/14/2014, 09:20 PM
thanks for your comment,

My tank is made of 12mm thick Glass.

Perhaps this could give someone to invent a real quake proof tank !!!

Cheers,

thegrun
01/14/2014, 09:34 PM
We are no strangers to quakes here in Southern California. A few things to consider:
For tanks larger than 120 gallons consider acrylic. As much as I hate acrylic tanks because they are so easy to scratch, they have more flex to them than glass and are less prone to rupture under the stress of a big quake. Euro-Bracing works better than rimless or center bracing at containing the wave created during a quake. If your stand stand is tall consider anchoring it to a wall. I haven't heard of a tank actually falling over but it seem possible for a top heavy tank.

MRCYCS805
01/14/2014, 09:39 PM
Ill be tagging along im located in central cali and never thought about earthquake profing the tank and its been awhile since we had a lil shaker

PirateToast
01/14/2014, 10:09 PM
Why cant you just build a lid for it with a hinge to open it up? You could cut some holes in it to allow air in/equipment. Some might still get out, but very little.

The best solution will depend on your tank. Something tall/cubelike a lid might look best. Something flat and shallow would require us to go back to the drawing board!

dafil
01/14/2014, 11:19 PM
may be something like under tank "bathtub" of zero edge tanks?!drill it and splash water will return to your sump.

DasCamel
01/14/2014, 11:39 PM
Little splash from an earthquake? Who cares. I would be more worried about complete tank failure. Securing stands to a wall + going acrylic is sound advice.

Living in the Central Valley, also concerned. More worried about gas lines and more seriously problems after a quake, like fresh water and power.

Redman88
01/14/2014, 11:42 PM
build an acrylic tank... then build an open top acrylic canopy of thinner acrylic, just thick enough to support the weight of wood panels that are held to the acrylic with magnets. take the acrylic canopy and bond it to the DST and you now have a spill resistant tank

moondoggy4
01/15/2014, 12:22 AM
You could build a canopy for it make it about 4 '' high, it will contain the water, second anchoring it to the wall, place a float switch in the canopy and if the water hits it you can shut off the return pump lessening the water in the Dt. Have covers on your Eco Tech pumps.

ca1ore
01/15/2014, 08:02 AM
Little splash from an earthquake? Who cares. I would be more worried about complete tank failure. Securing stands to a wall + going acrylic is sound advice.

Yeah, exactly. I wouldn't think a tank could take much 'racking' before the seams would split. Compared to that, mopping up a bit of water seems like child's play.

tkeracer619
01/15/2014, 04:12 PM
They have tanks on boats constantly rocking back and forth.

They use a top that seals to the tank with clamps and has a rubber gasket. It isn't very practical but it works.

Tanks in earthquake areas are usually preferred to be thick acrylic but as long as it is on a good steel stand you will be fine.

NEVER TRY TO SECURE A TANK TO THE FLOOR OR WALLS FOR EARTHQUAKE PROTECTION.

Sorry about the all caps.

davocean
01/15/2014, 04:19 PM
NEVER TRY TO SECURE A TANK TO THE FLOOR OR WALLS FOR EARTHQUAKE PROTECTION.

Sorry about the all caps.

This comment should be all caps and repeated now and then!
People want to do this where I live every now and then for quake protection, and don't realize in a quake, the floor moves one way while the wall moves another, and this can totally rip your stand or frame apart.

tkeracer619
01/15/2014, 04:23 PM
Yup, first earthquake I was in my bed was moving one way and the tv was going the other. I made it around the corner into the bathroom door frame without touching the ground!

If it is free to move around it will do just that. Move around. If it is tied down it will simply just tear apart.

davocean
01/15/2014, 05:16 PM
Yep, my tank survived that Easter Sunday 6.1 a couple years ago, splashed water across the room and in my face while I was lounging in my lazy boy, but she held!
Luckily my pillars are on acrylic rods which also held.

Breadman03
01/15/2014, 06:02 PM
I know that some buildings are constructed with some sort of pendulum devices that support the entire building. They allow the ground to move under the structure while the structure stays relatively still.

http://www.ideers.bris.ac.uk/resistant/isolating_pendulum.html

I wonder of something like this would be practical to implement for a tank. Perhaps construct a base frame that would distribute weight across the floor, then use the pendulums between the base frame and the uprights to the tank.

4reason
01/15/2014, 07:13 PM
Another perspective on securing stands/tanks here http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/7.3-earthquake-vs.-60-gallon-aquarium

Ultimately, location relative to epicenter, stand height, tank dimensions, etc., may have more impact though. If the building was designed to withstand earthquakes, the tank may actually fare better on the 15th floor than on ground level.

In terms of splashing, covering the top or building the sides up integrated into a hood or canopy as noted previously is about all I can think of. If you don't have the tank yet, do a web search for "Mame tank-saver platform," it's another option. I'm guessing an expensive one though!

moondoggy4
01/15/2014, 08:19 PM
Leemar euro braced glass tanks are common in Ca, partly due to earthquakes and a good local builder being the other.

Breadman03
01/16/2014, 07:53 AM
If you don't have the tank yet, do a web search for "Mame tank-saver platform," it's another option. I'm guessing an expensive one though!

It looks like that design is based on the tech from the link that I posted earlier.