How Many Rocks Can My Tank Handle?

[fishboytoo]

I am planning a 55 gal mbuna setup and I was wondering how much weight (of rocks) I can put in it. I plan on using eggcrate on the bottom to disperse weight from single pressure points but there must be some maximum before the bottom blows out. I would really hate to break the tank. Has this happened to anyone? Is it a legitimate concern or am worrying for no reason?

I was considering cutting a piece of wood to fit under the bottom to prevent the glass from bending downwards. Is this 1)necessary? 2)a good idea?

 

[Ginge]

Regarding the wood i wouldn't do it if anyhting stick some polystyrene sheets underneeth to disperse the weight of the tank and so it finds a natural level.

The eggcrate is a good idea though it will derinatly help prevent scratches if anything.

 

[kanzaris]

Hi


We got a 100 gal tank and because its two ft deep and two ft wide we got loads of rocks

in there. I remember we bought two boxes ( 50 pounds in weight each box) of ocean rock

plus we added rocks we allready had. We had the tank for about 10 years now and nothing has ever

happened. The tank was build by a friend and my husband about 12 years ago and they used 10 ml

glass. I don't know how thick the glass in shop bought tanks are.


Sorry I can't help much more

Sabby

 

[fishboytoo]

Thanks Ginge and Sabby

Where would I get polystyrene and is it expensive?

I'm not sure what the thickness of the glass is either, I'll see if I can find out. I doubt it is 10mm though, I imagine they use thicker glass for larger tanks.

I wish there was some way to be sure it will hold.

 

[Ginge]

Yeah this polystryne is about 30p per 10" Square peices you might want to give it a double layer so only a few pounds.

 

[fishboytoo]

Would I find it at the local home renovation shop? A few pounds... that's about 10 of our Canadian pesos?

 

[mamafish68]

hiya fish,
Here in the US @ home depot's they have HUGE sheets of insullating, now not the normal insulation that comes to mind but the styrofoam, extremely dense stuff we used inder our 110g. we bought the big sheet since we knew this wouldnt be all we needed and it's been used well!!!

I also use egg crating under all my holy rock, river rock, slabs

 

[fishboytoo]

Hi mama,

I live next door to a home depot, I'll go check them out. Thanks

Just so I have this straight... We're talking about putting this styrofoam in the space between the bottom glass and the stand, right? You don't put it under the bottom frame part, that still rests on the stand? So this styrofoam should be about 1" thick, the height of the space between the glass and the top of the stand. Is this correct?
Thanks, again.

 

[mamafish68]

NOOOOO
that might interfer with the seal on that bottom pane of glass, I set the whole tank (frame) on the stuff, as posted above it basicly made it self level. I have heard of putting IN the tank under the egg crate though.
suggestion: post your question in cichlid-forum.com in their DIY area, world wide answers come back, just opt for a notice of reply.

 

[freddyk]

FYI these tanks can handle as many rocks as you'll want in it with no problem. The weight of the rocks won't cause a problem for the tempered bottom glass, which is as strong as steel for this, though obviously any rocks that fall can still shatter it (just place the bottom rocks on the bottom glass and not on the substrate, that way the fish don't undermine them and cause a collapse). In fifteen years and many highly rockscaped tanks I've never had a single problem due to rocks and continue to happily not worry about it.

Cheers

 

[fishboytoo]

FYI these tanks can handle as many rocks as you'll want in it with no problem. The weight of the rocks won't cause a problem for the tempered bottom glass, which is as strong as steel for this, though obviously any rocks that fall can still shatter it (just place the bottom rocks on the bottom glass and not on the substrate, that way the fish don't undermine them and cause a collapse). In fifteen years and many highly rockscaped tanks I've never had a single problem due to rocks and continue to happily not worry about it.

Cheers

Thanks alot Freddyk,
This is exactly what I was wondering about. I will stack rocks to my hearts content without fear of a sudden collapse.

Also, thanks mamafish, I will check out the forum you mentioned.

BTW, this may turn into a 90 gallon setup. It's like my own little "arms race", always looking for a bigger bomb. I have seen some advertisd second hand for the price of a 55 new. They are always sold when I call though. It's hard to wait for the bargain, but I think I will be happier in the end.

 

[Exiled]

I had this exact same concern when I first began making rockscaped tanks. I called All-Glass (the manufacturer) and they also assured me that the tank will hold anything you want to put in there. Your main concern is the stability of rockwork. Whereas All-Glass will recompensate you for damage caused by a leaking tank they will not do a thing if the damage was caused by a rock tumbling out of formation and smashing the side glass. They actually have investigators that go out and look at the tank and can assess the mode of rupture. I currently have enough rock in a new 75 gallon setup that when I had loaded the rocks in the back of my pickup, the rear of the truck was so dipped low, I was concerned about the axle! But the tank is going strong. Definatly use the eggcrate, but do be careful to distribute the rock evenly. What breaks seals is a sort of "twisting" of the tank that perhaps an uneven distribution of weight could cause. Lots of rock makes for an impressive tank -- go for it!

 

[fishboytoo]

Thanks Exiled

I was hoping that I could put lots of rockwork, now I definitely will.

Do you recommend the styrofoam/polystyrene approach for leveling the tank?

How did you ensure you dispersed the rock evenly? Do you just try to be as symmetrical as possible? Is there any particular way you can prevent the rock structures from tumbling apart? I mean, do you silicone them or is it just "sturdy building" techniques? I'd love to see some pics of your tanks. Maybe I could get some ideas from them.

BTW, you stole my soul
clever technique, i always do what i'm told not to

 

[penguinpimp1990]

i wouldnt worry too much about the bottom of the tank busting unless you avoid extremes in sand depth and rock weight. Most tanks have tempered bottoms which are quite strong. There are also very lightweight rocks such as moon rock. (I believe moonrock is lightweigth but i could be wrong, its very porus though)

 

[G_Sharky]

I have a 75 gallon tank and I think I have about 60 pounds or even more without using an eggcrate or anything to make the weight as evenly as possible and I haven't have any problems....