I ended with just a 150g and another 150 in another room. I have 300g but not all on one wall. That was my solution.
12 Volt Man;4497039; said:
Another "will my floor support" question, 265 Gallon
- Thread starter mgrady21
- Start date
s2convt;4497302; said:
that still sounds pretty awesome. twin 150's is a dream for most fishkeepers!
I'm surprised a 2003 build just has 2x6s on a 14' span. And I wouldn't trust it if that's the case.
Can you pull up a heat vent or something in the floor and slide the duct aside to peek in or take a flash photo to see for sure? (And to measure the depth?)
You may find that you have some kind of IGF joist or open web... both of which can hold much more weight. My house has 14" open web trusses 19" on center spanning 19 feet and I'm pretty sure I could park cars on it. And it's a 2005 build.
If it helps, you can trade me your 7x2x2.5 for my 7x2x2 acrylic, which has the same footprint but would weigh much less
Can you pull up a heat vent or something in the floor and slide the duct aside to peek in or take a flash photo to see for sure? (And to measure the depth?)
You may find that you have some kind of IGF joist or open web... both of which can hold much more weight. My house has 14" open web trusses 19" on center spanning 19 feet and I'm pretty sure I could park cars on it. And it's a 2005 build.
If it helps, you can trade me your 7x2x2.5 for my 7x2x2 acrylic, which has the same footprint but would weigh much less
They are both on the second floor in different rooms and are both glass tanks so it addes to the wait.
Does anyone know who much a sf of 1/2" acrylic weighs vs. 1/2" glass?
My 150G glass feels like it weighs almost 300lbs without water, if I can get that cut in half with acrylic, being water weights 8lbs per gallon, I think I could get away with a 180G Acrylic and be OK.
Food for thought.
Does anyone know who much a sf of 1/2" acrylic weighs vs. 1/2" glass?
My 150G glass feels like it weighs almost 300lbs without water, if I can get that cut in half with acrylic, being water weights 8lbs per gallon, I think I could get away with a 180G Acrylic and be OK.
Food for thought.
mgrady21;4498816; said:
your 150 probably does weight 300 pounds without water.
Allglass used to list their 150g as weighing 338 pounds and that was with the 'thinner' glass compared to the tanks of old and with the plastic braces.
back in the early 90's, a 150g would have been made with 5/8" glass all around with a 3/4" bottom and that probably would have weighed about 400 pounds empty.
that being said, acrylic weighs about 1/2 what glass does I believe.
so you only shave about 150 pounds off the total setup weight which probably isn't the difference between a go and a no go.
the problem is the water weight. 180g of water weighs 1500 pounds + substrate and tank weight you are still looking at close to 2000 pounds of weight even with an acrylic setup.
Allglass used to list their 150g as weighing 338 pounds and that was with the 'thinner' glass compared to the tanks of old and with the plastic braces.
back in the early 90's, a 150g would have been made with 5/8" glass all around with a 3/4" bottom and that probably would have weighed about 400 pounds empty.
that being said, acrylic weighs about 1/2 what glass does I believe.
so you only shave about 150 pounds off the total setup weight which probably isn't the difference between a go and a no go.
the problem is the water weight. 180g of water weighs 1500 pounds + substrate and tank weight you are still looking at close to 2000 pounds of weight even with an acrylic setup.
So i spoke to my uncle today for you, he is a builder with 30+ years experience.
He said what i expected to a degree, he cant say for sure without seeing it, even then it is hit and miss to a degree.
He did not see any reason why it cant be done, and pointed out the countless cast iron bath's that used to be fitted to normal single joist floors with no issue, he also pointed out the most bathrooms here do not have such a large span as the room that you want to use.
He said that if it where his house, and assuming there is space in the garage underneath that he would double the joist immediately under the tank across the fullspan. Also fit a support perpendicular to the double joist close to the outer edge of the tank. This support would be held in place with what we call 'acro's' over here in order to stop sagging, which are 'temporary fitment' extendable steel support poles used for removing lintels/rsj's to support brickwork.
He pointed out that the Acro's may not be essential per say, but it is the only way that he would say for sure to be a safe bet without observing the structure in person, given the possible damage that could be caused. This advice of course is assuming that current joists are sound, and well fitted.
Personally, in my own house where i have double joisted with high quality wood that is well fitted i will not be using acro's, however, my choice of tank will not be as large as yours and i own my house outright so the risk is on me.
I think thats all the input i can really put into this now, unless you need advice on the fitting of joists and 'temporary' steel supports.
I also think you have enough information on this thread from various folk to make a decision as to what is the best idea for you and your folks home in the long run.
He said what i expected to a degree, he cant say for sure without seeing it, even then it is hit and miss to a degree.
He did not see any reason why it cant be done, and pointed out the countless cast iron bath's that used to be fitted to normal single joist floors with no issue, he also pointed out the most bathrooms here do not have such a large span as the room that you want to use.
He said that if it where his house, and assuming there is space in the garage underneath that he would double the joist immediately under the tank across the fullspan. Also fit a support perpendicular to the double joist close to the outer edge of the tank. This support would be held in place with what we call 'acro's' over here in order to stop sagging, which are 'temporary fitment' extendable steel support poles used for removing lintels/rsj's to support brickwork.
He pointed out that the Acro's may not be essential per say, but it is the only way that he would say for sure to be a safe bet without observing the structure in person, given the possible damage that could be caused. This advice of course is assuming that current joists are sound, and well fitted.
Personally, in my own house where i have double joisted with high quality wood that is well fitted i will not be using acro's, however, my choice of tank will not be as large as yours and i own my house outright so the risk is on me.
I think thats all the input i can really put into this now, unless you need advice on the fitting of joists and 'temporary' steel supports.
I also think you have enough information on this thread from various folk to make a decision as to what is the best idea for you and your folks home in the long run.
The only problem with comparing cast iron bath tubs is that they are only filled for a short period of time. They are not a constant weight.
By the time its all said and done, the weight of the tank is somewhat inconsequential compared to the weight of water and substrate going in it. A couple hundred pounds isn't going to make or break you.
By the time its all said and done, the weight of the tank is somewhat inconsequential compared to the weight of water and substrate going in it. A couple hundred pounds isn't going to make or break you.
I do beleive he will have used that as an exmple of a single joist floor being able to take the weight without collapsing.
I did say he was clear that he would double up on the joists AND support it from below to prevent sagging if you read my post,,
I did say he was clear that he would double up on the joists AND support it from below to prevent sagging if you read my post,,
