falling through my floor?

[fkshiu]

Common sense and rudimentary (very rudimentary in my case) knowledge of structures dictates the following points to minimize the bizarre occuring:

1. Spread out the weight of the tank using a plywood bottom on the stand, for example.

2. Place the tank against a load bearing wall where the structure is the strongest and NOT in the middle of a room.

3. Place the tank perpendicular to the floor joists and NOT parallel to a single joist.

4. Actually have a looksee with an engineering type at the underlying structure. Just because you've got an old house doesn't automatically mean it will be in poorer shape than a newer house.

[RD]

A good read on this subject;
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/article...ium_weight.php

HTH

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Excellent read.

[andsoitgoes]

lol - uh, that's the same article I posted on page one :P

Although much more nicely formatted here! And I like the visual aids ^_^

[Mike Olson]

It all comes down to pounds per square foot that is being exerted on the floor....If its a wooden floor with the joists running parallel with the tank- you would be applying your weight over two joists...you might get some flex depending on where your main support walls are located.
I have a 180 upstairs that spans five 2x12 joists that run perpendicular to the length of the tank and the tank runs parallel to the support beam that is 4 ft away....my tank etc. weighs approx. 2300 lbs....the key is that the stand has solid wood over the entire bottom so the weight is evenly distributed (psf is spread over a 6x2 area) I would have more stress if my stand was on 4 or 6 legs. YOUR TANK IS OK..There is also no extra bracing or extra joists laid out for fridges,cabinets etc when houses are built, they are designed as a 'support system' for the entire structure.

[Funky_Fish14]

Originally Posted by BCOrchidGuy

Would you let 4 large grown adult men stand in the area where you'd put your tank? If you'd let the 4 250lbs men stand there then a 90 gallon tank shouldn't be a problem.

Doug

If 4 250lb men couldnt stand in that space then there are likely some serious safety code violations

As Trix mentioned, the best thing you can do is contact a structural engineer, however in all likelyhood your tank will probably be fine there.

Chris

[scub steve]

i had a 90 gal tank in my apartment 2 story with no problems and my place is about 75 years old

[Darth Wader]

I have a 95 gallon tank in my living room and I'm on the second floor in a super old building and I'm running parallel to the floor joists but i'm clost to 2 load bearing walls. Like Fkshiu said it really depends on tank placement. If you have 2x6 or 2x8 joists and you run perpendicular you shouldnt have a problem. And if you can position it next to a load bearing wall you're pretty much good to go. Having hardwood like most older places do helps, thats a good way to spread the load.
I wouldnt worry to much, however having said that I alsmost sh!t my pants when the floor started creaking as I was filling up my tank, (good thing I got renters insurance that week).

[Jaws]

I've been kinda wondering the same thing lately. I'm on the third story of a two year old condo. I've got my 180G tank with 70G sump running parallel with a load baring wall that seperates my suite with my neighbour. The tank sits perpindicular to the floor joists and is about 4 feet away from the wall that seperates my suite from outside. I'm sorry to hijack but my question is, I've built a 3 level rack that I've designed to hold a denitrification bucket, an auto-topoff, and a refugium. I figure the whole setup will weigh just under 1000lbs. I plan on putting it right in the corner in between my tank and the building's outer wall, still against the load baring wall my tank sits against. Because my tank is already so heavy and taking up a lot of room on the load baring wall, should I be concerned about adding the extra weight to the corner? Is the amount or weight relative to the entire load baring wall or is it really only relative to what each floor joist is calculated to hold? Thanks.

[wetcoast]

I have just put an offer in on a 2nd floor condominium in Surrey. One of my conditions is that I have a structual engineer tell me how much weight I can put on my floors to support my 225 gallon fishtank that I have been planning for the past year. I have all equipment, just needed a place in town to set it up. They have scared me dearly saying that 40lb's per squarefoot is the maximum amount, and with my calculations I would probably be about 3800 pounds. It is $1000 for them to come down and assess. Spreading the weight a bit more with plywood sounds like a very good idea. The condo is less than 10 years old - so I do hope that this works out, otherwise I just bought a bunch of parts for nothing and should have just kept my old 65!