How big of a tank for second floor apt.

[drewdog82]

I am currently living in an apartment on the second floor and have a 55 gallon tank. I really wanted to upgrade to a 125. Does anyone have a larger tank on an upper level or know what size I would be OK with???

 

[1fast300z]

Your best and safest bet would be to have a carpenter come out and look at your floor, or somebody from a hardware store ? In my opinion I think you would be safe with a 125. The only reason I am saying this is because I have a 125 in my bedroom on the second floor. Its been running for 6 months, the only downside is my wood floor is getting damaged from water spilling every now and then.
Good Luck.
Here is my 125 on second floor.

 

[ninjamini]

Depends on the floor. If its a poured floor then probably yes. If its an old house with wood joyces then no. Tanks with all its water and rock weigh a lot. You don't want it falling through the floor. Have a structural engineer come out and look.

 

[drewdog82]

Thanks, it seems to be a relativelly new apt. and the wood floor looks new. The guy at the LFS told me to just make sure that I put the tank opposite the way the boards are going on the floor, for the best support.... I will try and see if I can get someone to look at the floor, or maybe ask management.

 

[ninjamini]

Originally Posted by drewdog82
...or maybe ask management.
Most apartments have rules about fish tanks. I would imagine your limited to like a 20 gallon.

 

[grumpygils]

Originally Posted by drewdog82
Thanks, it seems to be a relativelly new apt. and the wood floor looks new. The guy at the LFS told me to just make sure that I put the tank opposite the way the boards are going on the floor, for the best support.... I will try and see if I can get someone to look at the floor, or maybe ask management.

Don't ask management! I bet it is in the rental agreement that you can't have one (maybe of any size?).
Mc

 

[zman1]

There is a link in the the first post that is a good read in the thread below.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/173182/aquariums-and-your-floor

 

[zman1]

Here is what the FC-2 base looks like.

 

[drewdog82]

Thank u very much for the post. So it seems I am OK with my 55, and I should be OK with a 125, but it's close. I will probably bring someone in to take a look. I found it interesting to see that a 125 is safer than a 100-120 gallon tank because the 125 is spread out 6 ft. instead of 4..... makes sense. If I were to get the 125, it would be against the wall and perpendicular to the beams, so atleast that's a good start.

 

[miamishrip]

im on the 5th floor in a condo - i have 125g tank but i checked with numerous people first and verified we have concrete floors under the hardwood...

 

[drewdog82]

Just checked with a contractor and he said that apartment buildings actually have stronger upper floors than houses. He told me I would definatelly be OK with a 125 as long as I had it perpendicular to the beams. This is without the contractor looking at the apt.

 

[maxalmon]

I can almost bet you money that you have a rental clause that states "No water Filled Furniture" If your on the second floor, they will flip if they find out. If they are a reputable rental company they will do inspections maybe once or twice a year and you could get busted and have to take the tank down or pay a hefty premium or take out insurance for damage. I have rentals and I hate to say this, but I have it in all my contracts. Kinda snoop around without saying anything to see if it's allowed, maybe call the rental office and tell them your looking for an apartment and ask if they have any 2nd floor units available and then ask if they allow fish tanks or pets.

 

[drewdog82]

Originally Posted by maxalmon
I can almost bet you money that you have a rental clause that states "No water Filled Furniture" If your on the second floor, they will flip if they find out. If they are a reputable rental company they will do inspections maybe once or twice a year and you could get busted and have to take the tank down or pay a hefty premium or take out insurance for damage. I have rentals and I hate to say this, but I have it in all my contracts. Kinda snoop around without saying anything to see if it's allowed, maybe call the rental office and tell them your looking for an apartment and ask if they have any 2nd floor units available and then ask if they allow fish tanks or pets.
U r probably right, but maintenance lives below me and has been inside my apt. many times and seen my 55, 30, and 2 15 gallon tanks and they have not said a thing....

 

[ninjamini]

Ask for permission or ask for forgiveness.

 

[stdreb27]

I tend to agree with your problem of tank size limits. I've been shopping around for some apartments. And I've only found two or three that said they didn't have any problems with large tanks. But those wanted huge non refundable deposits.

I'd ask in a round about way if that is ok. If your buddy may just be not saying anything. I'd check the lease. Or just ask your buddy who works for them.

 

[azfishgal]

We had a queen size water bed on our second floor apartment. I'm pretty sure that would have been heavier than a 125 gallon tank. But our apartment approved it before moving in.