3rd Floor Apt. Tank

paulshaw23

paulshaw23

New Member
I have an apartment on the 3rd floor. I want to set-up a 90 Gallon- Bow front with stand in there with 100lbs. of live rock and about 60lbs of Sand. Will this be too heavy?
I estimate with tank,stand, sump,water,rock, and sand a total weight of 1200lbs. Will this be falling thru into my 2nd floor neighbor's living room? :thinking:
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
You have to check with your landlord on that, they will know better. If you have a very well-built, older building, then you should be covered.
 
paulshaw23

paulshaw23

New Member
Yea i was thinking on asking the Landlord too, BUT the only thing i'm worried about is that they might just be like "ohh your not allowed to have any fishtanks in our apartments above the 1st floor" Then i'd be screwed. I was hoping I could just set one up and hope for the best, but wanted to know if anyone had any experience with weight limitations in an apartment.
I've heard that the older apts. are usually the stronger built too, but this one was built in like '98 so its pretty new.
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Yeah, you might run into some problems. The new buildings are a little cheaper. However, I still think that it would be okay for a while. It will just be the constant stress of 1200 lbs. on the floor, on top of everything else, that I would be worried about.
 
denny80688

denny80688

Member
Perhaps ask if you can have a waterbed because thats going to weigh about the same... so if they say yes to a waterbed then it should be able to hold a fish tank :D
 
thangbom

thangbom

Active Member
humm.. i take it danny u have to ask about a "waterbed' before.. he he.. but good call good call.. waterbed.....
 
sandiegan

sandiegan

Member
just a thought, I might be wrong. But if the waterbed weighs about the same, isn't the weight distributed a LOT more than it would in a tank? I mean, the waterbed has a lot of surface area whereas the tank will have all that weight on just it's footprint. Just a thought...:notsure:
 
scubadoo

scubadoo

Active Member
Not knowing the type of construction..If you have wood floor joists you best figure out how they are running. That tank needs to be placed perpendicular to the joists with each end resting on or close to a joist near a wall. If you place that tank parrallel to the joists the tank could go crashing through the floor.
 
pyro f/x

pyro f/x

New Member
I agree with scubadoo if it's wood const. it would be best to place the tank perp. to the floor joist's and to span multi. joist's. sandiegan is right on. There is alot more weight per square foot for the fish tank. You might have a better chance useing a outside corner if spanning two joist's doesn't work because more of the weight will be transfered to the bearing walls.
 
dogcatfish

dogcatfish

New Member
My husband did somthing like that only he didnt asxk his landlord and the floor warped, the tank got bent and broke one day. not only did he loose his very expoensive set up, but he didnt have renters insurance and he got sued by the people below him and his landlord. it took him YEARS to pay it off. you really need to check with the landlord and maby make a compromise with him if he feels that it is too big of a tank.
 
dory36

dory36

Member
PaulShaw23, my husband is a structural engineer who designs hotels, high rise office buildings, etc. He works for the #1 ranked engineering firm in Dallas. In other words, he knows his stuff!:D Anyway, I asked him your question and he said, "OMG, that guy's screwed!" He said that buildings are designed to carry a certain live load and that your tank exceeds that load. He also said something about long term deflection. In other words, while your tank might be fine today, tomorrow, or the next day, it will eventually go through your floor to your neighbors below. What dogcatfish said is right. I wouldn't risk it. Could you try a much smaller tank or possibly move?! Gosh, lugging your groceries up all those stairs must be a pain in the ***! :D
 
scubadoo

scubadoo

Active Member
I strongly advise against setting this tank up without knowing how the building you live in was constructed. 1200 plus pounds is a lot of weight in a small area. Let that weight sit for months and/or years is risky. I was a carpenter for 15 years before returning to College. I'll post my background to backup my statement. I could never advise to do this unless I had blueprints, had access to the view the stucture, or witnessed the constructiuon. FOr someone to say it was okay without knowing this is beyond my understanding.
 
paulshaw23

paulshaw23

New Member
Thanks for all of your help guys....Its very useful and now sadly I realize that I should ask the Management company first and see if they will allow it, or if they have any suggestions about the maximum weight allowable.
 
snipe

snipe

Active Member
I would try and get ahold of some blue prints of where the floor joists are and then place it over as many as you can up against the wall "try and find a load barring wall"
 
shoogieboo

shoogieboo

Member
omg just thinking of that i have a 100g with a custom birch wood stand huge i live in a double wide mobile home would that cause a problem?
 
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