View Full Version : 180G setup??
dodgefreak8
04-08-2005, 1:56 AM
hey everyone I was just curious if you think the average floor can support a 180g tank?
Tank Dimensions: 72"x24"x24"
Flooring: 2x8 floor joist 16" centers.
I figured the water alone weighted in at around 1500lbs don't know what completed tank will be..
I will be spanning the tank perpendicular to the joists and I plan on adding cement pavers with 4x4 post and wedges in the crawl space under the joists were the tank will set.
is this adequate??
neoprodigy
04-08-2005, 9:48 PM
i dont think a 180 gallon can sit on an un-re-enforced floor. i would add 2x8 to make it a 8" center.. and double up each beam to make it 4x8. and adding perpendicular joists will be a good idea also. TheTrust use centerblocks.
WckedMidas
04-08-2005, 9:51 PM
i duno what a floor can take never considerd it honestly. I got 12 cenderblocks sitting on the floor with a pallet from a 180 sitting on top of them renforced the pallet alittle. And put my 150 on top of that. Probly had hundred or so pounds of big rocks alone in it at one time along with 2 inchs of gravel. I had to replace the tung and grove with plywood befor i set it up tho. Some bich gonna fall threw one day
rayman45
04-09-2005, 3:06 AM
about 10 lbs a gallon
1800 + gravel
dodgefreak8
04-09-2005, 3:53 AM
doubleing up the joist will definatly help i will do that.. also and a gallon of water weighs 8.4lbs.. (I'm a plumber) but the addition of gravel definatly adds weight. I can also add more 2x8's for 8" centers and cross braces. thanks for the reply I will definatly reinforce...
neoprodigy
04-09-2005, 9:14 AM
doubleing up the joist will definatly help i will do that.. also and a gallon of water weighs 8.4lbs.. (I'm a plumber) but the addition of gravel definatly adds weight. I can also add more 2x8's for 8" centers and cross braces. thanks for the reply I will definatly reinforce...
if you still unsure call up a structual engineer. double the joist is what my structual enginner suggested.. :) if you have a change take some photo of the whole process... thanks
doubleing up the joist will definatly help i will do that.. also and a gallon of water weighs 8.4lbs.. (I'm a plumber) but the addition of gravel definatly adds weight. I can also add more 2x8's for 8" centers and cross braces. thanks for the reply I will definatly reinforce...
Good idea about the paving stones and vertilcal reinforcements, the more the better as the floor can take a while. A friend once had a 350 topple over in his living room because it had slowly pulled the floor joists loose from the opposite wall.
piranha45
04-18-2005, 5:58 PM
a 350 toppling over....
not even in my worst nightmares could i comprehend that
dodgefreak8
04-18-2005, 9:59 PM
I bought the stuff the other day,
I got 2 jackposts $16.00 each
1 4'x4'x8' to span all of the joists that my tank will sit on $12.00
and a bag of quicrete. $3.00
I decided to dig footers in my crawl space to set the jackposts on. I have seen pavers crack in half with a load so i just took that out of the equation..
I might still sister the joist that the tank will be on too but I haven't decided.
all total I have about $50.00 in it..
I think it is well worth it just for the added security..
any more suggestions?
thanks for all the reply's
neoprodigy
04-18-2005, 10:33 PM
I bought the stuff the other day,
I got 2 jackposts $16.00 each
1 4'x4'x8' to span all of the joists that my tank will sit on $12.00
and a bag of quicrete. $3.00
I decided to dig footers in my crawl space to set the jackposts on. I have seen pavers crack in half with a load so i just took that out of the equation..
I might still sister the joist that the tank will be on too but I haven't decided.
all total I have about $50.00 in it..
I think it is well worth it just for the added security..
any more suggestions?
thanks for all the reply's
sound good! besure to take alot of pix!!! good luck
dodgefreak8
04-24-2005, 12:28 AM
here are some pics of my stand-in-progress..
what do you think, is it sturdy enough?
I was at petsmart yesterday and looked inside a stand for 125g tank and I was shocked :eek:
there wasn't one 2x4 in it. It was just plywood stapled together. if that will hol 125 gallons this should hold 180 right?
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/dodgefreak8/stand3.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/dodgefreak8/stand2.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/dodgefreak8/stand1.jpg
rayman45
04-24-2005, 12:33 AM
thats enuf lol
nice looking
piranha45
04-24-2005, 12:45 AM
im no expert, but the aesthetics look fine
dodgefreak8
04-26-2005, 8:47 PM
here's an update. I added some bracing as suggested on another forum and got the face and sides on. I will ad trim to cover all the plywood edges.. so far, so good.. thanks for all the replys. keep'em comin'
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/dodgefreak8/100_0716.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/dodgefreak8/100_0714.jpg
David R
04-27-2005, 2:59 AM
That stand will be fine, and it'll help distribute the weight over the floor nicely.
I had my 150g on a wooden floor with no extra bracing, the stand had 6 4x2 legs with a piece of 6x2 running between them to help spread the load over the joists. It was like this for over two years with no signs of stress on the floor. Our house was up on poles so you could walk under it, I kept a very close watch on the beams for a while then gradually forgot about it.
I'm starting to frustrate my partner because every she finds a nice house to buy it never has a concrete floor......
SteveO
04-28-2005, 11:42 AM
I wouldnt put it on anything 'cept concrete floor... I know a guy who poured a concrete base from his basement to first floor, simply for a 220.
xPe_MONeYx
10-14-2009, 6:23 PM
that'll do
Darth Scohin
10-14-2009, 6:36 PM
I remember someone saying "Park your car on it" once and honestly if you have a sissy car aka "Smart Car" or VW Beetle etc... if it holds your good
Fishdude401
10-14-2009, 6:43 PM
Luckily for me, my only heavy tank is just above a supporter
fast lane
10-14-2009, 7:07 PM
Holy old thread resurrection Batman!!!! :eek:
takinap
10-14-2009, 7:22 PM
Am i the only one to have a 220 in a hundred something year old house with a cellar and no floor reinforcement?
SupeDM
10-14-2009, 7:39 PM
I live in a mobile home and have a 125 gallon tank running parallel to the floor joists. I for one can tell you that this was a recipe for disaster. One of the floor joists under the tank shifted and the whole tank leaned back towards the wall around 2 inches. I was home when it happened and there was water spilling over the back of the tank. miraculously the seams and the glass held. This was 8 months ago and the tank is still up and running. I have since reinforced the floor to the point where a tornado could take the house away but the tank and that part of the floor will still be there. I doubled all floor joists in the area. I put crossbracing with hurricane plates every 12 inches. Then I packed the whole floor with insulation and covered the underside with 2x12 boards. then I bricked up to the floor from the ground and pounded shims in to make it tight.
12 Volt Man
10-14-2009, 7:45 PM
Am i the only one to have a 220 in a hundred something year old house with a cellar and no floor reinforcement?
don't worry. it will look great in your basement:ROFL:
fishbum
10-14-2009, 7:47 PM
Am i the only one to have a 220 in a hundred something year old house with a cellar and no floor reinforcement?
I think so.