Barometric pressure

Luis Figueroa · Jan 17, 2017

I went to a lfs on the outer Banks last weekend where they have a 300 sting ray tank. It was empty so I asked if it had been sold or just doing some sort of maintenance. I was told that it got cracked or leaked during hurricane Matthew, due to the barometric pressure and what not. I've read where Fish act differently with weather fronts but not about the tank itself.

So my question is, does anyone know if this only happens to large tanks due to the stress on the glass from the weight of the water or to all tanks? I'm sure elevation as some factors in this but just curious because I've never heard or seen on YouTube or forums were people had this phenomenon happen.

AllSignsPointToFish · Jan 17, 2017

Luis Figueroa said:
I went to a lfs on the outer Banks last weekend where they have a 300 sting ray tank. It was empty so I asked if it had been sold or just doing some sort of maintenance. I was told that it got cracked or leaked during hurricane Matthew, due to the barometric pressure and what not. I've read where Fish act differently with weather fronts but not about the tank itself.

So my question is, does anyone know if this only happens to large tanks due to the stress on the glass from the weight of the water or to all tanks? I'm sure elevation as some factors in this but just curious because I've never heard or seen on YouTube or forums were people had this phenomenon happen.

You haven't heard of this phenomenon because it's BS. The change in normal high barometric pressure at 1030 mb down to the lowest ever recorded (879 mb, if my memory serves correctly) is equivalent to about 2.2 psi differential. Hurricane Matthew was nowhere near that strong near the outer banks, and the eye would've had to track directly over this location for maximum effect. It's likely that the tank saw a small fluctuation in atmospheric pressure, but it's far more probable that the tank already had a defect or a structural problem that was exacerbated by the passing storm winds or the small differential in pressure (assuming an extreme case whereby the a half psi differential could cause a failure). By the way, a half psi differential pressure is equal to a little over a foot of additional water height, for reference.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 17, 2017

I agree that barometric pressure changes apply no significant stresses to a tank.

In reality, I don't see how such a change applies ANY stress to a tank, not matter how small. It is an equal change in pressure on both sides of the glass, so the difference across the glass is unchanged..