Tank weight concerns

[tanker]

thisa is totally off topic but i have always wanted to know,what does XD mean?

It is a face.

 

[evil wizard]

Oh thanks tanker,i always thought it meant extreme d-something.

 

[biondoa]

Thank you Duckie. My house is very sturdy and well built so I am not really too worried there. It was the flimsy stand that was my real concern and you have set my mind at ease.

 

[FreshyFresh]

I'll jump into the weight worry thread too..

I'm about to add a 55g to the bottom of my 75/90/120 Titan Eze metal stand. These stands are intended to hold two tanks, but they sure don't look the part. I've had just my 75g on it for over a year now.

I just got done adding two jack posts in the basement directly under the tank just for good measure, and I made up a nice piece of black painted plywood for the bottom shelf to accommodate the thinner 55, vs another 75.

We're talking over 1300lbs in a 48"x18" footprint on 4 spindly feet!

 

[Duckie]

Thank you Duckie. My house is very sturdy and well built so I am not really too worried there. It was the flimsy stand that was my real concern and you have set my mind at ease.

Sure, no problem. Location and orientation of the tank makes a difference as well. Still good advice to try putting it as close to a load bearing wall and across as many joists as possible. Plan for upgrades down the road - virtually everybody I know with SW eventually ends up with more and or bigger tanks.

 

[GraphicGr8s]

I'll jump into the weight worry thread too..

I'm about to add a 55g to the bottom of my 75/90/120 Titan Eze metal stand. These stands are intended to hold two tanks, but they sure don't look the part. I've had just my 75g on it for over a year now.

I just got done adding two jack posts in the basement directly under the tank just for good measure, and I made up a nice piece of black painted plywood for the bottom shelf to accommodate the thinner 55, vs another 75.

We're talking over 1300lbs in a 48"x18" footprint on 4 spindly feet!

Good luck with that one. I have my 75 on a welded stand that also can hold two tanks. I had a 40 breeder under the 75 and it was a nightmare to do anything in the 40. I've got four 55s on metal stands and they are all the same height. There is no way I would be able to work on a 55 on the first level. There is simply no room to rumba. Under one of the 55s (in the family room) I have a 45. Same footprint as the 55 but three inches shorter. Even then it's the tank that gets the least attention. I've got a 55 under one of the 55s in the fish house. It's there for storage until I need it. There is no way I'd be able to do anything in that tank if I managed to set it up there.

 

[biondoa]

Sure, no problem. Location and orientation of the tank makes a difference as well. Still good advice to try putting it as close to a load bearing wall and across as many joists as possible. Plan for upgrades down the road - virtually everybody I know with SW eventually ends up with more and or bigger tanks.

Forgive my ignorance. I assume that the joists are the 2 x 4s that run under the floor in the ceiling of the basement. The tank is over 3 or possibly 4 of them, and they are resting on the concrete block wall of the foundation. The tank is situated on the floor above, about a foot out from the foundation wall. It all looks pretty strong, but what do I know? Nothing about buildings.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Good luck with that one. I have my 75 on a welded stand that also can hold two tanks. I had a 40 breeder under the 75 and it was a nightmare to do anything in the 40...

Pretty sure these Titan EZEs are a bit taller than your setup. It's a pain to do maintenance to the top tank given it's 57.5" off the floor.

The lower opening is 32.5" high. A 75/90g is 21" high. Gives you 11.5" of space over the top.

I just put a pair of jack posts under the tank for support. ~$100 for infrastructure enhancements and the tank isn't even setup yet. LOL..

 

[Duckie]

Forgive my ignorance. I assume that the joists are the 2 x 4s that run under the floor in the ceiling of the basement. The tank is over 3 or possibly 4 of them, and they are resting on the concrete block wall of the foundation. The tank is situated on the floor above, about a foot out from the foundation wall. It all looks pretty strong, but what do I know? Nothing about buildings.

I seriously hope that your joists are not merely 2x4s. Usually they are 2x10 standing up spanning up to 16 feet and spaced approximately 16 inches apart. Resting on the concrete blocks does mean that yes, your are sitting next to a load bearing wall, which is good. That you catch 3 or 4 means they run along the short side of the tank, even better. This distributes the weight over more joists where they are strongest (next to the load bearing wall).

I wasn't as lucky when I placed my tank - it is sitting right next to an outside wall (very good), but my joists run with the long side of the tank. Most weight sits in the middle of one joist that spans 16 feet (the very weakest part) . For my peace of mind I put that jack underneath, well worth the $40 investment in materials.

You will be fine, imo - keep an eye out on your water line in the tank - if it starts to lean after months / years and it was level before, your floor is starting to sag and will only get worse.

 

[Duckie]

Pretty sure these Titan EZEs are a bit taller than your setup. It's a pain to do maintenance to the top tank given it's 57.5" off the floor.

The lower opening is 32.5" high. A 75/90g is 21" high. Gives you 11.5" of space over the top.

I just put a pair of jack posts under the tank for support. ~$100 for infrastructure enhancements and the tank isn't even setup yet. LOL..

Haha, that would suck. I used to be able to reach everywhere in my tank - not any more even on a stepladder I can't reach the bottom back without almost climbing on top. The top of the tank is only 49 inches off the ground and I still can't reach.