a 12 foot by 2.5 by 2.5 foot - how many gallons?

[Oddball]

I definately agree with Dar.. I am currently shutting down a 6 x 18" x 25" tank because it is making me nervous being on the second floor of a townhouse...

So long as the tank is set perpendicular to the crossbeams in the floor, there should be no problem with your 140 in a townhouse. You're looking at 155lbs per sq/ft. People standing in the room will stress the floor to a greater degree.

 

[Meniscus]

I definately agree with Dar.. I am currently shutting down a 6 x 18" x 25" tank because it is making me nervous being on the second floor of a townhouse...

I have a tank of almost this exact size on the 2nd floor of a townhouse as well. I'm not really worried about it anymore after doing a lot of reading etc, and I even run mine parallel with the beams (however one of the beams is a structural beam and it is 4 2x10's stuck together). Every once in a while I get nervous, and when I buy my next house (hopefully within a year) I will be putting it in the basement. Still you should be OK with that size where you are now.

 

[unknownuza13]

damn i wish i knew that before i bought a 180 gallon glass tank and attempted (successfully) to get it down some narrow ass basement steps with the help of 3 other guys. I may just leave the tank up and running now... I wish you guys didn't give me security.. especially since oddball the mesiah (sp) said it should be ok..... and since meniscus said he is running the similar tank on 2nd floor... now I am gonna have to start a what should I put in an empty 180 thread.. ha...

 

[guppy]

I just read this thread for the first time and after Oddball's cooments the only thing I want to add is to strengthen his statement about rental agreements, if you violate one not only can they evict you they can charge you for a structural damage survey.

 

[Dargath78]

I would be more worried about the tank coming through the floor on some of the people below. The building can be repaired. Any structure can fail even if it seems like it shouldn't. I remember a few years ago when a deck at a winery gave way and killed like 15 people that were under it. I'm pretty sure they were well within the load limits but crap happens. I don't like pushing things. People move around and stuff, a couple thousand pound tank will be in the same spot stressing it for as long it is there ( years?). Again I wouldn't do it but to each his own.

 

[rust9000]

Just times your tank size (in inches) together and devide by 231.
154x30x30=138600 divided by 231= 600gallons.

 

[guppy]

Just for future reference there are plug in portable sump pumps and even hand operated bilge pumps that work great to drain or partially drain a tank, You can also prep water in a 33g plastic drum and use a dolly to move it near the tank then use the pump to move the water into the tank, I have never kept saltwater or brackish tanks of any real size but I think that would be a good way to be able to use large batches of premixed marine solution.

 

[nolemite]

For future reference, to find gallons, multiply lengthxwidthxheight in inches, then divide by 231.

And if you don't have a calculator with you, try length*width*height in feet multiplied by 7.5. It works out roughly the same.

 

[lizardfishman]

it doesnt sound like a good idea to me. but buy the tank if ur gunna move into a house or bottom floor apt in the near future