Weight of a 210 on first floor

leafeater

New member
Will the weight of a 210 gallon tank be a problem on the first floor of my house. There is a basement underneath and I would hate to see a collapse...
 
Well you figure with a sump youre looking at 250 gallons at least. 8 Pounds a gallon, plus probably 250 lbs of LR, Live sand, all the equipment youre looking at probably close to 3000 lbs...I think....Only you could know the condition of your house and the ability to hold this weight. Why not put it in the basement?
 
Go across the floor joists

Put up metal supports in the basement where the tank will be at to help support the floor

You should be fine.
 
Are you crossing the floor joist or are you running parallel with them?
You need to cross them at 90 degrees or else you may need extra support from underneath.
 
without knowing where in your house it will sit, or the age of the house, or several other factors, impossible to be certain. If it is on a load bearing wall, perpendicular to the floor joists, it should be fine. when in doubt, floor jacks are cheap insurance.
 
Thanks for the quick responses. I have not bought the house yet but am in the process. The joists will run parallel to where I would like to put the tank, but location may change depending on the couches and sofas that my wife wants to get.
 
The overall weight is not what matters, the pounds per square inch is what you need to calculate. I would also suggest consulting a building contractor.
 
Here is an older descriptive thread on Reinforcing floor, and how to do it?

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1677618

It will give you a run down on what to check and ideas on how to support the weight safely.

I am putting in supports under my 180g that runs paralell with the floor joists today. It is a little spooky to walk by a large tank and watch it rock. If you are handy yourself you should have no problem otherwise find a handy friend and have the person read the thread I linked to so they get an understanding of what should be done and how to do it. If you have any questions, just ask.
 
And always always always have a plan and know what is straight under the tank because you WILL have spills if not a major flood sooner or later.
 
that's always a good idea, even if your floor will easily support the weight, additional supports vastly reduce the bounce your floor will have with the additional tank weight.
 
3000 pounds is 20 people standing embracing tightly in a spot.

3000 pounds of dead weight is not as much as it sounds, but I will always place it across many joists and as close to an outside wall as possible.
 
My 250 tank is on the first floor with no basement and I still had my father put in some supporting beams underneath the house where the tank is. After thinking about all that water, LR, Sand, Sump, etc. I'm glad he insisted I put in the supports otherwise I suspect there would be some sagging there. As it is, there is a slight tilt to the tank onto the right side that I don't know if it's caused by the floor or stand. Plus I'm not sure if it was there to begin with or was caused by the tank. Put in the supports. Worse case scenario is you wasted some sweat and the cost of some braces but the peace of mind is worth it
 
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