Weight of rocks directly on glass

StreetCypher

StreetCypher

AC Members
Apr 18, 2004
1,378
0
0
vancity, BC
Visit site
I was planning to go barebottom on my 180g, but still plan on having rocks as my decor.

The rocks range in size from a large pear to about the size of a football. I know people put hundreds of pounds of weight on the bottom of the tank, but the substrate evens out the weight. Would the pressure points created by the rocks directly on the glass be too much for the bottom?
 
You can use a dab of aquarium silicone on the rocks, at each point where the rock would meet up with the surface of the glass. just apply to the rock at those points & let it dry before inserting into the tank. This will omit the unsightliness of egg crate foam pieces and such. You will still see it, but it will be no where near as noticable.
 
hum well do the inner work ,,,,add a piece of styrofoam on the bottom(outside) that acts like a shock absorber
 
Still though glass can take large loads on a single point fairly easy. I have seen reef tanks with 2-300lbs of live rock STACKED, which just adds to the pressure at the one point where the rock touches, and there were no problems. IMO as long as the rocks cant move or fall to create a high impact force you should be ok. I have almost 200lbs in my 75g, granted its the best supported bottom glass I've seen in a tank (its on a completely solid stand with spiderwebs of support underneath, instead of just around the edges.) Again I'm not telling you to risk your tank just my experience, and my biggest rock is around 70lbs and is on a point about as big as an orange is round.

I'll post pics of the tank later to give you an idea.
 
I keep many mbuna tanks and I worry about pressure points, too. I cover the bottom of every tank with something to help distribute the load, even just a little. I usually put a layer of slate tiles down right on top of the glass, and stack rocks on the slate. (Looks better than bare glass when the cichlids dig, too!) On some tanks I've layered sheets of plexiglass over the bottom. In addition to guarding against pressure points, these also deaden the impact of rocks should they tumble and fall.

HTH,
Jim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom