180g tank in upstairs apartment?

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Cohazard

Arapaima
MFK Member
Jul 13, 2005
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I'm moving again! :irked:

This time unfortunately, it will be an upstairs apartment, so will I be able to keep my 180g tank?

If it's too much weight, I may just have to put it in storage and sell my fish, and keep a smaller aquarium in the meantime.

Thanks in advance for any advice or experience you can share. :)
 
Type of building?

It's in West Covina CA, the building can't be more than 30-40 years old is my guess.
 
Crap... I had this fallacy in my head that my tank wasn't much more different than a refrigerator... but guestimating the weight of water, tank, sand, etc.. the tank tops off at about 2k lbs.

While the average frige is about 250 lbs :ROFL:

This is devastating... I'll have some cool fish up for sale soon. :(
 
Scorponok;881684; said:
Or just dont' fill it all the way.

That would defeat the purpose of the tank eh?

I've got an 80g in storage that I can switch out my 180g for, but I'm worried about the weight of that one too.
 
It dose really depend on the age of the apt. and the state codes, two years ago NJ had a thing go down were the second floor had to have its own floor and that they was a seperation of the 1st and 2nd of 18" were extra supports were instailed. Verse the 1st floor celing is the 2nd's floor. The building Im in now was built after this was passed and my buddy upstairs has a 150g and a 75 in the living room...His floor creaks but hasnt fallin threw yet....lol

good luck and hopefully you can keep it
 
Thanks BTK :)

In the current apartment I'm at, the patio of my upstairs neighbor is slightly higher than our ceiling, which tells me there is a gap (I'm assuming that this gap is part of CA code).

I'm going to start looking for a house to rent instead so that hopefully I can keep my 180g AND pull out the 80g :)

I hate the whole process of moving!!!! :irked: :D
 
I would find out if the apt building has a policy on water beds? A king size wb is 250-300 gallons. You will need to find out the direction of the floor joist though and place the tank perpindicular to the floor joist.

Your 180g tank full will weigh around 2500 pounds give or take a couple of hundred lbs. The weight of the aquarium is supported by the entire floor as a whole not just the 6' x 2' space it sits upon. I am sure there would be no problem throwing a party and having 15 people on this floor space.

Like I said before the only problem will be if you place the tank parrallel to the floor joist, the weight will then be disributed over only 3-4 joist. Placed perpindicular the weight is distributed over 6-7 joist.

If the apt. building does not allow water beds then I would not set up the tank.

BTW I have a 180g tank with a cinder block stand(28 blocks x 32lbs each) on a structural wood floor in my house.
 
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