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I Hear Creaking!

5K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  Mizer67 
#1 ·
Hello everyone.

I am utterly terrified! My six foot, over a ton, monster tank has been making creaking sounds lately. They aren't frequent, but I hear it from time to time. I've checked the stand, which came with the tank for cracks or any sign of stress on the wood, but I have not found any evidence that stand's structural integrity has been compromised. There are no leaks from the tank so I suspect it is the stand. At first I thought it was the floor, settling to the weight of the tank, my home has wood floors and was built in the 40's with a crawl space, but I reinforced the floor with jacks just in case. I'm wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation, or may have some insight on why the stand is making creaking noises. I've had it set up for about five months, and didn't really notice it until recently. The tank was sold to me by my LFS, used, but I was assured numerous times before purchase that it was in excellent shape, and is visually. I trust my LFS's word on that, but I don't know what to do. I'd hate to come home one day and find 170 gallons of ocean on the floor...

I apologize about the long post, but I'm in desperate need of information.

Thanks a lot all.

The tank is: 210gl, L:72", D:24", H:29", 300lb LR, 280lb LS, with two over flow boxes, I assume this means, "Meant For Salt Water". (Tank is on the first floor)

*I also thought it might be a crab's shell tapping against the wall of the aquarium, or a crab pushing live rock against the wall, but I've watched my largest hermit closely and haven't heard the same pitch as the creaking.
 
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#2 ·
hmmm..... that doesnt sound very good... I think I would be draining it and making really sure that the stand is in very good shape... any chance you can post up a pic or two of the stand and the construction of the stand? All it takes to pop a tank is just a slight shift and a seam will let go..
 
#3 ·
id check and confirm the tank is perfectly level both horizontally and vertically by checking several different points....not just a level laid on the top horizontally.....
a little off and the pressure at that point is considerably more....
 
#10 ·
Agree completely. Check the tank for level both ways with a good sized level. Large tanks need to be as close to perfectly level as possible. This usually requires driving shims between the stand and the floor in multiple locations.

If you purchased a stand built by the tank manufacture, do not modify it or add braces. They engineered the stand to fully take the load of the tank. You may also void the tank warranty by modifying the stand.
 
#8 ·
It's pretty random, I don't think it's a mantis shrimp, or at this point I hope it is. I've never seen any sign that one resides in my tank, but I guess that's how they are? How would I know?
 
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