Have I lost my Mind? 250g tank upstairs?

[pledosophy]

I'm moving. Wife picked the house, I get the tank.

I work from home, I live in my office. My office will be upstairs.

I can get a sweet deal on a brand new 250g DD tank from Marine Depot. thinking 50g or so sump... oh snap that is 300g upstairs.

The tank will short wise go against an outside wall. I've contacted a plumber about floor drains.

Is this just a stupid idea, or anything I can do to make it better?

I was considering adding a "frame" type stand under the stand to make the stand taller (Deep Dimension stands suck) and give some space for a floor drain and an Emergency drain from the sump (handy for water changes too)

This will be the biggest tank I have done and my first on the second floor.

Help a reefer out please!

 

[dave.m]

Same question gets asked here over and over. Same answer: get a structural engineer in to check your house to see what, if any, extra support is required to take the weight of your tank and all its systems.

Dave.M

 

[pledosophy]

I wasn't asking if it was possible to do a tank of this size on the second floor. I was asking for tips I hadn't thought of to make it easier and more successful.

 

[ace_92101]

+1 with dave.m. If nothing else, it's worth the piece of mind. That's a lot of weight. Good luck.

 

[ca1ore]

I wouldn't put a tank that large on an unsupported wood joist floor ..... so, yes, I'm in the 'stupid idea' camp. Sorry.

 

[SPS_77493]

Don't do it.

Get a smaller tank and enjoy the hobby. It's not worth the liability.

 

[JimmyK]

Same scenario here. Moving in a month and tank is going on the second floor landing. Structural gave a go for the location downside is no way plumbing / drain can hit the area. Tagging along to see what suggestions/ideas are offered up.....

 

[mypepper]

Your tank with water, sand, rock and your filtration system could exceed 3500 pounds and the only way I would have a tank that size up stairs, is to hire a structural engineer first and then go from there. If you think about the death weight factor, your tank could be about the weight of 22 average sized people standing in a 72" x 36" area of the floor. There is no way your floor could withstand that weight for a long period of time, unless reinforced.

Not seeing your floor plans for your new house, it's difficult to see what modifications your flooring system will require, which it will. It also could be very costly and not even worth the investment, unless you have deep pockets and tons of money.

I only have a 90 gallon on the first floor and I still used two 6 by 6 inch beams on six pier mounts in the crawl space under my house. It's over kill, but I always plan with safety in mind. Down the road, I'll be already to place my larger new upgrade reef tank in this spot. At that time, I will add additional supports.

Thanks,
Randy

 

[johnike]

Go for it, I'm a fan of tanks in rooms other than the normal living room, etc.
Mines downstairs in what was supposed to be a 2 1/2 car garage that I converted to my bar/tank/music room.

Oh, and make sure the floor is capable of supporting the weight of the thing.