monster tank on main floor?

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crazy_cavi

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 20, 2005
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saskatoon canada
i own a 150 gallon 24x48 tank and i was wondering if anyone here has any info for me on what type of strengthening i may need to do with trusses and stuff underneath the flooring. the reason i am asking this is because i am renting out my basement there are 2 suites down there. and i dont think it would be fun to setup the tank in the common laundry room.
the house is not brand new it was constructed in 1950 so it has a great deal of older lumber to it. any info or insight would be awesome thanks for taking the time to read looking forward to some informative replies
 
What you really want to do is have someone look at what you have. You should have a civil engineer or General Contractor review your construction. You can save a buck or two by hiring a home inspector that has experience as either of the two.

If you feel that what you have is insufficient, 'sister' up your joists by nailing in identical boards next to what you have.
 
well does anyone here have a tank that big on their main floor? and wherre did they situate it over a supporting wall in the basement or just close to a wall where the truss's begin.
 
That is 1200 lbs of just water. so your looking at aprox. 1500 lbs with tank and extras. Equivlant to 100 people give or take I would say if you could get a support wall and close to the outside wall then it would be alright. Like if you built a closet just under where the tank is then you would be supporting right to the foundations.
 
to be completely honest with you.. it's best to talk to a home inspector or an engineer..
i spoke to one recently because i'm hoping to put a 220 on the main floor of my house..
i was told that as long as i sister the beams i would be alright.. i'm going to go a little crazy and sister the beam with 2 extra 2x8's on each of the two beams that will be the main support for my aquarium.. really though you SHOULD try as best you can to talk to someone with the experience.. whether it be a home inspector or an engineer.. in any case.. i wouldnt risk it.. it also has a lot to do with where you're placing the tank in the room.. how much weight is on how many beams.. where the tank sits on those beams.. lots ot take into account.. i wasnt able to get any specific numbers.. my setup will end up weighing in at around 1.5 tonnes.. that's a hella lot of weight.. so i'm doing everything in my power to make sure that weight is held as best as possible..
sorry if this didnt help.. but the best thing i think is to just speak to a pro..
 
put it on a load bearing wall and should be fine but contact a GC or engineer to be safe
 
Don't short cut it, especialy with a house that old. I don't think that a couple thousand doller investment is worth the gamble. Also think of how big of mess/ hassle it would be to clean up a mess from a tank that large. Get it checked out by a pro dude.
-justin
 
180g tank with 90g sump beside it. Support columns are 4X4s, beams are 2X12s spaced 16" apart
junk_1.jpg
 
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