How Can I Tell What My Floor Will Hold?

[TheIrishJedi]

Hey Everyone,

How can i tell what my floor will hold in terms of wiehgt?

Id love to get a 150g in my Apartment, but I am not sure if the floor will hold it. It already has a 55g and with 4 of my roommates standing next to it and gawking we didnt fall through so there may be hope.

So.... how do I find out?

 

[joel.uejio]

I had similar questions about a measly 75g and found this article:

http://www.african-cichlid.com/Structure.htm

Seems to make a lot of sense to me. Based on that I decided that a 75g in the corner of my pad should be fine (knock-wood). For a 150g, not sure though. It looks like those can weigh 1800 lbs when full, which seems like a lot...

What are you planning to stock?

 

[krytan]

A tank of that size needs to be on a concrete floor.

 

[Jakezori]

I wouldn't take the risk as it's about 10 lbs a gallon, plus substrate and other stuff. It might hold for 2 years, but It might not hold for 2 years and 1 day. I'd say no =p.

 

[Ianne]

i dont mean to be critical of a fish lover and maybe you like living with your 4 roommates but i dont think investing in that 150g would be a good idea
maybe later down along the road

 

[TheIrishJedi]

I had similar questions about a measly 75g and found this article:

http://www.african-cichlid.com/Structure.htm

Seems to make a lot of sense to me. Based on that I decided that a 75g in the corner of my pad should be fine (knock-wood). For a 150g, not sure though. It looks like those can weigh 1800 lbs when full, which seems like a lot...

What are you planning to stock?

Very helpful.

I'd like to do a planted bit. As for stock, no idea.

A tank of that size needs to be on a concrete floor.

Crap

i dont mean to be critical of a fish lover and maybe you like living with your 4 roommates but i dont think investing in that 150g would be a good idea
maybe later down along the road

You should see my rent and bills. I've even got a pretty large room all to myself. Very nice. I live with a bunch of quiet seminarians that spend all their time reading. My only complaint is that they suck at doing the dishes.

Don't plan on moving anytime soon; unless of course your sister is single, cute, and lookin for a hubby? :naughty:

 

[SubRosa]

If the building is built to modern codes it will easily support a 150 as long as the tank is positioned perpendicular to the floor joists. Older construction varies alot, sometimes better than new sometimes not. You have to get a look at the joists to determine what size, spacing, condition,etc.

 

[zpromoter]

I would check with the landlords to see if you can even get an aquarium that big. The most I was supposed to have was a 10gal tank. I of course bumped that up to a 30gal long, but I wouldn't go any bigger than that. If the tank broke and 30 gallons leaked down below, I would be in deep doo doo. Just stay small till you can be more permenant. 180 gallons would be a hassle to move.

 

[angyles]

I agree with what others have said. there's a lot of things to consider when determining if a floor can support the weight, and it's often a good idea to support the joists from underneath just in case. In an apartment, this isn't possible AND your landlords would not be happy to know it was in there because of potential water damage.

 

[Blown 346]

You need to see which way your floor joists run. Say this is your tank. {___}
These are your joists ] ] ] ] The joists will support the tank. As long as the tank sits over them this way theres no problem. I had my 125 reef upstairs, that tank weighed over 2000LBS completly full with rock corals etc.