jvision Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 (edited) OK, looks like I found what I've been looking for. The tank will probably weigh around 3500 lbs when full. Think it'll be OK on the main floor if I set it across the joists (perpendicular, over 5 joists) on an outside wall? How about parallel on 2 joists - would I have to set up a support pole for that? Thanks! :thumbs: Edited March 15, 2007 by jvision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon71 Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 Jason, I don't think you would be able to set it up on 2 parallel joists without having some type of support below. What type and size are the joists? And what is the unsupported span of each? But the five joists perpendicular could work. Are there any engineers out there that can confirm? Leon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boydo Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 Standard flooring systems like the silent floor can support a maxium load is 250 lbs per square foot. 3200 lbs would require an engineered floor most likely supported with steel I beams. Large tanks should be installed on slab on grade which is normally your basement floor. I strongly suggest that you dont set it up on your upper floor, I would think that a 90-100 gallon tank would be the max. I'm not an engineer, I just hate to see your new tank take the fast trip to the basement. I don't mean to rain on your parade, best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danzig Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 I think the biggest factor would be the footprint of the stand, hopefully not legged type of stand. Personally i would put some floor jacks underneath just for peace of mind. Ive heard of people putting up to 180g tanks on their mainfloors without supports, but it isnt something i would try. I have a 90g with a 4-1/2 ft x 2ft footprint stand on my mainfloor with no signs of floor stress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainmaker69 Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 Have a read of this http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/aquarium_weight.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Chicklets Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 Putting it accross the joists might work, provided it is along an outside wall that the floor overhangs the foundation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James (Western Canada) Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 (edited) Good article No definitive answers, but makes the laymen more concious of some of the things to consider. Before I bought my 90g (48x18x24), I really wanted a 125g (48x24x24). the bigger footprint of the 125 makes aquascaping/terracing that much easier:) BUT, I was living in a rented fourplex, and after talking to one of my co-workers (a civil engineer), he was sceptical that most residential floors would even take the 90g (pffffftttt, they are too conservative !!) So, I decided to play it safe®, and bought the 90g. BUT I did design a stand that would spread the load over as great an area as possible. I have posted this before, but it is relevant to the topic, so here we go again:) http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?act=m...=si&img=464 The perimeter frame design of my stand gives you much better load distribution. I think a 90g is OK, but once you go beyond that, more thought has to go into the process before move in day. Anyway J, I think 3500lbs on the main floor will likely take some reinforcing, such as doubling up the joists, perhaps additional tele-posts?? You didn't say, how big (gallons, footprint,etc) is this tank, and is it SW or FW ?? James Edited March 14, 2007 by James (Western Canada) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanker Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 Giv'er Jason... just call your insurance agent and make sure the lifetime warranty conditions on the tank is met. If it means having to use a fugly stand, so be it, but cover-yer-arse, man... Just get the whole thing and put it on YouTube, ok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spcy Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 Build a 2x10 3 ply beam set it on 2 tele-posts 30 inches from an outside wall in your basement, Then build a storage closet to hide the beam and tele-posts. Just think of all the fishy stuff you could hide in that closet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted March 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 The tank I'm planning is a 230 (72"x24"x30") w. a 70 gal sump. The stand is cabinet style. I've seen a similar set up on the main floor of a house, but didn't ask if the floor had extra support. So, do people with pianos have to worry about this stuff, too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooUrns! Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 The tank I'm planning is a 230 (72"x24"x30") w. a 70 gal sump. The stand is cabinet style. I've seen a similar set up on the main floor of a house, but didn't ask if the floor had extra support.So, do people with pianos have to worry about this stuff, too? Is the basement below finished or unfinished? Teleposts are unneccessary but framing in a support wall (with a 3-ply header)downstairs and adding additional sections of joist would be a good idea. This will transfer the weight load to the basement and negate the issue of collapse. Maybe some photos of the area you want to place the tank and the area below it in the basement (make sure ceiling joists are visible) would help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted March 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 I'll see what I can do for pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trixie Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 At 250 a sq ft. tank 6ftx2.5ft =15 sf x250 =3750 lb you should be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 So, do people with pianos have to worry about this stuff, too? Not really. And they rest on 4 tiny rollers. Talk about distributing your load. However, the clean up is not as wet & messy. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vic Posted March 14, 2007 Report Share Posted March 14, 2007 That is a crushing amount of weight. I would suggest that you would be very wise to engage a structural engineer to give you direction. There will obviously be a cost however, the price of peace of mind over the long haul will be minuscule. Also, if you had the "disaster', the cost of the engineer's opinion would look very tiny. I started thinking about a water bed and the weight thereof. On doing some calculations, a queen size would likely have something in the order of 180USg or about 1,500 pounds. No where near the tank you are contemplating. I expect that additional support from the concrete basement floor is imperative. Vic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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