Weight of 180G tank

goomba516 · 10/15/2008, 08:59 AM

I am wondering if someone can help me out. I would like to put a 180G tank in my apartment and am trying to find out how much a fully loaded 180 gallon tank would weigh parts and all. I have been in contact with a few people and some say take an avg of 11LBS per gallon others say 20lbs per gallon i am just hoping to get some opinions on how much this tank will weigh fully loaded, rock, water, equipment. In the end i have 2200 pounds that floor will hold will a 180 gallon tank be too much weight.

boilermaker1 · 10/15/2008, 09:36 AM

According to Aqueon (All-Glass) its 282 lbs empty, 2200 full.

There's a calculator on the RC homepage that will calculate a weight if you input your rock weight, sand weight, etc...

ScooterBlenny · 10/15/2008, 09:39 AM

I assume it's an upper-level apartment? That sounds a bit iffy:-(

patsfan1130 · 10/15/2008, 10:01 AM

Roughly, salt water weighs 64 lbs/cu. ft., as opposed to fresh water, which is about 62.2 lbs/cu. ft. There are 7.4805 gallons in a cubic foot. So a gallon of salt water weighs 8.556 lbs. You wont have 180 gallons of water due to displacement but add whatever size sump you will be using and approx another 200 lbs of LR. so approx 1500 lbs + sump. Then there is the weight of the tank/stand. I believe a standard 180 weighs approx 350 lbs. You are looking at around 2100-2200 lbs after all is said and done. In regards to your question about the floor being able to take it....That question is better left to an expert. You'll definately needs to look at the floor joists. The tank will need to span "across" the joists. a lot of factors to consider such as what size joists, how old the building is, structural design, whether or not it's located on a load bearing wall etc.

my 2 cents

goomba516 · 10/15/2008, 11:35 AM

I already had a structural eng. come to apt and he recommended the total load weight for the floor will be 2200 pounds. i guess my question is at 2200 pounds what is the max you would put on it with everything how big would you go to if wanted to go as big as possible

Mark426 · 10/15/2008, 12:24 PM

In an apartment.... I would go with a nano-reef. They are fantastic. Remember...if your in an apartment you will be moving and then what? Plus...if the landlord ever saw a large tank in there I would bet your and/or your tank would be getting the boot.

JustinReef · 10/15/2008, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by goomba516
I already had a structural eng. come to apt and he recommended the total load weight for the floor will be 2200 pounds. i guess my question is at 2200 pounds what is the max you would put on it with everything how big would you go to if wanted to go as big as possible

Im very surprised an engineer would recommend 2200 pounds in an upper floor apartment! Is it concrete? We had one come to our (concrete) condo to give us advice and he said no more than 2000 pounds max. Then he said off the record, 4000 pounds would be fine but we didn't hear that from him

This was all based on the exact spot we asked him about which has a 4'x'4 concrete pillar support

He said anywhere else and the number changes.

My point is that engineers usually cover their butts in a situation like this and I am just surprised he would recommend that. Was it an "off the record" kind of thing like ours?

goomba516 · 10/15/2008, 01:36 PM

Nope completely on the record. I own the apartment in NYC and had to go thru a board in order to make sure i don't get sued if it breaks. But i have been getting a ton of different info from fish people on how much this thing will actually weigh thats why i decided to post the question. My question is less about how much the floor will structurally hold since i have already gotten all that info and at the minimum my floor will hold 2200 pounds and more of you have 2200 pound limit and you want to go as big as possible and get as much as possible what would be your tank limit and why/how did you come up with number and what is the general consensus. also thanks for all the help so far

Gwynhidwy · 10/15/2008, 01:44 PM

Keep in mind that unless specifically stated otherwise, that number has to include the weight of everything else in the room, furniture, pets, people, etc.

scuzy · 10/15/2008, 03:09 PM

i would probably got 100 gallons tops. since you do have to add in the weight of the stand sump fuge and all the various objects liek rocks and sad i wouldn't want ot screw around and finding my tnak on my neighbors floor or worse crushing him under it.

I would proably do a 75 cube so i get the most viewing.

A-Polymnus · 10/15/2008, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by justinpsmith
Im very surprised an engineer would recommend 2200 pounds in an upper floor apartment! Is it concrete? We had one come to our (concrete) condo to give us advice and he said no more than 2000 pounds max. Then he said off the record, 4000 pounds would be fine but we didn't hear that from him This was all based on the exact spot we asked him about which has a 4'x'4 concrete pillar support He said anywhere else and the number changes.

My point is that engineers usually cover their butts in a situation like this and I am just surprised he would recommend that. Was it an "off the record" kind of thing like ours?

Engineers have to cover their butts. I used to drive concrete mixers & I can tell you (as a professional) that most concrete floors can withstand up to 3500 PSI (that Pounds Per Square Inch) minnimum. Also, a lot of upper floors are rated at 5000 PSI. Driveways are poured at only 2000 to 2500 PSI. If it's a concrete floor I wouldn't hesitate to put a 2200 lb. tank in place.

good luck

99sf · 10/15/2008, 03:54 PM

I have way less concrete experience than A-Polymnus, but live in an upper-floor condo. My concrete slab subfloor is actually a layer of concrete poured on top of plywood. After many years, the plywood settles, leaving peaks & valleys in the concrete floor. I learned this after removing the carpet and attempting to install a wooden floor. Just a warning that not all concrete subfloors are created equally!

JustinReef · 10/15/2008, 04:14 PM

A-Polymnus - Yes you are the second person to now tell me this

99sf - I am not talking about a subfloor. This is a solid concrete floor, no plywood. The building is very industrial and you can see how thick the floors are in some areas from outside. It is all unfinished concrete, so nothing is hidden. The walls, floors, ceilings are all solid concrete.

goomba516 - I was not saying you should not put a 2200 pound tank in your place, just that I am very surprised an engineer would ever say its ok. Personally I would never put that much weight on a wood frame second floor, ever. Thats insane to me but again just my opinion. You have to worry about not only the weight but leaks going downstairs. With our place the floors and walls are all concrete and we were able to seal them to make sure water would not leak downstairs in case of an accident. You can't do that with wood. Just be really careful, your messing with a lot of water for a second floor place!

Good luck

goomba516 · 10/15/2008, 04:32 PM

2nd floor try 29th floor. Thank you for all your thoughts and opinions i still have not decided what i plan to do i hoping that in the end i will end up with somewhere in the 150 range. If the structural engineer says 2200 and the building okayed that amount thru there own private engineer i have to believe it is diffidently 25 percent less than the floor can hold. but again do you think a 150 tank is going to cross the 2200 threshold

JustinReef · 10/15/2008, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by goomba516
2nd floor try 29th floor. Thank you for all your thoughts and opinions i still have not decided what i plan to do i hoping that in the end i will end up with somewhere in the 150 range. If the structural engineer says 2200 and the building okayed that amount thru there own private engineer i have to believe it is diffidently 25 percent less than the floor can hold. but again do you think a 150 tank is going to cross the 2200 threshold

I don't think anyone meant second floor literally

Just easier than saying not the ground floor each time.

150 can cross the 2200 threshold depending on how you set it up or it can be under. If your looking for an exact weight, thats up to you to figure out based on tank weight, water weight, stand weight, how much rock, sand, equipment. There is no way to answer that for most of us

sgrosenb · 10/15/2008, 06:08 PM

Dude... I'd be pretty freaked out that I might kill my neighbor just because I maxed out my fish tank size... Stick with like a 100 to play it safe and sleep at night...

JustinReef · 10/15/2008, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sgrosenb
Dude... I'd be pretty freaked out that I might kill my neighbor just because I maxed out my fish tank size... Stick with like a 100 to play it safe and sleep at night...

If a tank ever fell through my ceiling I would keep it...

Octoberfest · 10/15/2008, 07:15 PM

Keep in mind your 2200 or so lbs is not in one spot, its spread out the size of your tank. Not sure if that makes sense or not.

scapes · 10/15/2008, 07:22 PM

I got a 180g in may of this year, and let me tell you it took 5 grown men, not overweight men, but inshape men to carry this tank from the truck-through the front door-through the living room-through the kitchen-to the playroom. why would you want to even think of doing this, especially in a rental and especially on the 29th floor!!!! not even considering the weight on the floor, think of lugging this thing up that high!!! get a smaller tank---go big when you buy a house and can settle in one place

Elevate · 10/15/2008, 08:16 PM

If I did my math right a 180 gallon (72"x25") has a 1800 square inch footprint. That's less than 1.5 PSI. Granted you will not have those entire 1800 inches in contact with the floor but if you build your stand right you should be fine. I am not an engineer but if you are on the 29th floor I doubt your floor is anything less than concrete. Put it against a load-bearing wall and don't give it another thought. If you really want to play it safe, get the tank in there, buy yourself some levels at the hardware store. Lay the levels out around the tank and room and just fill the tank slowly with tap water while keeping an eye on the levels.

lightdir · 10/15/2008, 08:33 PM

usually there is a built in safety factor of 5:1 or 7:1 meaning if they are tell you it will hold 2200 lbs times that by 5 or 7 and that is the breaking point of the floor.

jbeltmann · 10/15/2008, 09:00 PM

I just wanted to clarify that the OP doesn't rent this apt, he owns it. This is very common in NY. IIRC there are only 5 single family homes in Manhatten! Goomba516- get the largest tank you can afford that will fit into the structural integrity requirements. You won't regret it... unless you plan on moving in the near future!

goomba516 · 10/15/2008, 09:08 PM

Thank you for all your help. In this industry it is hard to get one single answer to anything but as people are saying i am concerned about creating a new elevator shaft. I am bringing in a second structural guy and hopefully he gives me the same recommendation as the previous one. Then it only becomes a process of putting the tank together

JustinReef · 10/15/2008, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by goomba516
Thank you for all your help. In this industry it is hard to get one single answer to anything but as people are saying i am concerned about creating a new elevator shaft. I am bringing in a second structural guy and hopefully he gives me the same recommendation as the previous one. Then it only becomes a process of putting the tank together

This is a good idea.

The other option might be to get a custom tank built. If you kept the tank closer to 18-20" tall instead of 2' tall, a 180G tank becomes much easier on the floor. Wider and longer is better than taller in your case. Not to mention lighting is so much easier. I love shallow tanks though

Good luck!

goomba516 · 10/16/2008, 08:27 AM

Luckily i have a cabinet being made to take up the whole wall and dispense weight as much as possible. It is going to measure 8 feet long by 30 inches deep. Hopefully that will help relieve some pressure. Now the hard part is finding out exactly how much everything weighs. especially how much water will be displaced by the rock or does it come out to be around the same the water dispensed and weight of the rock. Again thanks for all the help

10/15/2008, 08:59 AM	#1
goomba516 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 6	Weight of 180G tank I am wondering if someone can help me out. I would like to put a 180G tank in my apartment and am trying to find out how much a fully loaded 180 gallon tank would weigh parts and all. I have been in contact with a few people and some say take an avg of 11LBS per gallon others say 20lbs per gallon i am just hoping to get some opinions on how much this tank will weigh fully loaded, rock, water, equipment. In the end i have 2200 pounds that floor will hold will a 180 gallon tank be too much weight.

10/15/2008, 10:01 AM	#4
patsfan1130 Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Woburn, Ma Posts: 2,010	Roughly, salt water weighs 64 lbs/cu. ft., as opposed to fresh water, which is about 62.2 lbs/cu. ft. There are 7.4805 gallons in a cubic foot. So a gallon of salt water weighs 8.556 lbs. You wont have 180 gallons of water due to displacement but add whatever size sump you will be using and approx another 200 lbs of LR. so approx 1500 lbs + sump. Then there is the weight of the tank/stand. I believe a standard 180 weighs approx 350 lbs. You are looking at around 2100-2200 lbs after all is said and done. In regards to your question about the floor being able to take it....That question is better left to an expert. You'll definately needs to look at the floor joists. The tank will need to span "across" the joists. a lot of factors to consider such as what size joists, how old the building is, structural design, whether or not it's located on a load bearing wall etc. my 2 cents __________________ My cat's breath smells like cat food Member of the Boston Reefers Society Current Tank Info: 75g lps, 90g sps, 120g mixed, 180 nem tank, 300g reef, 600g up & coming reef

10/15/2008, 01:44 PM	#9
Gwynhidwy Meat Popsicle Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 1,511	Keep in mind that unless specifically stated otherwise, that number has to include the weight of everything else in the room, furniture, pets, people, etc. __________________ -- He who learns must suffer, and, even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God. -- Aeschylus

10/15/2008, 07:15 PM	#18
Octoberfest Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NC Posts: 1,350	Keep in mind your 2200 or so lbs is not in one spot, its spread out the size of your tank. Not sure if that makes sense or not. __________________ 29 gallon bio-cube with 150w metal halide sunpod fixture, stock 14 gallon bio-cube

10/15/2008, 08:16 PM	#20
Elevate Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 222	If I did my math right a 180 gallon (72"x25") has a 1800 square inch footprint. That's less than 1.5 PSI. Granted you will not have those entire 1800 inches in contact with the floor but if you build your stand right you should be fine. I am not an engineer but if you are on the 29th floor I doubt your floor is anything less than concrete. Put it against a load-bearing wall and don't give it another thought. If you really want to play it safe, get the tank in there, buy yourself some levels at the hardware store. Lay the levels out around the tank and room and just fill the tank slowly with tap water while keeping an eye on the levels. __________________ Genesis1:26a Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea." Current Tank Info: 30 Cube w/ 20 sump

10/15/2008, 09:36 AM	#2
boilermaker1 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Chantilly, VA Posts: 784	According to Aqueon (All-Glass) its 282 lbs empty, 2200 full. There's a calculator on the RC homepage that will calculate a weight if you input your rock weight, sand weight, etc...

10/15/2008, 09:39 AM	#3
ScooterBlenny Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: North Carolina Posts: 155	I assume it's an upper-level apartment? That sounds a bit iffy:-(

10/15/2008, 11:35 AM	#5
goomba516 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 6	I already had a structural eng. come to apt and he recommended the total load weight for the floor will be 2200 pounds. i guess my question is at 2200 pounds what is the max you would put on it with everything how big would you go to if wanted to go as big as possible

10/15/2008, 12:24 PM	#6
Mark426 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,479	In an apartment.... I would go with a nano-reef. They are fantastic. Remember...if your in an apartment you will be moving and then what? Plus...if the landlord ever saw a large tank in there I would bet your and/or your tank would be getting the boot.

10/15/2008, 01:36 PM	#8
goomba516 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 6	Nope completely on the record. I own the apartment in NYC and had to go thru a board in order to make sure i don't get sued if it breaks. But i have been getting a ton of different info from fish people on how much this thing will actually weigh thats why i decided to post the question. My question is less about how much the floor will structurally hold since i have already gotten all that info and at the minimum my floor will hold 2200 pounds and more of you have 2200 pound limit and you want to go as big as possible and get as much as possible what would be your tank limit and why/how did you come up with number and what is the general consensus. also thanks for all the help so far

10/15/2008, 03:09 PM	#10
scuzy Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 6,499	i would probably got 100 gallons tops. since you do have to add in the weight of the stand sump fuge and all the various objects liek rocks and sad i wouldn't want ot screw around and finding my tnak on my neighbors floor or worse crushing him under it. I would proably do a 75 cube so i get the most viewing.

10/15/2008, 03:54 PM	#12
99sf Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: S.F. bay area Posts: 158	I have way less concrete experience than A-Polymnus, but live in an upper-floor condo. My concrete slab subfloor is actually a layer of concrete poured on top of plywood. After many years, the plywood settles, leaving peaks & valleys in the concrete floor. I learned this after removing the carpet and attempting to install a wooden floor. Just a warning that not all concrete subfloors are created equally!

10/15/2008, 04:14 PM	#13
JustinReef Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 3,715	A-Polymnus - Yes you are the second person to now tell me this 99sf - I am not talking about a subfloor. This is a solid concrete floor, no plywood. The building is very industrial and you can see how thick the floors are in some areas from outside. It is all unfinished concrete, so nothing is hidden. The walls, floors, ceilings are all solid concrete. goomba516 - I was not saying you should not put a 2200 pound tank in your place, just that I am very surprised an engineer would ever say its ok. Personally I would never put that much weight on a wood frame second floor, ever. Thats insane to me but again just my opinion. You have to worry about not only the weight but leaks going downstairs. With our place the floors and walls are all concrete and we were able to seal them to make sure water would not leak downstairs in case of an accident. You can't do that with wood. Just be really careful, your messing with a lot of water for a second floor place! Good luck

10/15/2008, 04:32 PM	#14
goomba516 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 6	2nd floor try 29th floor. Thank you for all your thoughts and opinions i still have not decided what i plan to do i hoping that in the end i will end up with somewhere in the 150 range. If the structural engineer says 2200 and the building okayed that amount thru there own private engineer i have to believe it is diffidently 25 percent less than the floor can hold. but again do you think a 150 tank is going to cross the 2200 threshold

10/15/2008, 06:08 PM	#16
sgrosenb Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 160	Dude... I'd be pretty freaked out that I might kill my neighbor just because I maxed out my fish tank size... Stick with like a 100 to play it safe and sleep at night...

10/15/2008, 07:22 PM	#19
scapes Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Millbrook, AL Posts: 2,520	I got a 180g in may of this year, and let me tell you it took 5 grown men, not overweight men, but inshape men to carry this tank from the truck-through the front door-through the living room-through the kitchen-to the playroom. why would you want to even think of doing this, especially in a rental and especially on the 29th floor!!!! not even considering the weight on the floor, think of lugging this thing up that high!!! get a smaller tank---go big when you buy a house and can settle in one place

10/15/2008, 08:33 PM	#21
lightdir Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 69	usually there is a built in safety factor of 5:1 or 7:1 meaning if they are tell you it will hold 2200 lbs times that by 5 or 7 and that is the breaking point of the floor. __________________ I Hate IKE Current Tank Info: 90 gal RR, 2 tunze 6000 w/ 7095 controller, custom refugium w/ turbo sea 1090 return, Custom Skimmer with Turbo Sea 1090, Aqua JR controller, 2x 250w MH/Ushio 14k plus Corallife Aqua Chill 1/4hp Chiller

10/15/2008, 09:00 PM	#22
jbeltmann Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: oconomowoc. wi Posts: 287	I just wanted to clarify that the OP doesn't rent this apt, he owns it. This is very common in NY. IIRC there are only 5 single family homes in Manhatten! Goomba516- get the largest tank you can afford that will fit into the structural integrity requirements. You won't regret it... unless you plan on moving in the near future!

10/15/2008, 09:08 PM	#23
goomba516 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 6	Thank you for all your help. In this industry it is hard to get one single answer to anything but as people are saying i am concerned about creating a new elevator shaft. I am bringing in a second structural guy and hopefully he gives me the same recommendation as the previous one. Then it only becomes a process of putting the tank together

10/16/2008, 08:27 AM	#25
goomba516 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 6	Luckily i have a cabinet being made to take up the whole wall and dispense weight as much as possible. It is going to measure 8 feet long by 30 inches deep. Hopefully that will help relieve some pressure. Now the hard part is finding out exactly how much everything weighs. especially how much water will be displaced by the rock or does it come out to be around the same the water dispensed and weight of the rock. Again thanks for all the help