what floor is your tank on

annanymous

annanymous

Member
does anyone have a tank more then 75g and not on the first floor. i am almost ready to add water to my new 90 g set-up and very scared of it crashing a flor down [im on 3rd floor]. i was thinking of contacting the super and getting the blueprints for the building, but im not sure the board will be too happy about my little hobby here. would it make a difference if i put the tank in the xcorner instead of just against a wall? i will have a 30g fuge inside the stand too, so more weight :mad:
i already bought everything and set everything up and would really like not to let this inconvinience ruin my dream tank
 
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nluchau

Guest
14 views and no response.
I wish I could help you but I wouldn't be the best one on this topic.
Are you in a house on 3rd floor or Apartment? I would think if there is joist support in the wall and you plan on putting it very close to the wall, I would assume this is ok. But we're talking over 1200 lbs in one little area.
I hope you get some more responses in this matter.
Consider this a bump
 
thegrog

thegrog

Active Member
Depends on your building. Placing it near an outside wall would be best as they are typically load bearing walls. Spreadding out the load with a good stand base (not having a narrow stand base) is a good idea too although with a 75, most stands are pretty good about spreadding out the load.
Also, placing it on solid floor instead of carpet helps keep it even and steady but this can be tricky in an apartment.
I would seriously advise contacting your super/landlord before putting the tank in and getting their final OK. If something does go wrong (don't think it will with a 75) and it ends up on the 1st floor, you don't want to end up in court with him saying you never had the OK for it and being held liable for the thou$ands in damages.
So, long answer short, try and pick a load bearing wall. Outside walls are good bets. Corners are usually good too. Wide based stand with a large footprint. Super's OK.
 
J

jcrim

Guest
Just to let you know, I have a 125g on the third floor in my house. No problems thus far.
 
turningtim

turningtim

Active Member
You should place the tank/stand perpendicular to the floor joists, rather then parallel. This way you have more joists for support. I agree w/grog check it out before all that weight finds the ground floor the hard way! You need to find what the structure is before you can calc load.
Good Luck!
 
haze123

haze123

Member
I would think of it like this. If you have a frigearater (spelling), a stove, couchs and chairs, a big tv and a stand for it. I think if it can hold that stuff they why couldnt it hold your tank.
 
sw65galma

sw65galma

Active Member
Originally Posted by haze123
I would think of it like this. If you have a frigearater (spelling), a stove, couchs and chairs, a big tv and a stand for it. I think if it can hold that stuff they why couldnt it hold your tank.
Ummmm no don't think of it like that please!...
the standard for floor code static load is like 40lbs/sq ft i think it was..
You must take into acct everything that is on that floor though..
People are consider dynamic loads cuz you don't sit there forever.
I went through this when i wa trying to figureout if my 300 could be put upstairs.
it depends on how much other stuff is inthere...also do you have tons of people over?
You might be ok, but if you have like 10 300lbs guys over, you might have a problem...
My problem was the 2 tons of granite counter tops i have in the kitchen...
I'll look for my post from months ago about this...
 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
i have a an lcd tv [not heavy at all] and a stand for it, sofa, loveseat, and a 20l g SW tank w/ a stand for it. usually i only have a few ppl over, and most of the time its only me and my mother. most of my friends are still on the light side.
how would i figure out which way my joists go and how would i know how far apart they are?
thnx
 
turningtim

turningtim

Active Member
Annanymous, Do you think you could contact the local building dept. They may have the plans you are looking for and they could easily determine the load and if you will have a problem. I read in an another post that your building was built in the 40's. This may not have floor joists at all. It maybe a steel (rebar) and concrete floor. Do you have any idea what kind subfloor you have under the carpet? I agree (some-what) that back in the day engineers over-built for safty sake and b/c materials were cheap.
Honestly I don't think it will be an issue. I would trust the structure of a 60+year old building a lot more then one that was built yesterday. JMO! but I have poured so many foundations for new apts/houses I can't even count.
 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
i contacted the managers office of the department of buildings of NYC and they told me i can come and take a look at blueprints, but cant take them with me. they also suggested to hire an architect to determine the max weight cuz they have no idea. i will try asking my super, hopefuly he knows a bit more then ppl in the builfding dept. lol :thinking:
 
annanymous

annanymous

Member
im in a bit of a tight situation here...maybe someone can give me a good advice...
i figured out where the bearing wall is and which way the joists go, but the problem is i canot place my tank against a bearing wall or even perpendicular to the joists.
im gonna try and draw a pic of my living room layout to better state my point.
i dont know what to do anymore. i am very set on setting up this tank, but i just dont want it to fall through the floor on somebody's head.
 
N

nluchau

Guest
Originally Posted by TheGrog
Looks like you span it least 2 joists. I think you are alright.

I agree.
 
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