What size tank..

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
C

cjam93

Gambusia
MFK Member
Sep 20, 2015
182
3
18
33
At about what size tank do you start to worry about the weight of the tank and where you set it up in your house, as in what size does a tank need to be to make you check on the location of joist before placing the tank?
 
I would say every house should be able to hold a 125 given that it is on a load baring wall and it is perpendicular to the floor joists....if your house can't handle that then your floor needs extra support......anything over a 125 I would add extra bracing and floor Jack's for safety measures.......I have 3 floor Jack's under my 220 and 3 under my 300 which is filled to about 250
 
really depends what kind of floor. I would not put more than a 100G or so upstairs. with any decent size tank you can easily find the way the joists run with an extra depth electronic stud finder or the old fashioned drill randomly way. and it's not just total weight, it's PSI. a 6 foot high cylindrical tank with a tiny footprint might punch a hole through your floor whereas the same amount of water in a 6x14x14 is much safer. you can also spread the pressure a bit with some solid wood pallets (what they use to transport stuff - usually free from hardware stores). just sand and paint them or cover them so they don't look awful. If you're on the bottom level (whether that be the ground or basement) with a solid concrete slab underneath, then there is no limit.
 
I checked my joists when putting my 100G on my downstairs floor.
I had a foundation wall go directly underneath the tank so i was fine but i would definitely have reinforced if it was not there.
 
I had a 125 sitting on breeze blocks on top of my floorboard with no problem. Upgraded to a 400 with the 125 as a sump and had to take my floor boards up and put breeze blocks underneath.
 
125 you can put just about any ware on a normal floor, IMHO, at 145 to 180, want to run on a load bearing wall, at 200 I would start looking for reinforcement.
 
i didn't really think twice about my 90 corner, even though it's a massive weight in the one spot, as opposed to conventionally shaped 90's; i think when I upgrade next time to >100g, that I'll at least do some research before jumping in :)

certainly upstairs, I actually got rid of my 52 gallon; since the floor loudly creaked as i walked past and made me worried each time about floor sagging and cracks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom