Moveing to a 2nd floor apartment what should i do about my..

[eddiedellz]

what should i do about my 65 gallon tank I am afraid it would be too heavy to keep on the 2nd floor is there anything i could do ?

 

[Guest]

I I had a 55 Gal reef in an upstairs apt. with 110lbs of LR... I would think it would be fine. LBS per square inch is not that heavy. If you think about it, your refrigerator probably weighs more in lbs PSI than the 65 gal tank..

Might want to see how sturdy it is by having 4 or 5 of your heaviest friends stand in the same spot you want your aquarium and see how it seems to you...

 

[Phyl]

Your kitchen floor is built to sustain a refrigerator. Your living room generally isn't. That's like comparing apples to fire trucks.

That being said, if you can go perpendicular to the floor joists, ensure no overflows (man would your downstairs neighbor be mad), and have a stand that touches the floor all the way around (versus a stand with 4 "legs") you've got a good chance that everything will be alright.

I have a 65g AGA tank/stand in my bedroom on a 2nd floor. I'm pretty sure it is perpendicular to the joists. We haven't had a problem with ours apart from the overflows onto the floor (and consequently through the kitchen ceiling) God Bless the guy who came up with the float switch. Worth its weight in GOLD!

 

[Guest]

That's like comparing apples to fire trucks.

At least they are both red

 

[Phyl]

I just compared the joists under my kitchen to the joists under my Living Room (where my 120 is). There are 3x as many joists under my fridge as there are any where else on the first floor! 3 on each side of the fridge (with a larger gap in the middle).

 

[eddiedellz]

Yes overflows would be really bad especially since my downstairs neighbor is my future mother in law
is there a way to make cirtin that id be ok ? with a stand that touches all the way around 4 corrners i think im going to go down to a 55 gal being that i allso have a 15 gal sump

 

[Guest]

Ok, first, What kind of tank is this going to be?

In any case, a 65 gal tank filled should be no more than 700 lbs including the stand. I doubt you will have 65 gallons of water in there anyway..

Spanned over even 3 joists, that is 233 lbs per joist... You will be perfectly fine.. As far as the overflow goes well, that is up to you. I use one and have never had a problem with water running out on to the floor.. Not saying that it can't happen, just that with proper care and setup, the probability is low.

 

[Guest]

Oh yeah, piggy backing on Phyllis, you could also see if you could get your hands on the plans for the house and check the situation of the joist in the area you want to place the tank in... Also get the future mother in laws permission..

 

[75galsalt]

ugggggggggggggg this scares me...

I am on thrid floor of apt building.. no way to know what way the floor joist run.. and i am in process of setting up a 75gal salt


my stand is solid but on 8 legs not flat on floor..

i figure less than 150lbs per leg thought it was good.. and one want to say i a STUPID?

 

[MadManMac]

Another simple thing to do is to get a solid piece of either 3/4" MDF or Plywood and paint it with a waterproof paint to use as a platform for the tank stand. It removes any single points of pressure, like a leg, and helps to distribute weight across a larger area. If you are really handy, you could put a 4 to 6 inch lip that could catch any minor spills and keep both the carpet and your future monster-in-law dry!

 

[Crusis]

I am 6'2" 240lbs. I put more PSI on the floor than your tank would. If your floor can't hold that tank, I might begin to fear for your safety. People put waterbeds in their 2nd floor apartments. I can't imagine that a giant bag of water and two adults wouldn't stress a floor more than your tank.

 

[Edmonton Eskimo]

If you are trying to figure out where your joists run get a deepscan studfinder and run it across your floor until you find the joists.

 

[Mike_Wald]

Great topic, I live on a third floor apartment and was thinking about starting a 100 gal. next summer. With live rock, I'm guessing this will be about 1,000+lbs in about a 6x3 area depending on the stand. Weight is defineatly an issue I am concerned about, but I think if one builds a custom stand for the tank and covers as much surface area as possible, it shoulden't be a problem. Kinda like the statement of the water bed and the particle board base. Mentioning this to your landlord might be wise too. Don't forget the renter's insurance, for just in case!