Tank Weight- 2nd floor a bad idea?

UtahGetMe2 · 03/15/2011, 10:32 AM

I'm in the middle of setting up about a 90 gal system with about 100 lbs of rock and a hard wood stand that will have some weight to it once its finished. I've been thinking, is the floor going to hold up!!!! The tank will be going into my new condo which is on the second floor. I am already planning on setting it up on an outer load bearing wall. Building is brick, but I am not sure of what type of structure (concrete, wood, steel) the building is. There is a total of 4 floors and I know the building was built sometime in the late 1960's early 1970's. Floors are oak.

To top it all off I am almost 300# so I am envisioning me looking at the tank standing in front of it and falling through the floor!

How many people are running a decent sized system like this in a condo/apartment building without specific supports for it?

Am I just worrying too much??

Noobeef · 03/15/2011, 11:16 AM

We can only speculate really. How old is the building? My brother used to have a 100 gallon tank in his bedroom which was on the second floor. That house iirc was built in '81. I certainly wouldn't chance it, especially considering your weight and you standing next to the tank. All of a sudden it becomes a 120 gallon tank if you're right against it working inside it.

If you're making the stand for the typical 90g tank, it's the same footprint as the standard 75 gallon. I might go with that instead. Still, even at 75g ,with a sump and stand, the tank will weigh about half a ton.

I don't have any experience in engineering, but if I were in your spot, I'd probably chicken out and go with a 40 breeder and a 20 gallon sump.

carpenterman23 · 03/15/2011, 05:01 PM

If its on an outside wall like you said, you'll be fine. The point that wood becomes weak is toward the middle of the span. Just make sure you hit as many floor joist as you can. also you may want to put a thin rug under it also. the amount of weight will indent the floor.

gabew · 03/15/2011, 05:19 PM

I have a 55 gallon with 20 gallon sump on the second floor. The house is really old but the part the tank is in burned down and was totally rebuilt ten years ago. It is over a load bearing wall and the floors are hardwood. So far it is still on the second floor!

Bamm Bamm · 03/15/2011, 05:51 PM

it should be fine I had a 90g and a 46 and a 55 above a garage in a apartment years ago no issues..

jenreef · 03/15/2011, 06:16 PM

i have a 120 gallon tank and a 55 gallon sump on the second floor. and i was also scared that the tank weight will brake the floor. but im happy to say the floor held up well

jk1138 · 03/15/2011, 07:15 PM

ask the management if it would be an issue to have a waterbed in the condo. if not then your time should be fine.

Bamm Bamm · 03/15/2011, 10:03 PM

I actually had my 90g placed towards the middle of the room it was next to a load bearing wall next to the stairs.(stairs were inside the apt.) the rest of the tank were along the outside walls.. plus my 44g brute full of Ro/di.. actually had that overflow once in there that sucked...

kawicivic · 03/15/2011, 10:15 PM

They will probably say no to waterbeds because of liability purposes. I had a 75 gallon with a 40b sump next to it in the middle of my apartment. I also am a big guy... I wouldn't worry about your weight or the tank as long as you aren't doing a large sump. Take the others advice. My apartment was the second floor of a two story apartment. Think if how much weight they had to consider for the floors above you. I have heard of many apartments capping tank size st 100 gallons...but I also think this us due to liability of the water and not collapse.

That is my 2 cents. As everyone else said...it is just a guess though... The building could be poorly maintained and rotting away. If in doubt go smaller. Go look at a stock 75 gallon stand and consider what it is built out of and then look at your building.

MattinIdaho · 03/15/2011, 11:01 PM

I actually just asked the builder of our home this question. He looked at and thought it would be fine but then said it made him a little nervous and he would check with the engineers. Made me worry enough that we just decided to go downstairs with it. Not an option for you I know but I would do some checking before I set it up.

UtahGetMe2 · 03/21/2011, 04:36 PM

Thanks everyone for the input. I will check the condo documents carefully to see if there are any restrictions and if not will go ahead with the build.

Enzel · 03/21/2011, 04:42 PM

I'm planning a 225g on a second floor above a garage. Like mentioned before, try to get as many joists as you can. With mine, my tank will be going perpendicular to 6 joist.

shrimphead · 03/21/2011, 05:15 PM

i heard that even with a 50 gallon you need to check that your tank is running cross the joists rather than running along with them, and also you need to check your joist thickness.
hopefullly we might have some structural engineers or builders chime in

m2434 · 03/21/2011, 06:14 PM

There is never any way to know for sure without trying, or second best a structural engineer. Generally under 75 though is nothing, even the worst built structures should be able to support this. 75-125 is typically safe, but you do want to think it out a bit. I.e. make sure it is near a corner or load bearing wall. Going across the joists is good. Over 125 is usually when you start needing to think about reinforcement etc..

It would have to be a really poorly built structure to have a problem with a 90. I'm not recommending a 90g sump to go with it though

03/15/2011, 10:32 AM	#1
UtahGetMe2 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 35	Tank Weight- 2nd floor a bad idea? I'm in the middle of setting up about a 90 gal system with about 100 lbs of rock and a hard wood stand that will have some weight to it once its finished. I've been thinking, is the floor going to hold up!!!! The tank will be going into my new condo which is on the second floor. I am already planning on setting it up on an outer load bearing wall. Building is brick, but I am not sure of what type of structure (concrete, wood, steel) the building is. There is a total of 4 floors and I know the building was built sometime in the late 1960's early 1970's. Floors are oak. To top it all off I am almost 300# so I am envisioning me looking at the tank standing in front of it and falling through the floor! How many people are running a decent sized system like this in a condo/apartment building without specific supports for it? Am I just worrying too much?? __________________ "Going cold turkey isn't as delicious as it sounds" -Homer J. Simpson. Current Tank Info: 29 Gallon Biocube, Mixed Reef- 1.5 years old

03/15/2011, 05:19 PM	#4
gabew Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 413	I have a 55 gallon with 20 gallon sump on the second floor. The house is really old but the part the tank is in burned down and was totally rebuilt ten years ago. It is over a load bearing wall and the floors are hardwood. So far it is still on the second floor! __________________ -Gabe Current Tank Info: Coldwater/temperate setup: 55 gallon DT, 30 gallon sump, 20 gallon refugium, Iwaki WMD-30RLXT return pump, 1/2HP chiller, Reef Octpus NW110 skimmer, BRS carbon reactor, two Koralia Evolution 1400s, Odyssea 216w quad T5 HO light with 6500k plant bulbs

03/15/2011, 05:51 PM	#5
Bamm Bamm Saltwater Guru Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Brentwood, NOR CAL Posts: 9,309	it should be fine I had a 90g and a 46 and a 55 above a garage in a apartment years ago no issues.. __________________ 25g rimless cube in the works Current Tank Info: 60g cube

03/15/2011, 07:15 PM	#7
jk1138 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: New Port Richey, FL Posts: 977	ask the management if it would be an issue to have a waterbed in the condo. if not then your time should be fine. __________________ Bob "And God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures'..." Genesis 1:20a Member: T.B.R.C. & Frag Chair (fragmaster)

03/15/2011, 10:03 PM	#8
Bamm Bamm Saltwater Guru Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Brentwood, NOR CAL Posts: 9,309	I actually had my 90g placed towards the middle of the room it was next to a load bearing wall next to the stairs.(stairs were inside the apt.) the rest of the tank were along the outside walls.. plus my 44g brute full of Ro/di.. actually had that overflow once in there that sucked... __________________ 25g rimless cube in the works Current Tank Info: 60g cube

03/15/2011, 11:16 AM	#2
Noobeef Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 60	We can only speculate really. How old is the building? My brother used to have a 100 gallon tank in his bedroom which was on the second floor. That house iirc was built in '81. I certainly wouldn't chance it, especially considering your weight and you standing next to the tank. All of a sudden it becomes a 120 gallon tank if you're right against it working inside it. If you're making the stand for the typical 90g tank, it's the same footprint as the standard 75 gallon. I might go with that instead. Still, even at 75g ,with a sump and stand, the tank will weigh about half a ton. I don't have any experience in engineering, but if I were in your spot, I'd probably chicken out and go with a 40 breeder and a 20 gallon sump.

03/15/2011, 05:01 PM	#3
carpenterman23 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 181	If its on an outside wall like you said, you'll be fine. The point that wood becomes weak is toward the middle of the span. Just make sure you hit as many floor joist as you can. also you may want to put a thin rug under it also. the amount of weight will indent the floor.

03/15/2011, 06:16 PM	#6
jenreef Moved On Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: spencer ma Posts: 211	i have a 120 gallon tank and a 55 gallon sump on the second floor. and i was also scared that the tank weight will brake the floor. but im happy to say the floor held up well

03/15/2011, 10:15 PM	#9
kawicivic Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Rockford Posts: 2,316	They will probably say no to waterbeds because of liability purposes. I had a 75 gallon with a 40b sump next to it in the middle of my apartment. I also am a big guy... I wouldn't worry about your weight or the tank as long as you aren't doing a large sump. Take the others advice. My apartment was the second floor of a two story apartment. Think if how much weight they had to consider for the floors above you. I have heard of many apartments capping tank size st 100 gallons...but I also think this us due to liability of the water and not collapse. That is my 2 cents. As everyone else said...it is just a guess though... The building could be poorly maintained and rotting away. If in doubt go smaller. Go look at a stock 75 gallon stand and consider what it is built out of and then look at your building.

03/15/2011, 11:01 PM	#10
MattinIdaho Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Teton, Idaho Posts: 229	I actually just asked the builder of our home this question. He looked at and thought it would be fine but then said it made him a little nervous and he would check with the engineers. Made me worry enough that we just decided to go downstairs with it. Not an option for you I know but I would do some checking before I set it up.

03/21/2011, 04:36 PM	#11
UtahGetMe2 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 35	Thanks everyone for the input. I will check the condo documents carefully to see if there are any restrictions and if not will go ahead with the build. __________________ "Going cold turkey isn't as delicious as it sounds" -Homer J. Simpson. Current Tank Info: 29 Gallon Biocube, Mixed Reef- 1.5 years old

03/21/2011, 04:42 PM	#12
Enzel Moved On Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 168	I'm planning a 225g on a second floor above a garage. Like mentioned before, try to get as many joists as you can. With mine, my tank will be going perpendicular to 6 joist.

03/21/2011, 05:15 PM	#13
shrimphead Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 552	i heard that even with a 50 gallon you need to check that your tank is running cross the joists rather than running along with them, and also you need to check your joist thickness. hopefullly we might have some structural engineers or builders chime in

03/21/2011, 06:14 PM	#14
m2434 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 2,171	There is never any way to know for sure without trying, or second best a structural engineer. Generally under 75 though is nothing, even the worst built structures should be able to support this. 75-125 is typically safe, but you do want to think it out a bit. I.e. make sure it is near a corner or load bearing wall. Going across the joists is good. Over 125 is usually when you start needing to think about reinforcement etc.. It would have to be a really poorly built structure to have a problem with a 90. I'm not recommending a 90g sump to go with it though __________________ Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which are there. ~Richard Feynman

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