Standing in Tanks

[screaminleeman]

I utterly despise tall aquariums! I have owned a grand total of ONE tank over 25" in hight (a 90 tall @ 31"). There is a thread I started about my experience with the ONLY tall tank that I have ever owned breaking in less then one month!

I am running 19 tanks and have NEVER experienced another glass breakage in my ~ 1 year of indoor aquarium fish keeping.

As for depth, I dredged my spring fed farm pond to 15' deep. The million or so gallons of water can push all it likes against the ponds banks and it will not break! Just my oppinion, but I think that tall glass aquariums should be left to professionals. Build a pond if you want both depth and safety!

To each his/ her own about ideas on "fat" though. At 5'9" I would think of you as a stringbean at 175 lbs and only a rail at 190. I can not even picture a 5'9" male as "fat" at 5'9" and 190 lbs. I guess it is body style that makes the difference. You must have a serious endomorphic body style to be "fat" at that hight weight combo!

I was a dominant power lifter shattering all MD benchpress records in MD., and a Wrestler in school. I can guarantee you that I was NOT considered fat and even considered extremely muscular and I am WAYY shorter then you and heavier then you also!

You are buying into the "WE FAT AMERICAN" bologna that they are feeding you far too much. I could give a rats rectum less that the AMA says that a man of my height should weigh double digit pounds, and that by their standards that I should be considered triple digits pounds overweight.

Hey, if you want to blow away in a strong breeze, do it to it! I think that at you "worst" you were still a skinny bean pole, but if you insist that you were an obiese slob, then so be it. I bet if you skinned me and removed my musscle and organs, that my bone skelaton is still overweight for my height.

I hung a rope from the rafters in my basemant so that I could hang onto it while arangeing stuff 31" down into the tank. What a pain, I will NEVER consider owning a "taller" tank again.

YES I should have used the rope ladder for tank maintenance that I suggested to you in jest!

 

[Weaksrt]

i serviced my 210 without a step ladder or anything.... its only 200 gallons, not 700.

Why would you get in there and risk breaking it?

But you think of all the different people with this same hobby.
Not everyone is tall nor has the same base or even a handy locations that may make servicing easy. I know im 5' 10" and my 220 is nearly 5' tall or taller. I cannot reach the bottom of the tank with out a step stool nor do i want to be ahnging on to the side of my tank reaching to the bottom when i could of easily got the stool.

 

[TheCanuck]

But you think of all the different people with this same hobby.
Not everyone is tall nor has the same base or even a handy locations that may make servicing easy. I know im 5' 10" and my 220 is nearly 5' tall or taller. I cannot reach the bottom of the tank with out a step stool nor do i want to be ahnging on to the side of my tank reaching to the bottom when i could of easily got the stool.

Hm i see, im long and lanky. My arms have really good reach, im 6'0 140lbs. Don't get into the tank, they may not shatter or break, but your damaging seams and weakening them. They will have a lot shorter life with a concentrated weight on them. Its really just not worth it, and if you ever need to clean something out when the tank is full, your going to have no methood. Go to homedeopo and invest in a really nice step ladder. I have one for my 180, it stands 6'5 ( the tank )..... PITA


So i just wouldnt get in the tank lol. I have wanted to many times, my two little brothers busted my 150 my standing in it. It CAN happen. I say step ladder too because one time i was water changing and the stool snapped and i went down with a bucket of water.... god that sucked

 

[Weaksrt]

I utterly despise tall aquariums! I have owned a grand total of ONE tank over 25" in hight (a 90 tall @ 31"). There is a thread I started about my experience with the ONLY tall tank that I have ever owned breaking in less then one month!

I am running 19 tanks and have NEVER experienced another glass breakage in my ~ 1 year of indoor aquarium fish keeping.

As for depth, I dredged my spring fed farm pond to 15' deep. The million or so gallons of water can push all it likes against the ponds banks and it will not break! Just my oppinion, but I think that tall glass aquariums should be left to professionals. Build a pond if you want both depth and safety!

To each his/ her own about ideas on "fat" though. At 5'9" I would think of you as a stringbean at 175 lbs and only a rail at 190. I can not even picture a 5'9" male as "fat" at 5'9" and 190 lbs. I guess it is body style that makes the difference. You must have a serious endomorphic body style to be "fat" at that hight weight combo!

I was a dominant power lifter shattering all MD benchpress records in MD., and a Wrestler in school. I can guarantee you that I was NOT considered fat and even considered extremely muscular and I am WAYY shorter then you and heavier then you also!

You are buying into the "WE FAT AMERICAN" bologna that they are feeding you far too much. I could give a rats rectum less that the AMA says that a man of my height should weigh double digit pounds, and that by their standards that I should be considered triple digits pounds overweight.

Hey, if you want to blow away in a strong breeze, do it to it! I think that at you "worst" you were still a skinny bean pole, but if you insist that you were an obiese slob, then so be it. I bet if you skinned me and removed my musscle and organs, that my bone skelaton is still overweight for my height.

I hung a rope from the rafters in my basemant so that I could hang onto it while arangeing stuff 31" down into the tank. What a pain, I will NEVER consider owning a "taller" tank again.

YES I should have used the rope ladder for tank maintenance that I suggested to you in jest!

I know im not fat just was alittle over weight with where the weight was i was not happy with the weigh i looked in the mirror. I simply was gaining weight for nothing and was not healthy nor felt healthy. I eat better and continue to work out when i can but there are no gyms around here that are strictly Wrestling oriented without getting hit in the face (MMA).

Hm i see, im long and lanky. My arms have really good reach, im 6'0 140lbs. Don't get into the tank, they may not shatter or break, but your damaging seams and weakening them. They will have a lot shorter life with a concentrated weight on them. Its really just not worth it, and if you ever need to clean something out when the tank is full, your going to have no methood. Go to homedeopo and invest in a really nice step ladder. I have one for my 180, it stands 6'5 ( the tank )..... PITA


So i just wouldnt get in the tank lol. I have wanted to many times, my two little brothers busted my 150 my standing in it. It CAN happen. I say step ladder too because one time i was water changing and the stool snapped and i went down with a bucket of water.... god that sucked

Again though with the numbers i gave ya of 153lbs/sqft id think the tank would be rated to 600lbs/sqft atleast in the event of a tremor the tank would still stand. If you can find someone with 600+lbs/sqft then they need to invest in something else other than Food and Fish.

Your situation i kinda find hard to believe that the two were in the tank and it just collapsed. I believe that wasnt the whole story.

 

[TheCanuck]

I know im not fat just was alittle over weight with where the weight was i was not happy with the weigh i looked in the mirror. I simply was gaining weight for nothing and was not healthy nor felt healthy. I eat better and continue to work out when i can but there are no gyms around here that are strictly Wrestling oriented without getting hit in the face (MMA).



Again though with the numbers i gave ya of 153lbs/sqft id think the tank would be rated to 600lbs/sqft atleast in the event of a tremor the tank would still stand. If you can find someone with 600+lbs/sqft then they need to invest in something else other than Food and Fish.

Your situation i kinda find hard to believe that the two were in the tank and it just collapsed. I believe that wasnt the whole story.

I have some pics of them in the tank... and the crack in the bottom. I'm just looking out for best interest. It CAN happen, do you not agree? If it can why would you advise somone that its a good idea to hop in a tank that could be 2,000 dollars to replace?

I will feel bad when you tank cracks if you hop in it.

I will still feel bad if you dont break it cause a couple months down the road that seam you put extra stress on could give.

Cause extra stress to a 2,000 dollar tank, not worth it in my opinion... If you had to crawl in it i would set down a board or somthing... tanks are made to hold weight across all the panes.... Weight on a specific point is not what a tank is meant to hold.

I guess it just comes down to if you value your things or not. I value my house, my car, my tank... it all costs thousands of dollars and i do the best to preserve them.

 

[Weaksrt]

I have some pics of them in the tank... and the crack in the bottom. I'm just looking out for best interest. It CAN happen, do you not agree? If it can why would you advise somone that its a good idea to hop in a tank that could be 2,000 dollars to replace?

I will feel bad when you tank cracks if you hop in it.

I will still feel bad if you dont break it cause a couple months down the road that seam you put extra stress on could give.

Cause extra stress to a 2,000 dollar tank, not worth it in my opinion... If you had to crawl in it i would set down a board or somthing... tanks are made to hold weight across all the panes.... Weight on a specific point is not what a tank is meant to hold.

Oh yea i totally agree that if its not worth the risk but im simply impling that 153lbs per square foot is alot of weight and 1800lbs over 12 square feet u can not match the weight through the weight of a human foot or Feet. If u think that your to heavy to get in a tank then u mostlikely wont even be able to get to the rim to even get in anyways. and whats the Specific point of weight? there wont be but 2 feet in the tank or your butt. you will not be able to duplicate the weight per square foot that teh tank holds full of water or rock.

 

[TheCanuck]

Oh yea i totally agree that if its not worth the risk but im simply impling that 153lbs per square foot is alot of weight and 1800lbs over 12 square feet u can not match the weight through the weight of a human foot or Feet. If u think that your to heavy to get in a tank then u mostlikely wont even be able to get to the rim to even get in anyways. and whats the Specific point of weight? there wont be but 2 feet in the tank or your butt. you will not be able to duplicate the weight per square foot that teh tank holds full of water or rock.

Okay we agree that its risking it to get in the tank..... but you argue it still should hold....


Your numbers are wrong. The tank would be different by the height, the thickness, and many more numbers. Also your not considering the type of glass used, OR acrylic. Then you have to factor how well the seams where done. An air bubble could mean an instant 400lb corner loss of support. A stress crack could be undeteced in a corner.... Theres so many things to factor and number that you tossing numbers that mean nothing is pointless. Not to mention the fact that the bottom glass peice is weighing against itself and is adding to your 153lbs of square foot ( if thats even right, your numbers) .... so with gravity pulling the heavy glass and somones fatass through the bottom pane that you have no idea to what it can actually hold makes this possible the dumbest thing you could possibly do to a 2,000 dollar investment when your lazy ass can go get a step ladder and call it a day.


But your right in a perfect world a tank wouldn't ever bust.

 

[swordtales]

I witnessed a Petland employee stand on the side edges of a 40 gallon breeder full of Aro's. I stepped back and anxiously waited for what did not happen. He must have done it before, It held his weight and that day realized that although he was an idiot, most tanks are very strong.
average 8lbs to a gallon.
When my 150 gallon was 1st delivered to my house I wanted to lay in it and play Fear factor.

 

[TheCanuck]

I witnessed a Petland employee stand on the side edges of a 40 gallon breeder full of Aro's. I stepped back and anxiously waited for what did not happen. He must have done it before, It held his weight and that day realized that although he was an idiot, most tanks are very strong.
average 8lbs to a gallon.
When my 150 gallon was 1st delivered to my house I wanted to lay in it and play Fear factor.

The side edges are 10x as strong as the bottom pane. Try standing on a pencil laying between your desk, snaps no problem. Now stand on it while its pointing up... it would go straight through your foot....

 

[Weaksrt]

We simply were answering and Question weather the tnk will hold or not. Not weather he was smart enough to get a ladder. Now we had to assume it was Glass given less infomation. Can not assume Air bubbles in the craftmenship of the tank because it doesnt happen much and cause a sudden loss in structural stability, Anything can happen, we are simply human. again we can assume a tank that large would not be constructed with less than 1/2" glass. What about my Numbers are wrong? Incomplete maybe but incorrect i doubt. The bottom glass is the strongest side of the tank yet barely has any effect on the tanks overall stress. Easy numbers we know his 220 is 6' by 2' deep and 30" tall. This is 1837lbs of weight spread across 12' square feet. the Human foot spreads weight across about a 1'sqft spand maybe more given the size of the being. 1837lbs/12'=~153lbs/sqft<---- this is where the number was derived. A human typically has 2 feet which spreads the weight to two points of interest. Now if your stupid and stand alone on one foot and decide to bounce the bottom glass (which does flex) then your extremely stupid. You also assume the tank has a stress crack... why did this tank not break when it was full or in the process of being drained with can be just as stressful as holding the water given the structure has be compromised. Now you assuming everyone buys their tanks new. I bought mine for 600 bucks and is why i own a 220 gallon tank.

If you cant tell I like to argue points that may or may not have an impact on a social network and even if im proven wrong which rarely occurs im man enough to go back over the Proven numbers and correct my statements and agree that i was wrong... This however leaves me to believe i nearly never take a side i can not lose. In this case there are no winners nor losers just bad luck. Im sorry im taking up everyones day in reading these Story books of what could or couldn't happen.

In the end its your call to get on train or get left behind.
In this case the tank cracks. If your smart try and do it smart and safe. $2000 dollars is nothing if your life is in the balance so be safe, This is Glass we ar talking about and can be Very Dangerous.