Having tanks upstairs

[aqariumclements]

Hello everyone,
I have recently purchased a juwel rio 400 and I am wanting to have it in my room along with the 125 fluval that is already up there. My question is what sized tanks have people got upstairs and have they had any problems with the floors collapsing cracking etc also what processes did you go through to check it was safe to have your tank upstairs?

 

[bshenanagins]

Hello everyone,
I have recently purchased a juwel rio 400 and I am wanting to have it in my room along with the 125 fluval that is already up there. My question is what sized tanks have people got upstairs and have they had any problems with the floors collapsing cracking etc also what processes did you go through to check it was safe to have your tank upstairs?

I'd be wary about adding another tank to the main floor, worst case scenario you can have a contractor add some support but that will cost you

 

[molliwopp]

A 5ft 125g is quite large but if your home is well constructed your floor should support it, can you pull back the carpet and look at the size and distance between your joists?

I have a 4ft rio 240 (65g) upstairs and a 3.3ft roma 200 (52g)

I placed mine across as many joists as possible, I would definitely not risk placing it parallel with the joists leaving it resting on a single joist. Me personally, I would feel safe with a 5ft upstairs but I would measure and centre it in whatever position that gave it the most support. my rio240 rests on 3, and the centre of the tank is centred on the middle joist. also putting it against and along a load bearing wall would be the best idea.

im not a structural engineer and the only definitive way of knowing is having someone come and look at your floor.

 

[aqariumclements]

Hey molliwop hope your well,
Yeah it will be going against two external walls (In the corner) one of which is load bearing as the beams run through the wall, this also meens that the tank would be situated on several joists. I might also removed the six little feet on the bottom of the stand so it all lays flush to the floor thus spreading the weight more evenly.

Do you think it would be safe to have the 400 and 125 in the same room? I took your advice on the tank it looks amazing and it's huge!! Can't wait too see my barbs in there! However I'm going to try a dirted tank with black gravel and plants rock etc so will take a while. Do you have any advice on fish less cycle? It was something you mentioned the last time we spoke?

 

[TOMatt]

I think that would depend on the size of the room.
If it's big enough to keep the weight loads on different joists, it should be fine. If they're really close and sharing support, i wouldn't risk it.

 

[Blindmelon119]

I studied this same question and had the same reservations. You can look in the attic or most newer multi floor homes have storage areas where you can see the floor joists. Make sure they are at least 2x6. It is best to place the aquarium across the joists and not parallel. What I learned was the weight distribution is what actually matters. You would think nothing of ten people that each weigh over 200 lbs in a upstairs room. An aquarium is about the same as a waterbed from back in the day. It is normally less than a refrigerator, in terms of weight per square foot. I would place it against an exterior wall for the extra load bearing and not get overly crazy with using rocks.

 

[aqariumclements]

Thankyou for the quick replies,
The room is a recent extension that has been built on top of the garage below. I am good friends with the builder so i will ask him what joists, load bearing etc from him. Also going to consider moving the Fluval 125 to the other corner of the room as the location i have in mind is a few feet from the fluval and as you said this would likely increase the risk. What size tanks and fish do you guys keep? Also are any of these tanks upstairs?

 

[TOMatt]

I've got a 50g tank. It's on top of a very heavily-built bookshelf that covers about 14 sq feet.
It's on the 2nd floor of my house, where 2 load-bearing walls meet. I'd like another tank, but it's a poorly-constructed building and I wouldn't trust another 700lbs of condensed weight in the only suitable area for an aquarium.

As for fish, i've got Platies, Mollies, a Betta, a Bristlenose Pleco, Rummynose Tetras, Peppered Cories and Dwarf Spotted Danios.