Aquarium Placement?

[adam m]

I'd like to place a 72" wide bowfront tank (as big as possible, of course) on the 2nd floor of my house. The aquarium would be placed in a corner next to a wall that is supported by an iron I beam from below, and above another load bearing wall (no iron header, just a doubled up 2x10) The iron beam is parallel to the long dimension of the aquarium, the floor joists would run perpindicular to the aquarium (2x10's, on 16" centers)
First off, is this even possible? Is it possible if I double up the floor joists under the room? its a garage below, so I'll have access if necessary.
And the important question, how big of a tank can I get away with!
Thanks,
Adam

 

[pchromis]

If the tank will be directly over an accessible area like a garage, you can beef up the joists with jack studs. That is, use studs that reach from the joist to the garage floor, as if they were holding up the upper floor. Several of those should do the trick. If they would obstruct some uses, such as a car, then you might want to consult a contractor for the best route to go. Having said that, go as big as you wish on tank size as long as it is supported correctly.
from what you have described, sounds like it enough with the I-Bar and Header set up!

 

[turningtim]

If you have access I would double up (sister the floor joists. Make sure that the new sisters are spanning the entire length and supported individually. Then attach (glue/nail) to currant joists. Also run cross braceing between the joists. I wouldn't go crazy with size but consider longer rather than tall. This will spread the load across more joists.
As you said make sure to place perpendicular to floor joists and on the wall with the I-beam and you should be good. The above is overkill but you should be able to sleep at night.
Calc the weight and call a struc. eng. and they will calc the loads and structure!
HTH
Tim

 

[merredeth]

I have a waterbed (King sized) and love it.
According to all contractors I know if the ceiling of the fist floor cannot support at waterbed, then the house should be condemned.
With that in mind, a waterbed holds about 300 gallons of water and I believe a gallon of water is 8 lbs.
8 lbs, multipled by 300 is 2,400 pounds. I never have seen any signs of stress in my ceilings at the home we used to live in for years.
Denise M.

 

[turningtim]

Merredeth, I don't disagree but but you have to remember that the footprint of your bed is a lot larger then the footprint of a tank. Even at 300 gals. The load of the bed is spread across more joists the that of a tank.
Tim

 

[merredeth]

Originally Posted by TurningTim
Merredeth, I don't disagree but but you have to remember that the footprint of your bed is a lot larger then the footprint of a tank. Even at 300 gals. The load of the bed is spread across more joists the that of a tank.
Tim
You have a good point I never considered.
Denise M.

 

[theweirdo]

First off, I never consider putting any tank on the second floor a good idea. Not because of weight, most of the time, but because of water damage. I know that you are probably going to think that there will be no water damage, but, over time, I'm sure that slight amounts of water will spill, and that will weaken the plywood that holds the second floor up. Drop by drop, mold will form on the wood and weaken it even further. Now this is just my personal opinion, and from research, I would not recommend it, but, if you have your heart set on it, go right ahead.

 

[turningtim]

No offense, But why does it matter what floor its on? I would have to bet that there are people that have their tanks on subfloor on the first level of their house with the same construction as the upper floor. The only difference would be that the 1st is directly on the foundation not a load bearing wall. As far as water damage, unless your spilling gallons at a time i doubt that it will go much further than the carpet or floor covering. The subfloor is not what carries the load, it is there to gap the joists and helps keep them in place. It takes a lot of water to delaminate ply or OSB. The only reason I suggested sistering the joists was to reduce the amout of flex in the floor and to make it overkill. Like I said it would probably hold with what is there. its just a matter of being on the conservitive side and being able to sleep at night.
What about all the people that have tanks in apartments?
JMO
Tim

 

[ruman]

Hey Merredeth, where in Iowa are you from? I'm from Des Moines.

 

[oreo12]

when I was younger I had 2 55 gal 2 20 gal 2 29 gal 2 10 gals all on the same wall of an upstars aparment and never had any trouble.

 

[merredeth]

Originally Posted by Ruman
Hey Merredeth, where in Iowa are you from? I'm from Des Moines.
Fort Dodge. About 130 miles straight north of you. If you need good prices from an LFS and are ordering a lot, we have a good one here.
Denise M.