Dispersing tank weight?

[LinkinReef]

Is there any way to disperse the weight of a tank? My landlord told me that the ceiling below me seems to be sagging a little bit from my 34g tank. I'm on the second floor. She asked me to place something under the tank to disperse the weight but I'm not sure as to what I could use. Any ideas?

 

[C Dog]

If the ceiling is sagging I would guess that there is either something broke(support wise) or its from water damage......

 

[gbru316]

The weight of a 34g should not cause the ceiling to sag. If it does, you need to find another place to live, ASAP.

 

[cordell]

The only thing I could think of would be to build some sort of base to go under the tank stand. The base would be wider than the stand to span the load of the tank across more floor joists. Think of making a base out of 2x4s with plywood on top, that is significantly wider than the width of your stand.

Or you could figure out which way the floor joists are running, and move the tank to a spot that is better suited to support the sustained load of the tank.

I suppose if your stand happens to be sitting on top of only one or two floor joists in just the right way, it could cause some sagging. It's probably around 300lb, which ya wouldn't think would cause any sagging :hmm4: How does he know it is sagging? Is the ceiling cracking (sheetrock?)?

Just throwing out ideas there... that would of course mean you'd have to take down the tank, or enough to move it and lift it..

 

[Dexters Reef]

There is no way a 34g tank should make a ceiling sag. That should be around 300lbs. Its like sitting on a recliner. Maybe shes concerned becuase the footprint is small? I would worry that she is going to try and blame what sounds like a needed building repair on your fish tank.

Anyways to be safe, make sure its against a support/structural wall, like one of the outer edges of your apt. You could also build a platform that is around 4-6" high, and extends past your tank by a foot on each side and put your tank on it. I think thats a little overkill for a 34g tank though.

My buddy has a 55g tank in his 2nd floor apt, with no issues. The floor should be able to support that weight easily. Good luck! Keep that landlord happy so they dont have a reason to blame you