Apartment Aquarium... How BIG is to BIG!?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
window can cause algae problems. about the weight, find out what way the studs go on the framing of the apartment you want the length of the tank to go against the studs, not with them. so 86"<-------------------------> (or however long your tank is)
studs go down and up not with the line
 
Hello; This may help if you have some sort of forced air heating or air conditioning with ducts in the floor. The grates in the floor are sometimes not fastened down and can be pull up. I installed carpet for a time and was able to pull the ones set into a floor with my fingers or a gentle application of a screwdriver. Some, like to type in my current home, are nailed to the floor so do not force them.

If you can remove the grates, it may be possible to work out how the joists run. It will depend a lot on how well the ducting was installed. Some times the installer will leave gaps large enough to see thru a bit or the layout can be deciphered by the way they are nailed.

There are stud finders available but the older style that I used were iffy. The newer type may work much better.

If you have a drywall (sheetrock) ceiling it may be possible to see how the panels were screwed to the studs. Some times the installers do not tape and cover the screw dimples all that well and the line of screw dimples can be made out. The edges of sheetrock panels will be screwed to the joists. While it is possible for the cieling joists to run in a different direction than the floor joists, it has not been the case in my experience

The best way is to get under the floor and look, but that may not be possible in an apartment. if you have accesss to the lowest floor of the building, there may be a way to see how the studs run at that level at hope they run the same way in your apartment.
 
That is an excellent idea you have their buddy. Unfortunately mine are on the ceiling. Is their anyway to get the tile up in a closet or something? Or am I gonna have to go get me a new fancy stud finder? lol
 
Hello; Tiles are meant to be permanently bonded to the floor. If they are put down right, they will likely break if you try to remove them and it will not help you anyway as they should be on top of some sort of flooring such as cement board.

This is by no means a positive way to check, but perhaps will give a hint. In some buildings the ducts for heat and air run parallel to the joists. If you have two supply grates in one room, it is possible that a line between them is perpendicular to the direction of the joists. Of course this is not certain as the newer engineered trusses are 18 inches or more deep with ample openings to allow the ducts to run in any direction. Also flexable ducting is used a lot and can be snaked around. Not much help am I?



Look under the sinks and cabinets. Look in the closets at the top, sometimes an access hole is made in the cieling. Is there any room that does not have tile of carpet?
 
Other than the window issue, check power. Make sure the line can handle what you're going to add to the circuit. My 300 sits around 8.5-9 amps all in with modest lighting.

Detailed in the thread in my sig.
 
Now that I think of it, I believe their isnt any flooring in my little bity closet that my hot water heater is housed in...
Nice thread there John, I really enjoyed it!
 
Well if it don't fit through the door it's too big:D
 
Well the apartment I live in his bricks/Cements, nothing wood...but yeah i have a 55gal and 20gal :0p and im still scared, if one of them leaked, or the stand holding em fell :p nightmares!
 
I'm kind of lost right now, I checked the ducts, storage closet, all that crap and cant seem to find which way these stupid posts are running.
Is my only option left to go get a stud finder and try to run it through my floor? will that even work?
 
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