130 gallon tank on second floor?

[Loadedgunz]

Hey Everyone,
I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the proper catagory..... I just purchased a 72" long 130 gallon fish tank, and I was thinking of placing it in the second story. By just measuring the weight of the water alone, that should be close to 1,100 lbs. If I consider the weight of the tank, stand, canopy, and sump, it should be weighing over 2,000 lbs. For those of you who are experienced in home construction, it'll be laying against a wall and spread out over 4 or 5 TGI's (support beams). Is that too risky? Does anyone know how much weight TGI's can support? I'm fairly new to the hobby, so any feedback is greatly appreciated.

--Manar

 

[OCRick]

Hey Manar:

Get me the following & I may be able to help you out: joist span, joist cross sectional dimensions & position of the stand from the end support of the joist. Also, is there a manufacturer's stamp on the side of the joist?

 

[skanderson]

the above poster has the proper answer for you. however the easy way to think of it is that that tank will weigh about the same as 6 good sized people. static loads are easier to take than a moving load. id be very surprised if your building isnt made to take that kind of load. my wife used to have nightmares that my 180 fell through the floor and killed the 2nd floor resident of the condo we used to live in. remember lots of people to help getting the tank up there.

 

[arinova8]

the nightmare was interesting

 

[jeffreylesser]

I have a 120 gallon in my second floor loft and I have had no issues. My house was constructed in 1986 so it is fairly new. Oddly I used to get floor squeeks before the tank went in, and now I do not. It seems the weight has actually stabilized the subfloor to some degree. I should note my tank is also in a built-in bookcase against the wall so the weight is distributed over 12 feet.

 

[EleganceMan]

you are completely safe with that load on that span....if you put the tank the other way(only hitting one or two joists) then i would be concerned. Fill her up!!!