Tips on avoiding disaster

[g_langley]

Dear all,

Having just completed a (sort of) DIY project on a tank, I'm a bit paranoid about it going through the floor or the stand collapsing(paranoia runs in the family).

I have my tank placed across three joists on a wooden floor. I've checked the condition of the floor and it's OK as far as I can tell. My tank is 34" wide, 30" tall and 24" front to back and I estimate would weigh about 3/4" of a ton.

It's a sort of DIY project in as much as I had the tank and stand specially made (professionally) and then drilled the stand (tank already drilled) and did all the plumbing to the sump and return myself.

I wondering how to keep the weight of the filled tank as "light" as possible. I wanted a tallish tank so I could have a back wall of live rock. Does anyone have a solution on displacing about 25% of the water content to keep the weight down? If I'm not wrong, high quality or "ultra" grade rock is lighter than the equivalent volume of saltwater so that's a start. I am considering a large diameter sealed pipe framework for the reef wall to add to the displacement, has anyone done this already? Am I insane?

Please stop me from going back to a 24" freshwater setup!

Regards...

 

[george1098]

you're fine. wood is amazingly strong. don't worry about the weight of the live rock, even if yuo put 200lbs into your tank it is still nothing compared to the weight of the water. if you're really conserned, put the sump in a different location. also, make sure yuodont have any leaks that will rot the wood (both in your stand and in your floor). other than that i would say you are just being paranoid.

 

[CoolUsername]

Re: Tips on avoiding disaster

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8090232#post8090232 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by g_langley

If I'm not wrong, high quality or "ultra" grade rock is lighter than the equivalent volume of saltwater so that's a start. ... Am I insane?

Regards...

Well if that's true. They should float.

 

[BeanAnimal]

doh!

 

[Freed]

You've only got a 105 gallon tank from your dimensions and a water weight of only 900 pounds. Don't know where you get the other 600lbs to come up with your 1500 but even if you do have the weight spread over 3 floor joists, which I don't think you do if they are 16" on center, you still don't have enough weight to cause any concern.

 

[g_langley]

Well so I am insane and also mildly stupid (floating rock)! The tank does definitely straddle 3 joists as I've had the carpet up, they are pretty close together.

I did realise I had made an error on the weight and tried to delete the thread but it didn't work.

Thanks all.