Tank weight help!!!!

[mott768]

Hi all I may be getting a 150 gallon tank. My wife brought up a major concern about weight, I measured the joists and they are 2 X 8 the tank would sit across 3 but there are notches taken out of the joists about halfway across and the notches are about 2"square out of the bottom of the joist where plumbing was ran. Will it be safe and hold between 2500-3000lbs???

thanks

 

[Nano Nana]

Wow, I would choose another spot in your house where the jousts have not been cut. JMHO

 

[papagimp]

I just bought a 150g and I'm 100% that my floor will not hold it up, no matter where I put it, sucks that I have to find a new house because my insatiable reef habit.

 

[MCary]

It will probably hold fine, but. Can you put jack-posts under the joists? They are available at Homedepot or Lowes and can hold 16,000 lbs each and cost about $20-30. Pretty cheap insurance. Of course if its a finished basement then it might not be an option.

Mike

 

[mott768]

Here a pic of the notch

 

[silverwolf72]

You could try reinforcing the joist also. Just douple up what is already there

 

[mott768]

unfortunately there is a pool table where the jacks would have to go, and the tank will not fit in a different't room.

 

[mott768]

exact measurement of the joist is 1.5" X 9"

 

[silverwolf72]

Just get a couple of joist mounts and 2" x 6" and run them parrallel to the current joists

 

[2farNorth]

I would think It would be ok.. BUT, for added security, you can do what Silverwolf suggested and add on to what you have... you can always get some 2X6's, and lag bolt them to the joists... go the entire length of the joist (just mainly under the tank)

That's what I would probably do...

That and honestly I would probably be more concerned with the knot right there, that would be weaker then the cut-outs..

 

[MCary]

You could also jack up the entire house and install a steel I-beam.

 

[2fishy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8247607#post8247607 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by papagimp
I just bought a 150g and I'm 100% that my floor will not hold it up, no matter where I put it, sucks that I have to find a new house because my insatiable reef habit.

Well, thank you, I have the perfect spot for it. Now, when will my new tank be arriving?

 

[mott768]

Guy's I'm disabled and on a fixed income, I need a reasonable answer, paying thousands of dollars to have a house jacked up and doing major construction isn't going to help me and is out of the question, plus it doesn't answer my question. unless of course your willing to donate the time and materials to do the job . I need to know If this was your house in the condition mine is would you put the tank or go with something smaller???

 

[James77]

Are the notches directly below where you want the tank?

 

[mott768]

Hi James,
No they are close to the center of the room on the oposit side.

 

[meco65]

If you know a carpenter it would not hurt to have him look at this and see what a pro says.

 

[James77]

It should be OK. As said above, you would ideally want to double the joists(sister) that support the tank. Once you put the tank there, I would check those notches periodically for any signs of stress.


Jim

 

[Randall_James]

ok time for me to insert foot in mouth....

Where did you get the weight of this setup? the water is the heaviest part and it is about 1200lbs

Add your tank and equipment and you might hit 1600lbs?

Assuming 72X24 foot print on tank (1728sq) You MIGHT hit 1lb per sq inch after you add the rest of your gear up weight wise...

Not even an issue unless you had the tank sitting in the middle of a 20' span.

If you are worried about it at all, (and I see no need) just add a couple 2x4 supports from the ground up to the joist. (cinderblock caps work nicely on the dirt side)

 

[mott768]

tank size 48"L X 24"W X 31"H plus 30 gallon sump 200+ lbs of rock 3" sand bed in tank 4-5" sand bed in sump/fuge plus don't forget people still have to be able to walk into the room.

 

[Shagsbeard]

I think this is a case of "people like to worry about things". It's really amazing how much beams can hold... even shock (dropping stuff on them), which is more likely to break them than a steady force.

I'd really get a pro in to look things over if I was worried... coming here to the internet to get a bunch of random people who have seen only a photograph is kind of silly. If you're worried about your floor, get a building inspector to do some real analysis of the situation and have him sign a paper saying yeah or nay. Trusting us with your house is truely folly.

I'd build the tank and see what happens. I bet it would take at least five tanks to bust the floor.