just 1 more tank ok honey

[reefjunkie73]

well after a long battle with the wife,she has allowed me to get 1 more tank for our living room.so my question is what is the biggest tank any 1 here has on the second floor of there home without any major shoring up.i just bought a new 180 gallon and just wondering if my floor will hold it .it is a 6 ft tank so it will be on atleast 5 floor joices

[JDigital]

How beefie are the joists? 8", 10", 12" Are they doubled up at all?

[Finaddict]

opps

[Trigger Man]

I'm on three joices with a 5 foot tank on the second floor. The tank was custom made so it is a little over 125 gallons and I have a sump that has around 23 gallons of water in it. I was worried so i did place a sheet of plywood under the stand and then some rug to cover it for looks. I believe I could of gone atleast 160 main tank but was worried about wieght. One quick thing to check is what type of floor joice's are they, if it is a newer home then they are probably I- joices and hold more wieght. From the research I checked out when building my tank, I was told by many that each I- joice can carry atleast 800 pounds. As well if the tank is near the wall and not dead center in the room the tank can be a bit bigger.

[AJ_77]

I-joists are stronger, but that just means they will use less of them to save money. In my 9-yr-old house I have a bunch of 12" silent-floor-type joists 24" apart on the main floor. My 150 gallon is going to span only a couple of them, even being set up perpendicular. Good thing it's goiing up against a load-bearing and an outside wall both.

This article from a structural engineer might help:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/aquarium_weight.php

[slakker]

180G, 1800 lbs plus sump, rock, stand, sand... you're well over 2000 lbs. spanning over 5 joists you're at 400 lbs per joist. You may be spreading the weight over more joists via the sub floor. So that should hold (I'm not a structural engineer mind you), but if you have access to the floor, it wouldn't hurt to reinforce the joists.

[marie]

180G, 1800 lbs plus sump, rock, stand, sand... you're well over 2000 lbs. spanning over 5 joists you're at 400 lbs per joist. You may be spreading the weight over more joists via the sub floor. So that should hold (I'm not a structural engineer mind you), but if you have access to the floor, it wouldn't hurt to reinforce the joists.

But then you could look at it a different way 2000lbs, thats the same as 10 200lb guys having a group hug :razz:

I have my 175g bowfront spanning 5 10" joists on the second floor. It is against a load bearing wall though

[SeanPrest]

Ive got a 180 with a 40 gallon sump on my floor. as long as you are spanning the joists and on a load bering wall you should be fine. i wouldnt put it in the middle of a room though.

[PoonTang]

I have a 90 with a 30 gal sump and am not spanning any joists at all. Running parallel and not over a loadbearing wall either. Been like that for 2 years now with no problems.

[heyfredyourhat]

i have 160 total over 4.5' and i am hitting about 4 joists (one is doubled) on a load bearing wall. BUT there was a jack in the basement about halfway in from the wall(where teh tank sits) that helps out and is underneath the double joist...if that made any sense at all!