Will my tank crash through the floor?

[newfishguy]

I have a two story home with a basement and am going to put my fish tank in the family room on the first floor. I have a 75 gallon tank and just realized that it will probably weigh between 700 and 900 pounds when complete. I assume that it can handle the weight but am not sure. Anybody have any advice or good/bad stories on this.

 

[guyute]

a 75g shouldn't cause too many problems. you'll get all different kinds of answers from all different people though. When I was getting ready to setup a 125 I had a contractor come and check my joists... which were spaced wider than I would've felt safe with, so I wanted advice. I ended up deciding to wait.
a 75g though, if placed perpendicular to your floor joists (spreading the weight across more supports) shouldn't cause any reason for concern, imho. I would say though, don't use a steel stand that only has 4 points of contact with the floor. a standard stand that distributes the weight is always a better plan (unless on a slab, where it doesn't matter).
you should be fine.
again though, whatever you feel comfortable with... it's not my problem if a tank sinks into your floor or something. ;-)

 

[newfishguy]

I have a wood stand that distributes the weight.
Originally Posted by guyute
a 75g shouldn't cause too many problems. you'll get all different kinds of answers from all different people though. When I was getting ready to setup a 125 I had a contractor come and check my joists... which were spaced wider than I would've felt safe with, so I wanted advice. I ended up deciding to wait.
a 75g though, if placed parallel to your floor joists (spreading the weight across more supports) shouldn't cause any reason for concern, imho. I would say though, don't use a steel stand that only has 4 points of contact with the floor. a standard stand that distributes the weight is always a better plan (unless on a slab, where it doesn't matter).
you should be fine.
again though, whatever you feel comfortable with... it's not my problem if a tank sinks into your floor or something. ;-)

 

[thegrog]

I had the same concern when setting up my 125 in the first floor of our house. The location chosen unfortunately, the floor joists ran parallel to the tank and it would only be sitting on two of them--rather squarely on them though. I built a wooden stand with 2x8's as the base so the weight would be really spread out (ie no single point having a huge load). With a 3000 pound stand, tank, sump and equipment (a VERY heavy estimate) I am only running at 2.3 PSI on the stand!!!
Still, just to be safe I went into the basement and took a close look at the floor joists. At one end of the tank is a concrete support. The other was wide open so I bought an adjustable floor jack (costs like $30 at Lowes), figured out where the end of the tank will sit, and then put it in place. Now the joists that my tank sits on are supported at both ends.
No problems and none anticipated.
Just plan ahead on tank placement, think things through, and place supports accordingly and you will be fine!

 

[salty cheese]

Originally Posted by guyute
a 75g though, if placed parallel to your floor joists (spreading the weight across more supports)
I think you mean perpendicular. :happyfish

 

[guyute]

lol, aye. that's what happens when I post first thing in the morning. I should know better.

 

[salty cheese]

Originally Posted by guyute
lol, aye. that's what happens when I post first thing in the morning. I should know better.

It happens to me when I post past my bed time.

 

[newfishguy]

Unfortunately my tank runs parallel with the floor joists.

 

[guyute]

Grog's suggestion of the floor jack is a good one. I was going to do that under my floor in my last house. even if the joists are running parallel to the tank... if there's a support along the wall where the tank will be (cement piling usually), I'd say you're probably in pretty good shape.
if there's no main support anywhere near your tank, AND the joists are parallel... it's obviously not a perfect spot.. but is still doable.
a couple of floor jacks would go a long way. you could lay some wood on top of each jack and raise it up into the joist so that it supports it under the tank.

 

[thegrog]

Originally Posted by guyute
Grog's suggestion of the floor jack is a good one. I was going to do that under my floor in my last house. even if the joists are running parallel to the tank... if there's a support along the wall where the tank will be (cement piling usually), I'd say you're probably in pretty good shape.
if there's no main support anywhere near your tank, AND the joists are parallel... it's obviously not a perfect spot.. but is still doable.
a couple of floor jacks would go a long way. you could lay some wood on top of each jack and raise it up into the joist so that it supports it under the tank.
Just be sure to do the floor jack BEFORE filling the tank with water. That way, the jack will absorb part of the load rather than support an already stressed joist.

 

[birdy]

IMO you do not need to worry about a 75gallon tank at all. I have seen tons of houses with much much bigger tanks. People don't worry about waterbeds on second floors of houses and they have more water in them than a 75gallon tank.
In fact I maintain two tanks that are over 200gallons that are on the main floor of a house (basements underneath). I personally would recommend tanks that size be put in the basement or on a slab, but I have seen no sign of problems with it so far. These are both in fairly new houses, if it were an older house then I would be more concerned.

 

[newfishguy]

Yes but are your tanks parallel or perpendicular with the joists in the basement? Most of my time is spent on the first floor so it would be a waste to put it in the basement.
Originally Posted by Birdy
IMO you do not need to worry about a 75gallon tank at all. I have seen tons of houses with much much bigger tanks. People don't worry about waterbeds on second floors of houses and they have more water in them than a 75gallon tank.
In fact I maintain two tanks that are over 200gallons that are on the main floor of a house (basements underneath). I personally would recommend tanks that size be put in the basement or on a slab, but I have seen no sign of problems with it so far. These are both in fairly new houses, if it were an older house then I would be more concerned.

 

[thegrog]

Originally Posted by Birdy
These are both in fairly new houses, if it were an older house then I would be more concerned.
Actually, older houses are usually stronger. Houses built 40, 50, 60+ years ago were usually built using hardwood (like oak or ash) for the joist beams. Todays houses use the much softer pine boards as the trees grow much faster and produce more usable boards per tree. Also, todays lumber is not to size. A 2x10 is actually only 1-1/2x9-1/4 inches whereas most lumber 50+ years ago was actually 2x10. this is of course assuming that the wood has not been rotted away or eaten by termites. In addition, in many older homes, the joists are closer together whereas todays contractors will build to code, rarely beyond it so they space them out at the max allowed to save $$.
Also, older houses have had decades to settle into place where new ones are still shifting and settling in. Adding a large weight to the floor may cause it to settle in unevenly and cause a depression in the floor. Things like this don't happen overnight, they take years to decades to happen so just because it has been fine for a few years does not mean it is fine in the long run.
As for the 75, if you place it near a wall on a stable floor with the joists running perpindicular if possible, you should not have any problems. Try avoid placing it on carpet that has thick padding as this will not only make the tank slightly unstable, but it may ruin the padding so when you move there will be a perminant indentation in the carpet (trust me on this one, happened to me and had to pay for new carpet padding).
OK, enough rambling and back to work!

 

[bchdfldian]

You can ask a contractor to come by and look at your floor/ceiling. Won't cost too much and he'll tell you if it'll hold things.
Have it near a wall, corner would be more support, also go to your basement and see if you can find where the main support beams are, putting the tank on those would be best.
A large, wooden stand would also spread out the weight a lot better.

 

[bigdogzack]

I'm a building inspector by trade and although we wouldn't advise on the safety of your tank (i.e. if you called the city, therefore I won't suggest you call your building inspector...liability issues) we would recommend that you talk to a structural engineer if you have any concerns...unfortuanately not that many contractors really understand the dynamics of structural loading (i.e. as was stated above, most tradespeople just "build by the book" and or their lumber yards recommendations - some of which have structural engineers on staff)...the building code requires that a structural engineer review any conditions that do not fall within the definition of being "empirical" in nature...what was stated above about wood "settling" over time is called "creep" - next time your by an older home check out the garage's overhead door header, probably sags in the middle (why we now use built-up or engiveered lumber for large span headers....my point is, Bangguy is totally correct, don't make the mistake of thinking that because a floor seems ok at first that it won't slowly sag (creep) over time...many a tank that misteriously starts to leak after several years is because of streesses slowly building up untill something "gives"...as was stated above, your safest approach is to make sure the tank is supported all the way down to a concrete slab (although I aggree that a 75 gallon isn't much of a concern if it's placed perpindicular to the floor joists and it's supports fall directly over floor joists - i.e. avoid point loads on the subfloor area between the joists...I would be cautios if it's placed parrellel)... :thinking:

 

[thegrog]

Originally Posted by Bigdogzack
I'm a building inspector by trade and although we wouldn't advise on the safety of your tank (i.e. if you called the city, therefore I won't suggest you call your building inspector...liability issues) we would recommend that you talk to a structural engineer if you have any concerns...unfortuanately not that many contractors really understand the dynamics of structural loading (i.e. as was stated above, most tradespeople just "build by the book" and or their lumber yards recommendations - some of which have structural engineers on staff)...the building code requires that a structural engineer review any conditions that do not fall within the definition of being "empirical" in nature...what was stated above about wood "settling" over time is called "creep" - next time your by an older home check out the garage's overhead door header, probably sags in the middle (why we now use built-up or engiveered lumber for large span headers....my point is, Bangguy is totally correct, don't make the mistake of thinking that because a floor seems ok at first that it won't slowly sag (creep) over time...many a tank that misteriously starts to leak after several years is because of streesses slowly building up untill something "gives"...as was stated above, your safest approach is to make sure the tank is supported all the way down to a concrete slab (although I aggree that a 75 gallon isn't much of a concern if it's placed perpindicular to the floor joists and it's supports fall directly over floor joists - i.e. avoid point loads on the subfloor area between the joists...I would be cautios if it's placed parrellel)... :thinking:
Let me get your opinion on this if I may.
I just set up a 125 with a 40 sump. Total weight around 1500#. Unfortunately, I had to place it parallel to the joists. It sits square over two joists. They are 2x10 old, hardwood joists. In the basement, below the tank ~20" from one end is a vertical concrete support column. I positioned a floor jack about 6" from the other end of the tank with a 4x4 spanning the joists (before the tank was filled). Due to a gas line, I couldn't place it directly under the tank. I also used a large tank base using 2x8's that are 90" in length with evenly distributed vertical support columns and a perfectly square base.
The tank was dead level (every direction throughout the tank) when empty, and remained dead level when full and running. Even used a mounted laser level at points throughout the room (calculated it got me to the nearest 3 degrees).
I am a few years departed from my structural engineering classes in college

(bioengineering and EE degrees) so I think I dispersed the loads enough.
Opinions? Just want a second opinion to reassure my thinking. :yes:

 

[bigdogzack]

I think you've got a pretty good handle on it (my experiance has been that most people who have had problems experience them because they just didn't realize any of the issues and therefore weren't at all proactive when setting up their tank)...I would suggest checking it after a couple of years with your lazer level again to see if any movement is occuring...wood creep is a verry slow dynamic...I'm always checking my tanks for any indication that they're moving (i.e. I know what's "normal" for my tanks and the surrounding walls just like I know my fish, if I ever noticed a hairline crack in the drywall or even the paint of the support structures, I'd be pretty nervouse and would be doing some pretty thoughrow invistigatition...

 

[thegrog]

Thanks. Eased my mind a bit.
Problem is that I set the laser level on the tank and pointed it at different wall points....and marked them with a pencil. The boss won't let me keep even little pencil marks on the walls for years (freaked when she saw them the first time) so I will have to just guesstimate.

 

[squidd]

Ask your self this...
How much water does your tub hold...?
Is it made out of cast Iron...?
Ever have two people in it...?
Do you have "posts" under it...?
Didn't think so..

 

[thegrog]

Originally Posted by Squidd
Ask your self this...
How much water does your tub hold...?
Is it made out of cast Iron...?
Ever have two people in it...?
Do you have "posts" under it...?
Didn't think so..
It is also near a load bearing wall, and if you look there are usually more joists under it and the joist span is usually smaller than a living rooms.
Found this site that explains a lot.
http://african-cichlid.com/Structure.htm