I agree with sde1500. The floor support is not an issue to get out of the hobby. Unless, of course, you want out, then use it as an excuse all you want!
I had a 220 gallon piano shaped aquarium (all Glass) with solid wood stand, The stand was almost as heavy as the glass. It was custom and sitting on the second floor of a split level home. I had a construction crew reenforce the hell out of the spot the tank would go. They charged me $200 to add additional cross beams, braces, and support to the spot. No vibrations or anything were felt on that floor and nothing disturbed the tank. At the time my step son was 6 and would throw tantrums, running around and would even bang on the tank with his fists. (that was not acceptable and stopped quickly) but, that said, it didn't budge and nothing budged it!
You may have some ceiling repair / drywall to do after the floor is reenforced. But, there's no price on home safety! If you're upgrading to a larger tank, and filling it with hundreds, if not thousands of dollars of live stock, you can spend $200-$500 to have the floor re enforced by experts. Even if they don't do vertical beams, just running additional 2x4s or adding perpendicular cross braces, can add support to all of it. There's a lot of options. I would value my family's security as well as the livestock's well being by making sure the floor is reenforced.
I have my 340 gallon tank now on a concrete floor. It's not going anywhere, but I've had a few people tell me there's a chance that part of the house could sink more. Because the weight of a 340 gallon system is easily over a ton, closer to 1.5 - 2 tons with the weight of the steel stand and tank. I hope the footings and concrete floors of are all thick enough to support that. However, our soils are very wet in my area, so in the spring, almost anything sinks when the water thaws. It's like having a tractor sitting in a 6foot by 3 foot spot. Fairly compressed and all in one area. So, Here's to strong floors!
I had a 220 gallon piano shaped aquarium (all Glass) with solid wood stand, The stand was almost as heavy as the glass. It was custom and sitting on the second floor of a split level home. I had a construction crew reenforce the hell out of the spot the tank would go. They charged me $200 to add additional cross beams, braces, and support to the spot. No vibrations or anything were felt on that floor and nothing disturbed the tank. At the time my step son was 6 and would throw tantrums, running around and would even bang on the tank with his fists. (that was not acceptable and stopped quickly) but, that said, it didn't budge and nothing budged it!
You may have some ceiling repair / drywall to do after the floor is reenforced. But, there's no price on home safety! If you're upgrading to a larger tank, and filling it with hundreds, if not thousands of dollars of live stock, you can spend $200-$500 to have the floor re enforced by experts. Even if they don't do vertical beams, just running additional 2x4s or adding perpendicular cross braces, can add support to all of it. There's a lot of options. I would value my family's security as well as the livestock's well being by making sure the floor is reenforced.
I have my 340 gallon tank now on a concrete floor. It's not going anywhere, but I've had a few people tell me there's a chance that part of the house could sink more. Because the weight of a 340 gallon system is easily over a ton, closer to 1.5 - 2 tons with the weight of the steel stand and tank. I hope the footings and concrete floors of are all thick enough to support that. However, our soils are very wet in my area, so in the spring, almost anything sinks when the water thaws. It's like having a tractor sitting in a 6foot by 3 foot spot. Fairly compressed and all in one area. So, Here's to strong floors!
