Again thanks for all the input. As previously stated the tanks are not an issue with the landlord.
Apartments
- Thread starter Charney
- Start date
I wasn't aware we were talking about a 300g+ tank. I guess I just assumed making sure it's okay with your apartment complex or at least checking your lease is common sense for a grown adult.There's a reason several people have mentioned that he should clear having 300+ gallons of aquariums with the landlord...it can be a real issue. One of the things I like best about this site is people sharing ideas that I may not have considered. If he doesn't want to hear it, he can ignore it. But why not ask the landlord about it and find out now if it will be an issue as opposed to having the landlord freak out when they come to service his A/C unit, fix a leaky toilet or any other issue?
It would be foolish to rely on what some random person on the internet says about a floors ability to hold a load when the specs of the floor have not even been laid out. There is a difference between a couch holding a few guys for a few hours a day (transient load) versus tanks that have the flooring under a longer term (24/7) live load.
The last place I lived had concrete floors and I would have been comfortable setting up a 240G on it (I was on the 7th floor). My brother owns an apartment building with wood floor joists that was built around the same time as my old apartment with concrete floors and a 50G would cause his floors to sag. Both buildings were built to code for the type of construction used at the time, but there are drastic differences in how much weight each can hold.
To the OP, if you are going to keep the tanks a secret, and you aren't able to find a unit on the 1st floor on concrete slab foundation, the least you should do is find out which way your floor joists run and set your tanks up perpindicular to them. The more floor joists your tank sits over, the better. Placing the tanks near a load bearing wall would also be a good idea. And lastly, I wouldn't multi-task when doing water changes. Losing track of time when you are filling up a tank could spell disaster/financial ruin for you. I know you didn't specifically ask for that advice (sorry Jon M), but I'll still offer it up.
Best of luck.
I have some form of concrete floor I believe and I would never dare more than my 125g.Hello; My understanding is it is not a single 300+ gallon tank, but several tanks that add up to over 300 gallons. The static load can be spread out some and the total weight may actually be greater than a single tank due to the multiple sets of equipment for several tanks.
IMO your always better safe then sorry. I would clear it with the landlord first, though I don't see the issue. You have several smaller tanks so I wouldn't imagine it being an issue. I know I wouldn't care if renters set up aquariums in my house, I would just ask they opt to have water damage added to their renters insurance.
he said its cleared by the landlord so please move on and focus on if it'd be safe to have that much weight on a 4th floor apt all 300+ gallons in one room instead of bickering about what is proper ways of living in apartments. and good luck for your move.
i don't think it is a good idea to have all those tanks on the 4th floor, maybe the 1st on a concrete slab but not the 4th because the water alone will weight aver 1 ton without any substrate which will be heavier than the water and then you have to account the extra 100+ lbs from the equipment
OP- in order to be certain, you will need to consult a structural engineer.
Just like any other information provided by members of this site, I would take it with a grain of salt. I'm sure you realize that the person saying you will be ok placing that much weight on the 4th floor of an apt building could very well be an 11 year old kid from South Cackalacky...hardly an authority on the load bearing capability of a structure.
I'm not a structural engineer, but I did stay at a holiday inn express last night.
Just like any other information provided by members of this site, I would take it with a grain of salt. I'm sure you realize that the person saying you will be ok placing that much weight on the 4th floor of an apt building could very well be an 11 year old kid from South Cackalacky...hardly an authority on the load bearing capability of a structure.
I'm not a structural engineer, but I did stay at a holiday inn express last night.
Yeah that person turns out to be a civil engineering student, structural being the focus, and would usually be a good authority on structural questions, but it would be hard to tell without the blueprints for the building and knowing the materials used to build the apartment, but usually it is a bad idea to put so much weight in a concentrated area
Hello; I have been thinking about this myself. By "concentrated area", are you thinking of the multiple tanks being spread about in one small apartment? There will be a number of tanks adding up to 300+ gallons which can be around 3000 pounds plus the furniture, appliances and people that may come and go. I take from your post that this raises some real questions/ red flags. I believe the OP has cleared it with the landlord and has or plans to get insurance. Insurance will help in the long run, but the short term headache of a problem might be substantial.
I follow these threads as I plan to have a room in my house with many tanks that will add up to several hundred gallons. My floors are nearly 40 year old 2x10 wood joists. I now plan to place extra bracing based on what I have learned from these threads and some experience working around houses. Civil engineers that I know rarely give even casual opinions on structure. They want to take a good look /see and seem most comfortable with testing and measurements. I hired one to evaluate the roof of a place and we had to get up in the attic before he would make a comment. The money I paid to him was a bargan compaired to what it would have taken to reinforce the roof. i did not buy that place.
