2nd floor and tank weight
- Thread starter 3mm3
- Start date
redsoxfan692
New member
I would get a contractor to check out the specs of the joists and tell you the weight bearing load capacity. The super of the building may have those specs as well. Water is around 8.5lbs/gallon plus the tank weight and sand/rock/filtration and everything will put you placing close to a ton of weight on a second floor. There are plenty of people who do it and are successful with it. The key is how you are placing the tank, if it's against a load bearing wall etc. For me personally though, I would want to get the opinion of someone who deals with things like weight loads etc on a daily basis.
From talking to the maintenance people i was under the assumption the floor was framed wood, but i did some digging and found that i appear to be on concrete floor. Would this be a better situation im in having concrete floor?
jeff@zina.com
New member
Not really. But that's because a 125 gallon tank is a non-issue structurally. If you can jump on the floor and it feels solid, you're fine. A 125 gallon tank is just four Michigan State fans on a couch.
Jeff
No you do not.
The only time you need worry and look into it is if the house is really old. Due to the older building codes.
Anthony.Luciano
New member
sorry to highjack the thread but how much weight can go on a fully concrete floor because my house is 4 floors high and i wanted to put my 125 gallon and 55 gallon sump in my room on the third floor but i was afraid of having so much weight so i put it in the lowest floor in my living room. but i was curious. on a concrete floor with hardwood on top of it how much can that hold?
James77
Team RC
Not really. But that's because a 125 gallon tank is a non-issue structurally. If you can jump on the floor and it feels solid, you're fine. A 125 gallon tank is just four Michigan State fans on a couch.
Jeff
Yes, but those Michigan fans will not be sitting there non stop for years. A 125 with tank, stand, water, and equipment could be pushing 3/4 - 1 ton. I would not really count on one test jump on a floor to assess its strength.
I've had 90 gallon aquariums on a 3rd floor right against a bearing wall with no problem. The story does not really matter assuming th efloor joists are all the same size and it is against a bearing wall. The weight is jest sent down the wall to the foundation and walls are incredibly strong as far as downward force.
You cannot throw a very heavy aquarium- or anything- into a house just based on its age. Throw a one ton aquarium in the center of a modern room with no support, and you will most likely have issues within a couple years. Any heavy aquarium....90-120 adn up, should be as close to a load bearing wall as possible unless you have dedicated support (jacks) beneath it.
As far as older buildings, I sometimes have more trust in their materials than modern ones. Todays buildings are made to cost as little as possible, and to use the bare minimum to meet those codes. The wood in my 100 year old house is solid as iro(i cannot even nail into it) and is thicker....a legitimate 2" thick.
James77
Team RC
It is nearly impossible to say because of the unknowns of the strength and thickness of the concrete.
And if you read my earlier post you would see it says to put it against a wall.
James77
Team RC
The post of yours I quoted sure does sound like you disagree with it needing to be against a supporting wall, but it must just be me.
Anthony.Luciano
New member
oh well maybe an answer to my own question above i totally forgot about this when i asked. i have a friend on the 27th floor of an apartment that is obsessed with fish. hes got a 125 in his bathroom, a 220 in his bedroom, a 90 wave and a biocube i think its 30 gallons or around there in his living room. this isnt a big apartment either its an averaged size apartment and he says the floors are made of concrete so the weight is fine. hes had the tanks up for like 15 years so idk thats just my little story of the day
Lukel
New member
I'm not too sure what you guys are getting at, and i am not taking any sides... but My 135 is on main floor, against the load bearing wall in my house, that load bearing wall is carried again in the bacement with a laminated beam which has telescopeing post every 10 feet along it with footings below that, and again if you go to the second floor there is another load bearing wall that carries the weight of the roof, in essence the center wall in my house is carried from the bacement all the way to the attic.
does ur downstairs neighbors like reef tanks...lol.. its alot of weight mine is close to 1800 lbs with everything..i checked under my house first to make sure the floor joist where run across the tank and not with it so i have 5 under it right now 2x10 12 inches apart with a 5 ft span. so load was good..some building use wood frame with light wieght concrete to make them level so i would really check it out first. if that went through the floor,"not just making a mess" u or somebody else could get really hurt.
