Large Tank Loads and Stresses

[usvi diver]

At what point do you need to start asking yourself if your aquarium is too heavy for the floor you plan to set it on? Does it need to be situated across multiple floor joists or adjacent to an exterior wall?

I am putting together a 120g and I dont want to see it in the basement after I place it in the office on the first floor.

 

[cbj25]

lots of factors can go into that. is your tank against a load bearing wall? how old are your floors? How big is your tank and what footprint. What level of the house are you putting it in?

FWIW - I did not support my 125, (150 total system) and it is on the second floor, but my floors are cement with over on a load bearing wall, hasnt fell through yet

 

[enderg60]

120 is short and wide, it will spread out nicely and will not weigh enough to really matter for a first floor as long as its up near a wall.

its weight per sq foot is actually less then some big furniture items. For best results place it so the joists are perpendicular to the tank.

 

[shafiq_hossain]

If you placed it on the second floor one night and notice it on the first floor the following morning, that would be a strong indication. .

Having said that, I have my 75 on the second floor and no issues so far.

 

[dine]

when i researched this the general feed back was...on a newer place, that anything up to a 120 was a reasonably safe bet on the 2nd floor. now if you have an older house or apt this may not be the case and of course if your need a definite answer you will need someone to come out and look. anything anyone else gives you will be "best guess"

 

[grouper therapy]

Can you post some pics of the floor system in the basement and sketch in the approx. location of the tank?

 

[usvi diver]

I dont actually have a basement but I did crawl under the house and it looks like I should be okay. Even though the joists will run parallel with the tank, there is a conrete block support that it will straddle.

Here is a sketch.

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[realfish]

Super easy to add extra support in a crawl space. Some deck support blocks and some 4x4s.