odd question

G

grape4pe

So my roomate brought a good pint to my attention this morning. He's working on his 75g african tank and turns to me and asks, is there a weight limit to how much rock we can put in a tank before the bottom pane of glass breaks out. So as I thought about it I can't think of a time I have ever heard of that happening but I didn't have a real answer for him. I know my liverock stack in my reef weighs nothing compared to his african tank but is theere a limit to how much the glass can take?
 
not really sure wha tthe limit is but usually it is tempered glass to hold the extra weight.
 
Yes, there is a limit. Often we see pictures where the base of the tank cracked for one reason or other. It does beg the question about what is best to support it evenly without stressing it.


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I had really never thought about it with my reef, but my roomate's tank had a ton of lava rock and one of the peices he has is an easy 100lbs. Got me thinking tho.
 
I think the best way to distribute the weight is to use egg crate on the bottom of the tank. That also helps catch the rocks if they fall from hitting a sharp point straight on the glass. You can look up glass strength properties on the web to see what 1/4 and 1/2 glass can withstand. Its pretty high - I know of some bridges in Jacksonville Fl that use glass lines instead of steel to support them.
 
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