aquariums on the second floor

[Lauren]

I may be buying a 75 gallon shortly. I would like to put it in the hall on the second floor of my house. I'm worried that because of the weight of the aquarium that this would be a bad idea. Would the aquarium be better off on the ground floor?

[dethjam316]

a 75 should be okay. should be. depends on how old the house is and stuff...there are all kinds of formulas and stuff you can use. someone will post them probably. i live in a 2nd floor apartment and have a 55 and a 40 at the moment. i look at it like this, in my situation, there's a refrigerator up here...so................

but i wouldn't put anything larger than a 75 in this apartment, that's for sure.

but, hey, i'd put it downstairs somewhere it'd be seen by everyone.

[Must4ng s4lly]

We put ours (58 gal) on the second floor and it's been there for two years! You should be OK, but you might want to put it near a support in the house. Ours is near a load bearing wall. You can figure this out from house plans or architectural drawings. If you don't have those, ask a knowledgeable friend..... I love the aquarium up here! It is right near my desk where I work....

[caz]

i have a 75 gallon in my apt and we are on the second floor. basicly you have to figure out which way the floor boards are hung. if you lay it perpendicular to them, you will be more than fine. as long as your house isnt too old, you should be fine as long as you have the proper stand, the weight will be spread out well. like laying on a bed of nails :)

[snakeskinner]

pretty much what everyone else said. Depends on the construction of the house, floor and the tank stand. The larger "footprint" the stand makes the better. In other words, 4 tiny legs touching the floor isn't a good idea. A solid, flat piece of wood or whatever is the best choice to spread out the load over the largest area. My tanks are on the second floor as well. I live in a renovated 1950's movie theatre and basically my living room is the old projector room and my bedroom is an added on wooden structure. The living room is concrete floor so I can probably put whatever I want short of a shark tank up there. The bedroom is plywood flooring over 2x6 joists. I put a 55 gallon in my room and it's on a decorative metal stand with small footprints but it's done just fine other than compressing the carpet a little. Kyle

[SayersWeb]

Originally posted by snakeskinner
I live in a renovated 1950's movie theatre and basically my living room is the old projector room and my bedroom is an added on wooden structure.So, what do you use the actual theater room for??? ;)

That sounds very intriguing!

[Lauren]

thanks. I assume it will be okay then, the house is only 10 years old and was well built, so there shouldn't be any structural issues now.

[LittleLoach]

Having worked in the building industry, given a tank that size you should be safe but I would never trust it. Especially if it was any larger.

We are in the process of having an engineer look at our place to determine if the new six foot can be placed where we want it. At least that way, it can be cover by insurance if anything happens.

[snakeskinner]

SayersWeb, it's a garage for my cars. I'm a car nut turned fish nut. I have 6 trans ams, an Opel GT and my wife's Grand Am there now. I was looking at getting a 330 gallon tank on ebay just the other day and was thinking about putting it in my garage but I couldn't figure out how to keep it cool in the summer. I ended up with some unexpected bills just before the auction ended so I didn't have to worry about where to put the tank. Maybe someday I can get a big tank. For right now my 55 and my 36 will have to do. Kyle

[Lauren]

Originally posted by snakeskinner
SayersWeb, it's a garage for my cars. I'm a car nut turned fish nut. I have 6 trans ams, an Opel GT and my wife's Grand Am there now. I was looking at getting a 330 gallon tank on ebay just the other day and was thinking about putting it in my garage but I couldn't figure out how to keep it cool in the summer. I ended up with some unexpected bills just before the auction ended so I didn't have to worry about where to put the tank. Maybe someday I can get a big tank. For right now my 55 and my 36 will have to do. Kyle

wow, just last week I asked my friend who's trying to sell a trans am (intrested in number 7? It's a rare recent model, I think the year is 97 and its going for a very nice price) if there was such thing as a trans am enthusiest. I just got my answer.

[jt325i]

I had a 75 gallon saltwater on the third floor of my house (1920's vintage, wood floors) for 4 years. No problems. Finally took the tank down though only cause I didn't have the time for it. :(

[Captain Hook]

Funny as it sounds I think old houses are actually stronger than new ones. Assuming the floor beams are in good condition that is. Older houses used thicked boards than newer ones today.

[fishdude]

hmmmm parents wont let me have a fish tank in my room on the second floor
gonna have to email the this page :P