Ok, call me paranoid but I could barely sleep last night because I had this running through my head. About a month ago I set up a 125 gallon Freshwater Stingray/Discus Tank in my third floor Wood apartment. My tank and everything in it wieghs 1518 lbs (give or take). Now yesterday I did some research on my building and found out that my floor can take a live load of 40 lbs/foot I am running 166lbs/foot with the fish tank!! I have this Tank Running perpendicular to 4 floor joints @ 16inch on center and I am right against a load bearing Wall. I have nothing else on these beams except a love seat. Now my friend Matt (who goes by X3ROX on monsterfishkeepers) also lives in the same apartment complex (but in a different building) on a 4th FLOOR and has a 125 and a 40 gallon set-up on the same beams. He has had this set-up for at least 5 months now and has had no problems. (He's not concerned about it because he hates the complex we live in and is moving out in a week or two!! Haha. Anyway, I also found out our building was built in 1996 which I guess is a good thing because they used bigger beams compared to currently built wood buildings. Now I know this is something I need to ask a Structual Engineer, but is there anybody out there who can help put to wrest my concerns or make them worse. Is there anybody who has a similar set-up and has felt comfortable with it?? My floor hasn't made a sound since I set it up.........I just don't want to kill the people below me one day, because I'm going to be living in this place for some TIME!!! (2 years max)
I Have No Idea What to do!!!!!
- Thread starter The Happy Mud Skipper
- Start date
I would definately check with a structural engineer. My last apartment was built in 1995. I lived on the first floor with a basement underneath me. Just the weight of my 220 glass aquarium (no water), stand, canopy, and gravel separated the floor of my room from the wall 3/4 inches. This was also a load bearing wall, perpendicular to 8 floor joists and nothing else in the room. Your tank filled weighs about twice what mine did unfilled. Dates built means nothing and if you live in an apartment complex....they usually build quickly and don't care about quality. Floor failures don't always happen immediately, sometimes it can take years. I read about someone who had a floor failure 1 and a half years after setting up his tank in his apartment. Luckily it wasn't a complete failure and he was able to save his tank and most of his fish in the incident. But it cost him about $20,000 to repair the floor and cover water damages.
You might also consider getting insurance for your tank. If the floor fails because of your aquarium, you will be required to pay all damages to the rented building, and whoever elses stuff you crush or ruin in the process. Insurance isn't that expensive, it costs me less than 20 dollars a month to cover 150,000 dollars in property damage and an extra 50,000 for my stuff and I can be comfortable in knowing if something happens, I am covered. It is also highly likely that you are not allowed to have that large of an aquarium without coverage in an apartment unless the landlord agrees beforehand. I know in NY, you aren't supposed to have one in a rental setting over 55 gallons without coverage and it is grounds for eviction if you do. If the landlord agrees to it, you need to get it in writing because he can easily change his tune when he is suing you for damages.
I hope all goes well for you.
You might also consider getting insurance for your tank. If the floor fails because of your aquarium, you will be required to pay all damages to the rented building, and whoever elses stuff you crush or ruin in the process. Insurance isn't that expensive, it costs me less than 20 dollars a month to cover 150,000 dollars in property damage and an extra 50,000 for my stuff and I can be comfortable in knowing if something happens, I am covered. It is also highly likely that you are not allowed to have that large of an aquarium without coverage in an apartment unless the landlord agrees beforehand. I know in NY, you aren't supposed to have one in a rental setting over 55 gallons without coverage and it is grounds for eviction if you do. If the landlord agrees to it, you need to get it in writing because he can easily change his tune when he is suing you for damages.
I hope all goes well for you.
well i own the appartment...its actually a condo, but do you think i should take it down?? I have no idea where I would put it?? I'd have to sell it....
Its not likely to be a problem right against an interior load bearing wall like that perp to the joists.Any idea of the size of the joists?
btw nice looking tank
btw nice looking tank
I wouldn't take it down, but definately have someone look at it and see what they think or just get some insurance. It is possible that your floor can hold it infinitely, but you never know. It definately wouldn't hurt to just check and make sure. I am just glad that I found out that my floor couldn't hold it before I lost my aquarium to the basement.
You might also want to check with your insurance agent to see if your home insurance policy will cover it and even if it will cover your damages, chances are it won't cover the other party's (those that live underneath you) damages. I was told that my insurance wouldn't cover something like that because they would consider it to be my fault (same as if I had maliciously set a fire in my apartment) and that I had to have a policy specifically to cover any damages caused by that aquarium.
You might also want to check with your insurance agent to see if your home insurance policy will cover it and even if it will cover your damages, chances are it won't cover the other party's (those that live underneath you) damages. I was told that my insurance wouldn't cover something like that because they would consider it to be my fault (same as if I had maliciously set a fire in my apartment) and that I had to have a policy specifically to cover any damages caused by that aquarium.
Looks like a diy stand you could modify it at the bottom with some 2x8 to spread the load out more
Don't take it down man.
I had a 150 and a 190 in the same room of an old victorian townhouse, with CREAKY flimsy floorboards, no problem. ONe was in the middle of the room, one against a wall. I didn't even bother to check if they were perpendicular.
UNless modern american apartments are APPALING build quality, I wouldn't even worry about.
Their quote of 40lbs per foot is just a precaution. You have a party, with a load of fat people in the same room, it's gonna be much more than 40lbs per foot, you don't seem them falling through the floor
I had a 150 and a 190 in the same room of an old victorian townhouse, with CREAKY flimsy floorboards, no problem. ONe was in the middle of the room, one against a wall. I didn't even bother to check if they were perpendicular.
UNless modern american apartments are APPALING build quality, I wouldn't even worry about.
Their quote of 40lbs per foot is just a precaution. You have a party, with a load of fat people in the same room, it's gonna be much more than 40lbs per foot, you don't seem them falling through the floor
How do you come up with the 1518lbs? If you fill up the tank, the water would weight 500lbs only, and the rest (tank+ stand+ etc) is over 1000lbs?? Also, 40lbs/foot(do you mean squarefoot) seem kind of low, but I don't know how they rate it in construction.
Water weighs 8.33 lbs/ gal
125 gal water = 1041 lbs.
figure at least 120 lbs of gravel, if not more
my 125 gal (48inx24inx25in) with 1/2 inch glass, weighed somewhere between 200-300 lbs (that sucker was heavy).
Stand 50-100 lbs
also figure the weight of any extra rocks for aquascaping (I have prob another 100lbs of granite, lava rock, quartz, in pieces that are in the 8-10 inch range)
I don't see 1518lbs as a far off estimate.