footings need in a garage????

[nfored]

So as I get more and more pieces together for my 500 I get closer to a final decision on placement.

I have almost ruled out putting it on the first floor, because I am not sure that lally breams sitting directly on the basement floor would work without concrete footings installed.

I was then thinking about putting it in my garage which has its own slab, and cutting a hole in the wall so you could see the tank from the sitting room next to the garage.

I was asking my friend about pouring a concrete stand for it that was 8'x'3'x2' so that I could level the concrete before it dries and avoid using shims. I asked him since him and his dad have been building house for about 20 years.

He said while he is not an engineer he is pretty sure I would need to rip up the floor in the garage and install footings so that it doesn't settle under the weight.

I know JCardon had his 405 in his garage and I am sure he didn't jack hammer the floor to do it. Any thoughts on this before I waste money consolating some type of contractor?

 

[bbortko]

If you build the stand in place you should be able to make it level much like building a deck. For most competent builders any unlevelness comes from building the stand either on a floor that is off level in a different manor than the final destination of the stand or by building a perfectly level stand and placing on anunlevel floor. Try looking at the DIY plywood builds.

 

[pacu mom]

There may be different schools of thought on this issue. Here's a set up of a 4,000 gallon "in-wall" tank in a garage, using a tubular steel frame. It doesn't look like they did anything to the slab.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187624


My new tank is less than half that size. I wanted to go with a cinderblock/cement platform under my new tank, but it was vetoed by the tank salesman. Our fishroom slab was poured over the old garage slab. The engineer put extra reinforcing where the tank will sit. We wanted the fish room floor to be level with the wood floors of the house, so that's why there's cement poured over the old slab.

If I had a 500 gallon tank, I wouldn't hesitate to put it on a cement slab (garage, or in the house or wherever). I'd use a tubular steel stand and shim it if I had to.

 

[nfored]

Pacu one day I hope to be at your level, my wife is on board for it but they crazy guy at my bank doesn't think its time yet.

So in you opinion you would trust the normal shims they have at home depot with that type of weight?

 

[pacu mom]

Pacu one day I hope to be at your level, my wife is on board for it but they crazy guy at my bank doesn't think its time yet.

So in you opinion you would trust the normal shims they have at home depot with that type of weight?

The guy who did our slab sloped it slightly toward two floor drains. It was supposed to be sloped in the equipment room, but it looks to me like one end under the tank might be a little low. We won't know until we actually move it into place. We'll definitely shim it, if it's not dead even....and stand and tank are monstrously heavy. I'll ask my husband what he'd shim it with....I leave all the details and work to him.... I tell him what I want, and he makes it happen.