what's the biggest tank you'd put on the second floor?

timdam · 06/22/2015, 01:42 PM

i'm talking without knowing where the beams are. or adding support.

BrandonFlorida · 06/22/2015, 01:48 PM

75 or smaller is what I would say...

reeftanker3295 · 06/22/2015, 01:56 PM

Had a 90 with a 55 sump on the second floor of a town home for years with no problems.

davocean · 06/22/2015, 02:59 PM

I would guesstimate 90g should be ok in most situations.

KingTriton1 · 06/22/2015, 03:05 PM

Keep in mind your going to have to bring that sucker up the stairs

joshky · 06/22/2015, 03:52 PM

Depends on structural integrity of your house/floor. When in doubt get a professional opinion for peace of mind.

terrypercula · 06/22/2015, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joshky

Depends on structural integrity of your house/floor. When in doubt get a professional opinion for peace of mind.

Exactly. Not all houses are the same. I have an 80 on my second floor but there's some homes I wouldn't trust that in and some homes you could put twice that without question.

CStrickland · 06/22/2015, 05:08 PM

Samsies, depends on the floor. The house I own is a tank, I wouldn't hesitate to put a couple hundred gals at an outside corner. But the apartment I rent is new construction garbage, I think if you put a 75 toward the center of the room it would be like this

Mark426 · 06/22/2015, 05:15 PM

500 lbs. total weight is what I would be comfortable with in a modern house. Remember the floor might hold more weight but when you get too heavy you would be surprised how easily the floor starts bouncing with even the most light-footed.

Spiffy · 06/22/2015, 07:59 PM

I have had my 60 with a 20 gallon sump in the 4th floor for a couple of years now. I get nervous when someone walks hard on my floor, but no problems so far.

Cosmojo · 06/22/2015, 11:42 PM

depends on how sturdy the place is, in my old place I had a 125 on the third floor, it was flimsy from when I moved in. New place, second story, very much an upgrade, I asked the complex, they were fine with anything, I have a 180 in a corner, and a 120 on the opposite side of the apartment. No issues at all. I have a friend that had a 150 in the middle of his second story apartment, not even along the wall, and he was fine for years. It really depends on how stable the place is.

kenpau · 06/23/2015, 12:31 AM

You definitely need a builders professional opinion here!! Imagine the worst situation that could happen....I wouldn't leave anything to chance!!!
A lot would depend on whether you have concrete slab or wooden floors, this will obviously affect your structural stability.

Darth_Tater · 06/23/2015, 07:12 AM

I had a 75 gallon with no sump on the main floor of my mid 50s house (has a basement). The floor creaked and popped so much during large water changes and when walking around in the room I finally decided it wasn't worth the risk. Interestingly enough, my 40 gallon with 20 gallon sump in the exact same spot seems perfectly fine though...

ca1ore · 06/23/2015, 07:54 AM

Impossible to answer in any way that would be helpful. If you put in a 90, and it goes through the floor, then you should have gone smaller; if you put in a 90 and it holds, you could have gone bigger. It's kind of a 'goldilocks' scenario

toothybugs · 06/23/2015, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ca1ore

Impossible to answer in any way that would be helpful. If you put in a 90, and it goes through the floor, then you should have gone smaller; if you put in a 90 and it holds, you could have gone bigger. It's kind of a 'goldilocks' scenario

Now that's a good answer

I have had 90s and 220s on 3rd floor with no issue at all, not even the slightest slant, and 75s on first that had a visible angle to them (seriously with a good tug I could have toppled it, it had a 1" difference front to back).

Check your structure and go from there. Or talk to someone who knows the structure at a minimum, and get their response in writing. I have it in my lease that my complex will allow me up to a 55; I keep a 40B with a half-full 29 sump.

davocean · 06/23/2015, 08:56 AM

Yeah I agree, anything we do from here is still a guess, you really should find out which way joists run and really should try to find out dims on those, and it would be advisable to set tank spanning those joists rather than running parallel to them and against a load bearing wall.
My earlier "guesstimate" is just based on typical weight load for an average 2nd floor based on framing being sound and free of defects.

06/22/2015, 01:42 PM	#1
timdam Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 815	what's the biggest tank you'd put on the second floor? i'm talking without knowing where the beams are. or adding support.

06/22/2015, 02:59 PM	#4
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	I would guesstimate 90g should be ok in most situations. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

06/22/2015, 03:52 PM	#6
joshky Acros & Wrasses Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Central KY Posts: 2,546	Depends on structural integrity of your house/floor. When in doubt get a professional opinion for peace of mind. __________________ Josh My 80g: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2677031

06/22/2015, 05:08 PM	#8
CStrickland Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: New England, U.S. Posts: 4,595	Samsies, depends on the floor. The house I own is a tank, I wouldn't hesitate to put a couple hundred gals at an outside corner. But the apartment I rent is new construction garbage, I think if you put a 75 toward the center of the room it would be like this __________________ If you're havin tank problems I feel bad for you, son. I got 99 problems but a fish ain't one Current Tank Info: 3/2016 upgrade to 120g. Chalk bass, melanurus, firefish, starry blenny, canary blenny, lyretail anthias, engineer gobys, kole tang. Softies / LPS / NPS. <3 noob4life <3 Last edited by CStrickland; 06/22/2015 at 05:15 PM. Reason: fix link

06/22/2015, 07:59 PM	#10
Spiffy Cheesy Poofs! Join Date: May 2014 Location: Bronx, New York Posts: 357	I have had my 60 with a 20 gallon sump in the 4th floor for a couple of years now. I get nervous when someone walks hard on my floor, but no problems so far. __________________ Ecotech Radion XR15 Pro Gen3 x2, ReefLink, CPR CS50 Overflow. Reef Octopus NWB 110 Skimmer, Reef Octopus BR-110 Reactor. VorTech MP40 w/ QD Wetside x2, MP10 x1(Sump), 30-Gallon Sump. Current Tank Info: 60 Gallon, Prepping for LPS, 6 Years.

06/22/2015, 01:48 PM	#2
BrandonFlorida Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Port Orange, FL Posts: 637	75 or smaller is what I would say...

06/22/2015, 01:56 PM	#3
reeftanker3295 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 192	Had a 90 with a 55 sump on the second floor of a town home for years with no problems.

06/22/2015, 03:05 PM	#5
KingTriton1 Moved On Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Baton Rouge, LA Posts: 642	Keep in mind your going to have to bring that sucker up the stairs

06/22/2015, 05:15 PM	#9
Mark426 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,479	500 lbs. total weight is what I would be comfortable with in a modern house. Remember the floor might hold more weight but when you get too heavy you would be surprised how easily the floor starts bouncing with even the most light-footed.

06/22/2015, 11:42 PM	#11
Cosmojo Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: San Antonio Posts: 350	depends on how sturdy the place is, in my old place I had a 125 on the third floor, it was flimsy from when I moved in. New place, second story, very much an upgrade, I asked the complex, they were fine with anything, I have a 180 in a corner, and a 120 on the opposite side of the apartment. No issues at all. I have a friend that had a 150 in the middle of his second story apartment, not even along the wall, and he was fine for years. It really depends on how stable the place is.

06/23/2015, 12:31 AM	#12
kenpau Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: South Perth, Western Australia Posts: 844	You definitely need a builders professional opinion here!! Imagine the worst situation that could happen....I wouldn't leave anything to chance!!! A lot would depend on whether you have concrete slab or wooden floors, this will obviously affect your structural stability. __________________ Current tank - 220 gallon mixed reef..Many thanks to Waterbox, Ecotech Marine, Neptune Systems, Pax Bellum, Nyos, Eheim and Hailea for creating my system..and making me poor!! Current Tank Info: 220 Gallon mixed reef

06/23/2015, 07:12 AM	#13
Darth_Tater Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Northern Utah Posts: 535	I had a 75 gallon with no sump on the main floor of my mid 50s house (has a basement). The floor creaked and popped so much during large water changes and when walking around in the room I finally decided it wasn't worth the risk. Interestingly enough, my 40 gallon with 20 gallon sump in the exact same spot seems perfectly fine though...

06/23/2015, 07:54 AM	#14
ca1ore Grizzled & Cynical Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 17,319	Impossible to answer in any way that would be helpful. If you put in a 90, and it goes through the floor, then you should have gone smaller; if you put in a 90 and it holds, you could have gone bigger. It's kind of a 'goldilocks' scenario __________________ Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs

06/23/2015, 08:56 AM	#16
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	Yeah I agree, anything we do from here is still a guess, you really should find out which way joists run and really should try to find out dims on those, and it would be advisable to set tank spanning those joists rather than running parallel to them and against a load bearing wall. My earlier "guesstimate" is just based on typical weight load for an average 2nd floor based on framing being sound and free of defects. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD