How large of a tank can i get upstairs

j-lor

Piranha
MFK Member
Jan 29, 2007
572
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76
Milwaukee
I plan on upgradeing and i live in 2nd floor apartment. Im thinking about getting a 210gal. Will it be okay if not what is the largest tank that i can go with. Thanks
 

Luminescent

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 3, 2008
30
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Ontario, Canada
It depends what the place is made of. Right now in my apartment, I am also on the 2nd floor. I have a 125 gallon, a 75 gallon, as well as a 90 gallon. I am about to put in another at 70 gallons. My building is made of concrete and I check every few weeks with a level to make sure nothing is sinking or bending. If your place is concrete, id say it SHOULD, and I stress SHOULD be safe, as long as the aquarium is long and not high, thus allowing the weight to spread over a long distance. If you do not have concrete, it is an absolute no-no. A friend of mine was in a 2nd floor building made of mostly wood, and after about 1 year of having his 125 gallon, the floor started to give beneath the tank. Eventually the floor just can't take it when its wood. There is not an exact guide on this, only recommendations. In the end however, whatever you decide on, make sure you purchase insurance. I have a million dollars insurance and it costs me around 150 dollars a year.

Hope this helps!

EDIT: For clarity
 

Sarin9390

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 18, 2007
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Richmond, VA
Man i dont know about that. I would be nervous about my 2000 pound tank sitting on a floor made of wood and nails. Maybe you should consider getting a very long tank just to be safe.
 

Hap3niz

Candiru
MFK Member
Mar 13, 2009
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south texas
maan... now im nervous of putting my 150 gallon tank upstairs... and it's wood flooring (i think)
it's a tall tank too... 48Lx24dx30H ... well not too tall.. but yeah... would that hold well??
 

aldiaz33

Blue Tier VIP
MFK Member
Jun 19, 2007
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Get a professional opinion. Any structural engineer will be able to tell you whether or not your floor can handle the weight. But you will need to provide the specs of your floors.

I currently have a 270G with a 35G sump on wood floor joists. My floors are made out of 2x10s, so they're pretty beefy. I had a structural engineer run the numbers and they said I was fine...I could put over 3,000lbs without any problems. The tank has been set up for almost two years now without any problems.

Your floors may be totally different than mine, so don't think that just because I'm ok, you'll be fine too. My brother's apartment floors are so weak that he probably couldn't even set up a 55 gallon. But I think a lot of people on here underestimate the strength of wood. Just because it's wood, doesn't mean it won't be able to support the weight. Again, get a professional opinion even if you have to pay someone to run the numbers. If your floors fail, it could end up costing a lot more than paying for a professional opinion.
 

LouieV

Candiru
MFK Member
Jun 27, 2008
351
1
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Queens NYC
yup...I have a 150 on a 2nd Floor apt..6" Long and no problem..my 2 family brick home was built in the 1920"s and these floors are like steel..no bending no nothing...but I do agree a long tank is better for a 2nd, 3rd or 4th floor apt's than tall... some wood home's though I have seened personally are built weaker I guess; I went to a home once of this guy who had 12 tanks through out his 3rd floor apt and is was SCARY!! his living room was Bowed! I was freaked out..He was eventually thrown out by the landlord...
 

Dixon81

Piranha
MFK Member
Feb 15, 2008
701
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Massachusetts
This question is very hard to answer w/o structural notes. There will be certain walls in your place that are "load bearing" all outside walls and usually the walls down the middle of you apt are " load bearing" My suggestion would be to put the tank on an outside wall or a wall you know is loadbearing. You really need to know what your flor joists are made of 2x8 2x10 2x12 they probablyarent 2x12 most likely 2x10. Im not sure about the building codes in milwaukee.
 

weedamese

Gambusia
MFK Member
Jan 18, 2008
508
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in the fish room
I wouldnt do it that is very risky lol but i'm not really sure lets leave it for the expert because you will be standing around the tank + sometimes you have family around that is super heavy
 

stingraybob

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 17, 2009
324
1
0
Toledo,OH
j-lor;2920827; said:
I plan on upgradeing and i live in 2nd floor apartment. Im thinking about getting a 210gal. Will it be okay if not what is the largest tank that i can go with. Thanks
I would recommend moving to a ground floor apartment unless you do your homework on the building. And get plenty of renters insurance, some buildings arent built that great and it would suck to come home to water flowin everywhere and your neighbors waiting to tar and feather you..just my 2 pennies...
 
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