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

[12 Volt Man]

Aha, or a Waterbed with 2 people, guy is 250lbs and woman is 170lbs which covers the weight of glass/stand. Not to mention when they are humping. A fish tank is hardly rocked ever.

but a water bed + humping couple is spread (er...lol) over a very large surface area. often the frame has more than 4 contact points as well.

a 300g tank is 30" tall roughly so the weight is much more concentrated and places much more stress on the floor.

 

[Fat Homer]

Aha, or a Waterbed with 2 people, guy is 250lbs and woman is 170lbs which covers the weight of glass/stand. Not to mention when they are humping. A fish tank is hardly rocked ever.

but a water bed + humping couple is spread (er...lol) over a very large surface area. often the frame has more than 4 contact points as well.

a 300g tank is 30" tall roughly so the weight is much more concentrated and places much more stress on the floor.

Couldn't have said it better myself...

 

[tomojsg]

how much would a 500g acrylic setup weight?

 

[aaronfeeney]

Buy a house with a basement , then go BIG as Hell.

 

[aaronfeeney]

500 gallons x 8lbs per gallon(its a little more than 8 but this is close)=4000lbs of water+the weight of the tank, gravel, decorations, stand, filters, sump, water in sump, and any thing else stored in the footprint of the set up.= VERY Heavy

 

[tomojsg]

i think my apt could hold that old house with wood frames + cement? nay or yes?

 

[birdhawk23]

Hey guys, I'm bringing this puppy back alive...
My apartment has held a 72 gallon with 20 gallon sump, 25 gallon tub of water, and a 150 gallon tank on the supporting wall now for 2 months.
I'm never satisfied, I'm up and ridding of all of these and going big with a 265 and a 55 gallon sump.
I've contacted the building contractor of MY apartment and he said he expects it to be fine. It is constructed by 2x12's every 16 inches with I beam Joists. By placing the 265 on a two corner support wall I will have added support from extra 7 feet will have no issues being held up... Anybody have any regards to this?
Lets start this up again guys

 

[PostalPenguin]

For anyone with large tanks I'd definitely carry renters insurance. That way if your tank bursts and causes damage, your insurance will cover it.

 

[birdhawk23]

Good point Penguin

 

[Lab_Rat]

For anyone with large tanks I'd definitely carry renters insurance. That way if your tank bursts and causes damage, your insurance will cover it.

Most renter's insurance plans only cover catastrophic damage, not normal wear and tear. So if you take good care of your tank and it springs a leak and does major damage, insurance doesn't cover it (or only covers a minimal amount like $500). OTOH, if you're an idiot and do something stupid that smashes a panel in your tank, insurance covers it all because it's catastrophic and not normal wear and tear. I tried to get a rider on my renter's insurance to cover leaks but the best they would do was $500. Fortunately I'm now on the first floor of a building built on concrete slab, so worst case scenario I've got to pay for carpet replacement and maybe a little bit of drywall. I was always nervous in my last place when I was on the third floor.

A big thing to consider is whether the building has concrete slab for each floor. If it's concrete slab you're pretty good no matter what tank size, if it's not, you better check how it's built to know how much you can safely have set up.