Is my floor gonna cave in?!

[mwurdeman07]

Hey guys so I will be upgrading to a larger aquarium, either (125, 150, or 180) gallon aquarium, whichever I end up finding on craigslist for a steal first! So I have been doing some research and these bad boys full of water plus a stand = a ton of weight (quite literally in some cases) Will my second story of my house hold these up if I put it up against a load bearing wall?


Thanks for the help guys

 

[erk419]

None of use can give you "good" advise without seeing you underflooring. If I was you I would take a look at that or have a professional come look at it. Personally though I would never put something that heavy on a second story. I have a 150 on the first floor with a basement underneath and I reenforced the joists it sats on with a 4x6 and basement floor jacks.

Posted on mobile.monsterfishkeepers.com

 

[mwurdeman07]

The only thing is that I live in an apartment and there is no way I can see what is below me and in the floorboards, Just sorta hoping the load bearing wall would do it.

 

[erk419]

I would talk to the landlord, it could be a very costly mistake if you just set it up.

Posted on mobile.monsterfishkeepers.com

 

[Redearsunfish]

I would be very nervous personally.

Why not a smaller tank? There are plenty of very nice smaller options in the hobby!

 

[Carefree_Dude]

talk to your landlord. If he okays it, call in a structural engineer. many apartment buildings are built cheaply.

 

[Wulfonce]

More then likely it would hold but as erk419 said "it will be a costly mistake if it doesn't". Based on that alone, I wouldn't risk it.

Talk to your landlord, see what he says.

 

[Carefree_Dude]

also, what is more likely to happen is that it will hold, but all the weight will cause long term structual damage without proper support.

 

[HungDang]

its also depend on the foot print of the tank and what kind of stand you use! a tank with lager base area instead of a tall tank would give less pressure in the floor. and for the stand, the taller the stand, the more potential energy push down. if the stand is a box stand, it is easier for the floor than the stand with legs; because the pressure will focus in to those legs and can make some holes in the floor. If you have a stand with legs, you might need to buy a board (like this: http://www.homedepot.com/Lumber-Com...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053) to cover the floor then put the stand on it. Anyway, the thing is the more area that you put pressure in, the less pressure per inch that push on the floor.
Hope you understand what I mean, my English still sucks! Good luck!

 

[rls317]

^^^^^