Reenforcing floor for 3000lbs of Aquarium wieght

actually i think your floor could support the tank as it is now. it wouldn't hurt to add reinforcement, but idk if it is completely necessary.

i'd of course wait for other's opinions because i don't want this to fail, as that would suck royally.

those wooden I beams are supposed to be stronger than standard floor 2x10 or 2x12 beams.

But still Id try an contact a framing contractor, theyd def know if your ok or not.

ask somebody who really knows !!! structural engineer or a good framing contractor...........

many floors are designed around 200 lbs/ sq ft load

if your tank is 2x6=12 sq ft ( 3000 lbs ??)
12x200=2400 lbs would maybe pushing it without adding extra braces

for a 200 gallon tank 1600 lbs water + 300 rock gravel + 300 misc

youd be on the edge if its a 200 lb/sq ft floor

i am guessing.......... as i said ask someone who knows !!!

The two by tens will do a good job in stenghthening the floor for your tank. A couple of short cross pieces will be good to stop any twisting in the joist. The only other option is to put the tank on a piece of half or three quarter inch ply wood to spread the weight. Better safe then sorry.

Well put it this way... I weigh 240 and if I stand in a 1 foot square on my floor I'm not really worried about falling thru!!! haha ...but then again I suppose if ya had 12 of mes standing next to each other... hmmm might get a little bouncy.

But just make sure its spread out and not all bearing down on a few points.
Its pretty cheap to add the boards tho for extra feel goods 8)

it would be a good idea to add boards in the middle of your existing joists so the tank is only spanning 12" instead of 24". get 3 4x10s to place between your four joists for totall assurance, proboably an over, but were MFK'ers

dmopar74;845517; said:

it would be a good idea to add boards in the middle of your existing joists so the tank is only spanning 12" instead of 24". get 3 4x10s to place between your four joists for totall assurance, proboably an over, but were MFK'ers

Click to expand...

this is what I did.

well that works... i would either leave it as is since the floor would hold the weight... but if you want to add to it, I would double the beams up, add one right next to the ones that are there. standard wood or the pre-fab I-beams ones like you have, then screw them togeter with deck screws... that would do the trick. that way you double your weaight handling and allow for finishing the basement without vertical beams. also if the upper floor isnt done yet or if your re-doing it(even though it looks like a new house) i would get pannels of 1/4"ply and some contractors adhesive, glue the plywood down to the existing subfloor, this will further strengthen your floow, reduce flexing and squicking. makes it solid, not needed though. I did my main floor this way and dont regret it one bit. Its a new house and it flexed and squiked like a mother.... and after "strengthening" the floor and adding hardwood, i can jump on it and it doesnt flex...