Who has a 180 or 210 on the first floor above a basement?

[anjhof]

I know there are a lot of posts on RC with similar questions, and I have read just about all of them. However, I just want to hear from people who have a 180 or 210 tank supported by wooden joists above a basement. How many additional joists did you "sister" together? I would have to think that if you add enough of them, this weight could be supported without too much trouble.
I cannot add floor jacks, so this tank would have to be supported by joists- which the tank would run across at least three of them (before adding additional joists).
Who is doing this and what did you do to make it work.

 

[geo]

I have a 150 gallon tank with no additional bracing to the floor.

 

[Scuba_Dave]

I have a 125g that is right on top of a beam, it will soon be replaced by a 180g.

What size are your joists?
How long are they - distance of tank from supports?
Is the tank going near a wall?

 

[anjhof]

Tank will be in a 20x20 room. It will sit 2-4 feet off the wall, which rests on the concrete foundation. Tank will span across about 4 joists, which are 2x10's. There is a metal beam that goes across the middle of the room, so the joists only span 10 feet between supports.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

what is the joist spacing?

My guess is that the floor will hold it, but the floor will also sag. You would also have to worry if you had a party....add a bunch of people in the room looking at the tank....would make me nervous. A full 210 will be around 2500 lbs....I know...I have one, but its in my basement.

Get yourself an engineer. Compared to the cost of the tank, equipment, and livestock, its cheap...picking up the mess if the tank falls through the floor would be a nightmare....

 

[anjhof]

Thanks Fiziksgeek,
The joist spacing is 16." I will add 2x10's cut perpendicular to the joists to add support. The tank will cross over 4 joists, and if I link the joists together as I mentioned, I think I should be fine. The joists only go about 10' between concrete to a metal beam.
I'll see how the tank sits once it is full of water - if the floor gets bouncy, I'll drain it and start adding more support.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Try measuring the height from floor to joist underneath where the tank will sit. As you fill it up, measure again. If you see significant sagging, you will know if you need more support...

Do this during your fresh water leak test....maybe take a couple of data points...1/2...3/4 full. If you see significant sagging before its completely full, stop and make modifications! I bet you will be ok, 2x10's over 10ft are pretty strong...though doubling up the joists under the tank woul dbe cheap insurance.

 

[anjhof]

Good suggestions. I'll make sure to add something to the floor regardless of how it looks after being full.

 

[RokleM]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7384601#post7384601 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fiziksgeek
Try measuring the height from floor to joist underneath where the tank will sit. As you fill it up, measure again. If you see significant sagging, you will know if you need more support...

Do this during your fresh water leak test....maybe take a couple of data points...1/2...3/4 full. If you see significant sagging before its completely full, stop and make modifications! I bet you will be ok, 2x10's over 10ft are pretty strong...though doubling up the joists under the tank woul dbe cheap insurance.

I'd agree, yet not at the same time to this suggestion. If you see some initial sag, you should plan on some major sag over time.

It's just like humidity. Although a very high humidity might not cause issues now, it will as the wood absorbs it and it gets worse over time.

Not an engineer, just what I've read...

That being said, personally I think you'll very likely be ok, but I would still consider your reinforcement options.

 

[bosox]

I have a 150 (with 50 gal sump underneath) on the first floor of an old colonial. I haven't needed to add (knock on wood) additional support to the joists.
Best of luck,
--matt

 

[monkeyreefer]

just make sure it is next to the foundation and you should have no issues what so ever

 

[jdenton]

Just to jump in on this thread: I am planning a 240 which will be setting on top of a steel I-beam in the basement which will run the length of the tank. A steel post will be about 2 feet to the side of one edge of the tank. I should be OK with that, right?

 

[chaseracing]

The 240 should be perfect. I also have that luxury of being able to sit the tank directly on the I-beam.

-=E=-

 

[law086]

I'm actually having a house built right now. I told the builder I wanted my 180 in the study and told him the potential weight. He came back and told me that he'd double up the floor joists. So, that's how the construction was done and I'm sure that'll be plenty. I've yet to take delivery of the house, so I can't tell you if it'll crash through the floor or not. I'm sure the builder did some checking before making the suggestion, so I feel pretty safe about this.

Ron

 

[clkwrk]

I have a 180g along with many others in a mobile home no extra bracing.

 

[cali_reef]

I doubled up on the three joist under my 180 and added a weight bearing wall in the middle of the joist span, the span is about 13 feet and the joist are 10"x2". I wanted to make sure the 80 year house's floor won't sag.

 

[Freed]

My 180 is sitting on top of 4-2x10s with no additional bracing and has been for a dozen years with no problems.