Fish tank in condo

[phi delt reefer]

Originally Posted by sphelps

Not sure if that's accurate, as far I know the typical load limits for residential is 40lbs/sqft. But this is based on room size, so if the room is 10' x 10' then it can safely support up to 4000lbs total. This is typically just a rule of thumb and more for the upper limit you should never exceed. For something more accurate you need to know the type, size, spacing and span of the floor joists as well as how they are supported. However a tank that size won't be a problem. If it was me I would also secure the stand into the wall at half load even if it's not load bearing, this will help distribute the load better.

is the 40lb rating for an "unsupported" span? I weight 230lbs and could stand in a space that one foot square with no flex in my floor but i have joists every 16 or 24" (whatever minimum code is).

I would also apply a sheet of 3/4" plywood to the bottom of the stand to distribute the wieight over the entire footprint vs. contact points of the legs. You could also oversize the stand (ie. make it 6" bigger on all sides of the tank) to reduce the lbs/sqft.