Here is something for you to think about. With just your tank measurement of 96" x 25" this gives you a total of 2400 square inches divide this by the weight of your tank which you stated was 2400 pounds gives you a weight of 1 pound per square inch. Now compare this to a person with say a size 10 foot and weights 200 pounds. So lets say that there foot is 10" x 4" which is 40 sqare inches divided by 200 would be 5 lbs per sqare inch. So a 200 lbs person standing on one leg is putting more pressure on the floor then your tank will assuming the stand has a bottom all the way around the tank. Were you run into problems is a tank stand that is setting on 4 small diameter legs, in this case all the weight of the tank is compressed into a small area, so get a stand with a full bottom to spread the weight out. Actually a person compacts more soil then a 15,000 lbs rubber tire skidder or feller buncher. Dang I guess I was paying attention in a few collage classes.
240g in house with crawlspace..advice?
- Thread starter aquarob
- Start date
Not really. I was trying to say that by walking on the floor you are putting more weight on the floor with each foot step then the aquarium is. pounds per square inch, or pounds per square foot has very thing to do with total weight holding capacity. And by the way 6000 lbs in a 2400 sqare inch area is only 2.5 pounds. For comparison a washing machine would be about 3 lbs per square inch.
So, with even with what MudDogs is saying, I should still reinforce the floor? What he said makes sense to me, but I also see the counterpoints too. Im confused. LOL
I just dont want to spend a truckload of money before I even get to setup the tank, as if thats not gonna be expensive enough eh?
I just dont want to spend a truckload of money before I even get to setup the tank, as if thats not gonna be expensive enough eh?
I've got a 180 and had to reinforce the floor underneath, there was about a 4 foot crawl space underneath, heres a quick drawing of what i did.
The support beams are 4X4s same as the "goes across floor" beams. The actual floor beams are 2X16s and the tank sits on about 3 or 4 of them with probably at least 6 feet on either side. HTH
The support beams are 4X4s same as the "goes across floor" beams. The actual floor beams are 2X16s and the tank sits on about 3 or 4 of them with probably at least 6 feet on either side. HTH
spartan said:I've got a 180 and had to reinforce the floor underneath, there was about a 4 foot crawl space underneath, heres a quick drawing of what i did.
The support beams are 4X4s same as the "goes across floor" beams. The actual floor beams are 2X16s and the tank sits on about 3 or 4 of them with probably at least 6 feet on either side. HTH
This is almost exact to what I was describing in my option 2. It is simple and there are no chances being taken weather it is a load bearing wall or not, besides how would he know. The majority of homes were made and still are being made with minimal code requirements. If the joists in the other direction in the diagram,it is still the same idea. Basically you are building a stand below the joists. keep it simple.
Last edited:
I would get under there and take a look, while I am sure your floor can support it, the other factor will be long term effects such as the floor sagging. So as stated before you will need to figure out the spacing of your floor joist, 16" or 24". Which way are the joist running compared to your tank set up? How far between joist supports?
imhandy has a good easy solution that would cost very little to acomplish if you feel you do need extra support. The only thing I would warn you about is, if you have loose soil under your house just setting the concret blocks on top of the ground is not going to help much. If you do have a problem with the floor saging eventually the blocks will be pushed into the dirt. The best way to reinforce a floor is to add joist and or put in cross joist all supported by the existing foundation. The blocks will work just make sure you have a good base to lay them on.
imhandy has a good easy solution that would cost very little to acomplish if you feel you do need extra support. The only thing I would warn you about is, if you have loose soil under your house just setting the concret blocks on top of the ground is not going to help much. If you do have a problem with the floor saging eventually the blocks will be pushed into the dirt. The best way to reinforce a floor is to add joist and or put in cross joist all supported by the existing foundation. The blocks will work just make sure you have a good base to lay them on.
