Is my tank in danger of breaking due to vibrations??

[exnisstech]

Yes that was what I was thinking. It sounds like the entire floor is flexing so probably nothing else you can do. I doubt it will hurt the tank . My floors have alway had some type of movment. I had two 180 gallon tanks and one 150 gallon on the first floor over a basement all within 10 feet of each other and never had a failure and they were up for years. The only tank that is totally rock solid is my 125 gallon sump sitting on concrete in the basement.

 

[ReeferHolland]

It doesn't sound like the most stable floor construction. I doubt the manufacturer will commit to anything due to unstable floor so probably not worth asking. I don't see how it doesn't degrade over time, but if a tank is designed to last 10 years, does that mean you're good for 8 or 2? Really no way for us to comment responsibly.

This is all risk assessment. Basically, "Are you going to sleep at night?" No hobby is worth sleepless nights.

Things to consider for deciding and if they are manageable or deal breakers:
- It also doesn't sound like the rental/homeowner situation is optimal so that's more risk.
- There's a basic safety issue (saltwater doesn't do well when pouring over electrics). - - - Neighbors also aren't found of water coming into their homes as well (what kind of renters/homeowners insurance do you have?). People like to sue here.
- It's an expensive hobby and a lot of money in livestock equipment. Not to mention dead fish is a bummer
- what's most likely - slow leak with degraded seal or catastrophic blow out (I really don't know).

Some might be fine with the above and just monitor the tank for any signs of seal separation and take action then. We all take risks putting glass boxes of water in our homes. I would definitely invest in leak detection.

If you're moving in 2-3 years...There's an option to leave it empty and use it as a decoration or put it in storage until I move. Maybe only fill it half full. Remember, if the seals are weakened they're always weakened.

Good luck however you decide!

Wow thats really not wat I wanted to hear at all hahaha. But thanks for this. I do have a lot to consider now.

One thing I am not really affraid of is the floor collapsing, because there is a kitchen next to the same wall but 8 meters to the left of the aquarium. So the weight shouldn't be a problem because the tank is small.

Thanks for reminding me about insurance. I will make some calls asap to figure this out.

The thing I worry most about is long term breaking risk of the whole DT because of the vibrations. I will have to try some things with rubber first before I decide what to do.

But again thanks for this answer. It makes me think it over and over again. But thats the best for now....

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

I personally, would not be comfortable with any movement of the base and tank, when walking by or around the room. I think (with no engineering degree to back it) it's a total disaster waiting to happen.

 

[rwreef]

That sounds like a great idea. I also use a white plate under the stand with same dimensions as tank. Should I put the rubber under the plate? Or should I skip the whole plate?

White plate should be fine between stand and rubber.

 

[ccs]

I live in Denmark, and my previous house (1960s) also had wooden floors and a (inaccessible) crawl space.

I had a Red Sea Reefer 250 for 2 years on that floor. I also had to adjust the front feet due to the floor is uneven.

With all the pumps stopped, if I walked near the tank I could see ripples in the surface. If I jumped a little bit or do the eel thing you mentioned, it would shake the tank (and the water) considerably.

I was scared at first, but what gave me piece of mind was that the tank over the course of several weeks did not get more uneven with the weight of the tank. So in my mind it was not sagging more.

With that said, this was my experience. I don´t know the state of your floor underneath or if the tank shakes too much that puts it´s integrity at risk.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

on hard wood floors I would take the feet off and make it flat, to spread the weight across the floor evenly rather than on the small area of each foot (that may not be necessary for your situation) , if level is difficult and you still want to achieve spreading out the weight, you need a large piece of wood or plywood milled down into a shim that covers the entire foot print of the tank, basically leveling you tank.

But to get rid of that wobble in the floor you need to support the floor joists, I literally just bought 4 more jacks for my front room I should have bought 8 but I'm going to start with that, I've done most of the bedrooms and kitchen.

Also be careful when moving quick or running in the house that weight moving like that up and down can cause issues, also having a load for a prolonged period of time not properly supported can cause damage, and be careful its not just the weight of the tank, most times 2-3 people crowd around and stare at the tank now your tank weight just doubled or more.

So when placing a tank and its hard to do any extra engineering, id put it close to outside wall and a corner, or use a load bering wall and try to span it center over a floor joist.

 

[edd59]

not sure how strong your floor is, but i wouldnt be too concerned of a ripple on the surface when you walk or bounce. my 120 with leveling feet ripples when i walk or bounce and i doubled up on the joists under the tank. but no where near as much as the pumps cause. thats a lot of pressure inside the tank. some manufacturers will void the warranty if you use wave makers. i personally wouldnt put rubber under the stand, i put a piece of 3/4 plywood over the hardwood floor.

 

[ReeferHolland]

I live in Denmark, and my previous house (1960s) also had wooden floors and a (inaccessible) crawl space.

I had a Red Sea Reefer 250 for 2 years on that floor. I also had to adjust the front feet due to the floor is uneven.

With all the pumps stopped, if I walked near the tank I could see ripples in the surface. If I jumped a little bit or do the eel thing you mentioned, it would shake the tank (and the water) considerably.

I was scared at first, but what gave me piece of mind was that the tank over the course of several weeks did not get more uneven with the weight of the tank. So in my mind it was not sagging more.

With that said, this was my experience. I don´t know the state of your floor underneath or if the tank shakes too much that puts it´s integrity at risk.

Im doing the same test, looking every week if the floor goes down by a mm or even less. I use a digital distance meter for this and I measure from the ceiling.

I also emailed redsea about the vibrations. They told me that I dont have to worry about that. The only concern I should have is: can the floor handle the weight?

so how much weight can a wooden floor handle on average if its near an outside wall?