Whats the biggest tank for second story condo?

[woogie]

I'm thinking of upgrading to a 180 gal tank from my 70 gal, but don't know how much weight my second story condo can take. I have found out that a king sized waterbed is almost 200 gal, and instead of being on a wall is in the middle of the floor, but I just don't know for sure if there is a difference.

The building is only 15 yrs old ( not sure if that makes a difference).

Does anybody know the answer to this. The wall I have my tank on is not an outter wall (load bearing?) if that makes a difference.

Thanks

 

[BJJ]

No need to find out the following;

Floor construction

1. Type and size of joists.
2. Which way the joists are running (tank sitting perpendicular or parallel to joists)
3. The total span of your joists (distance from tank to load bearing beam that supports the joist.

Calculate total load

1. Total Tank weight
2. Surface area of tank - a water bed may contain 200 gal, but the weight is distributed over aprox 35 sq ft where as a 200 gal tank is distributed over 12 sp ft meaning the load per sq. ft. on the tank would be almost 3 times that of the water bed.

In most cases it should** be no problem supporting a std. 200 gal tank on a modern residential/commercial floor structure - assuming the tank is a rectangular 6'x2' configuration not a hex or "tall" tank with a small foot print.

discaliamer ** above statment based on personal opinion only - best to consult a structural engineer.

A good rule of thumb would be take to total weight and divide by how many sq. feet the tank occupies. if you are between 150-200 lbs/sq. ft, thats equivelent to having adult men lined up in a row 1 foot apart.

 

[eng55]

Well I think, BJJ answered this as best as I could. Just to lighten the load in your head right now, I have a 125g in the top floor of my condo right now. Good luck with the tank
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