Structural integrity of the second floor of a single family home

[Hybridfish7]

Nevermind... war is somewhat lost... I still don't think there's an issue structurally given
1. more tanks have been up here for longer
2. I would expect the structure of a house to be stronger than the random stands I build out of 2x4s in the basement
3. there are two bathtubs up here
4. the gallonage of tanks in my room right now even at its peak is still less than a waterbed

I was just informed that
1. there is no middle beam supporting the 18' span of the joists
2. the house's lease says no waterbeds on the second floor
so essentially I will not be getting through to my parents on this

I'll figure something out... I think in the clarity of this situation I realize which of the tanks I don't actually want in my room so I'm not as displeased by the thought of not having them up here, so that's good at least

 

[skjl47]

but if there are people with thousand pound gun safes or home gyms in their bedrooms I don't see why there should be so much of an issue with me having a few of my smaller "collector's" tanks

I am not denying your advice as you make valid points, and I appreciate you taking the time to respond, but your stance does seem clouded by the bias of what you believe to be acceptable, and this does not help my case. Again all of my tanks are small and many advancements have been made in the last 66 years. I do not doubt the things you've seen but I am not sure the same stigmas are applicable to my tanks.

Hello; gun safes, home gyms and aquariums all face the same issues with regard to support structure. I do question any heavy static weight on a floor. if all houses were built, modified and maintained within a set standard the question you proposed to us could be answered. But such is not the case. I suggest you take advantage of "modern times' and look up some Mike Holmes videos. He has decades of home repair experience on film. Some are horror stories with regard to structure in old houses as old and older than I am. More surprising are the problems with new built houses only few years old. The question is how well built and maintained is the house you live in. Add to that the question of damage to structure done by secondary contractors who are known to have wrongly cut into structure when installing something.
I cannot anymore say your house is structurally unsound than I can say it is structurally sound. The issue is you are trying to get forum members to back you up in a quest to add more weight to your bedroom. I guess also there is some possibility your parents may actually make you remove some existing tanks. I will not in good conscience argue your side.

That you already have a very good place in the basement and already have tanks in the basement does not help your cause. it is not as though you will be dong without. Hard to work up sympathy for you in such a case.

I like to think my "bias" is rooted in reality. I do understand some improvements have been made over the years. I used one such this morning while mixing up some concrete for a small pour. I threw in the mix some small string like fibers which will make the concrete stronger. But you dismiss my advice politely so i will try to respond in kind.

 

[Hybridfish7]

Hello; gun safes, home gyms and aquariums all face the same issues with regard to support structure. I do question any heavy static weight on a floor. if all houses were built, modified and maintained within a set standard the question you proposed to us could be answered. But such is not the case. I suggest you take advantage of "modern times' and look up some Mike Holmes videos. He has decades of home repair experience on film. Some are horror stories with regard to structure in old houses as old and older than I am. More surprising are the problems with new built houses only few years old. The question is how well built and maintained is the house you live in. Add to that the question of damage to structure done by secondary contractors who are known to have wrongly cut into structure when installing something.
I cannot anymore say your house is structurally unsound than I can say it is structurally sound. The issue is you are trying to get forum members to back you up in a quest to add more weight to your bedroom. I guess also there is some possibility your parents may actually make you remove some existing tanks. I will not in good conscience argue your side.

That you already have a very good place in the basement and already have tanks in the basement does not help your cause. it is not as though you will be dong without. Hard to work up sympathy for you in such a case.

I like to think my "bias" is rooted in reality. I do understand some improvements have been made over the years. I used one such this morning while mixing up some concrete for a small pour. I threw in the mix some small string like fibers which will make the concrete stronger. But you dismiss my advice politely so i will try to respond in kind.

see my second message after that one

 

[Backfromthedead]

I had to wait until I bought my own home at 28 to keep bigger tanks. I know this isn't the answer you're looking for but it's the one you should be focusing on at this point in your life.

 

[Cal Amari]

I can't speak to the structural integrity of your home, but the lease is usually the final answer. The biggest tank I owned was 33 gallons until after I bought my own home. And even with the 33, when it was in a second floor bedroom(5 different bedrooms, 5 different homes/apartments) I always had it along a wall and tried to go across the floor joists if I could determine their direction. Sounds like your lucky enough to get unrestricted access to the basement though, which can hold several large tanks.

 

[Hybridfish7]

I can't speak to the structural integrity of your home, but the lease is usually the final answer. The biggest tank I owned was 33 gallons until after I bought my own home. And even with the 33, when it was in a second floor bedroom(5 different bedrooms, 5 different homes/apartments) I always had it along a wall and tried to go across the floor joists if I could determine their direction. Sounds like your lucky enough to get unrestricted access to the basement though, which can hold several large tanks.

Semi unrestricted. Consolidating my stuff into one corner so my dad can start using the rest of the basement again. Not that my tanks were spread out randomly like that (all tanks in one side of the basement + one in the "living room" area) but there's a bunch of other random junk around/the shelf that holds all my equipment.

 

[skjl47]

2. the house's lease says no waterbeds on the second floor

I would expect the structure of a house to be stronger than the random stands I build out of 2x4s in the basement

there are two bathtubs up here

the gallonage of tanks in my room right now even at its peak is still less than a waterbed

Hello; Having a lease means the house is rented. This brings up what is knowns renters insurance. A very wise investment for those who rent and want to keep aquariums. This topic has been exhausted a few times on the forum over the years. A few things have stood out. One is those who rent need to have renters insurance with language which covers damage from things such as tanks. Both structural and damage from getting wet. The other is to be sure to get the owners permission to have tanks. Such is a CYA sort of protection. I do hope there is no carpet in that bedroom. Tanks on carpet is a big risk for water damage.

Bathrooms ought to have extra structure. That said such is not always the case. I have seen regular structure under bathrooms. I do agree that the structure of a floor ought to be better than a 2x4 rack. Again my point is there is no way for me to know. One irony from past threads on floor structure is that apartments with a poured concrete floor are not necessarily stronger than a wood floor with regard to load. Contractors can and do build a wood floor standard.

As others have posted your best long term bet is to own your own place. I was 62 years old when i got my own house. Before that I catered to the landlords requirements. I was lucky in that I rented house with a full basement for 35 years so I could have big tanks down there.