Biggest tank for main floor?

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Longimanus

Longimanus

Candiru
MFK Member
Feb 19, 2009
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BC, Canada
What is the biggest tank generally considered safe to put on a main floor of a house? There is a full, finished basement underneath the main floor. I was hoping to get a 125 gallon or so to put in the living room. I currently live in the basement with my 55 gallon, but I'm moving upstairs and want to upgrade my tank at the same time I move up. My dream tank is a 180, but I am thinking that would be too heavy.

Shoring up the floor with jacks and stuff is not an option in the basement. Nor is leaving the tank in the basement, as someone else will be living down there.
 
I asked this same question a couple months ago and got a lot of conflicting advice. The answer is basically this: there are a lot of variables. I ended up not doing it, simply because I didn't know who to trust and I'm planning on selling my house soon so I couldn't chance any adverse effects. I'm definitely gonna follow this thread to see if you get clear answers. Good luck
 
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yeah i think that would be a great idea. And just tell them you need to support almost a ton. A full 125 weighs 1400 lbs, plus stand, substrate, lid, lights, etc.
 
Hello; A rough estimate for a large tank might be 10 to 12+ pounds per gallon. This can vary with the type of stand and the stuff you put in the tank.

Here is the web address of an article that talks about the issue.


http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article28.html


My take is that the question can only be answered by someone with knowledge of structure actually having a look to see what you have and what condition it is in. There have been posts (a link follows) describing damage from tanks from time to time, so it does happen.


In case some missed this thread a while back here is a link to it. A look at the pictures should give pause, they did for me.


http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...-out-there-Question-about-reinforcing-a-floor


Good luck
 
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Longimanus said:
What is the biggest tank generally considered safe to put on a main floor of a house?

Shoring up the floor with jacks and stuff is not an option in the basement.
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The strongest point of your floor is probably against an exterior wall perpendicular to the floor joists. As for max size, a general rule of thumb is to assume 10lbs per gallon + the weight of the tank/stand/filter. A 180 gallon tank then would be in the neighborhood of 2000 lbs. I ran a 180 on a normal floor (framing, plywood, carpet backer, carpet) against an exterior wall for 3 years with no ill-effects aside from hard water deposits on the wall from filter splash. A 125 gallon's weight is similar to three big dudes sitting on a couch... it should be safe in any home that is up to code.
 
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Grinch said:
it should be safe in any home that is up to code
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Hello; That is the catch in these threads. A few times a year someone hopes to get consensus for putting a large tank on a floor above a basement or on a second floor. Bottom line seems to be that we on this forum are not able to "check" the conditions at the house and that the member is asking then likely indicates they do not have the knowledge to make the judgment. Some one with knowledge of structure needs to have a look see.

My floor is over a basement with 16 inch floor joists. A 55 to 75 gallon being the larger I will consider without some sort of bracing.
 
I have put a 125 on the first floor with out problems for years.. any bigger I would be concerned. Best bet is though, if you have the means, get an architect to look at the prints as they would know best. IMO older houses are much stronger than we think.. houses built today are crap. They are built fast with cheap materials. Just my thoughts
 
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My fishroom has 3 55's, 6 29's, an 85, and a 125...plus 3 50 gallon sumps. On 1st floor with a basement below, no jacks or bracing. Hasn't fell into the basement...yet!
 
I will have someone look at the blueprints to be safe. It is an older house, over 35 years old. Thank you for all of the replies.
I certainly don't want to do anything that isn't safe. If I can't go bigger than a 75 then I will make that work. :)

My uncle builds houses so I'll have him come and look at the house and the prints.
 
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