Will my 125 tip over and kill me - Aquarium Advice

RogerMcAllen · 08-15-2006, 12:09 AM

Recently I bought a 125 gallon tank from a forum member, and am looking to set it up in a house where I have rented a room. My room is only 9x12, so a 6' tank will take up a pretty good chunk. To make room for all of the things I'll need, I have decided to just sleep on an air mattress and flip it up during the day to give me some walking room. If it came down at night I would cease to exist.

The room has fairly thick carpet, and it seems to me that the tank/stand will be a bit top heavy. Are there any special precautions to take, or am I worrying about nothing?

Sicklid · 08-15-2006, 12:21 AM

What is the subfloor made of, and what type of stand is it? Wood, Wrought Iron, flat bottom, legs, etc. Any tank can tip, but if the floor is firm underneath a thick carpet, and you have a wrought iron stand, the weight of the tank compresses the carpet enough under the legs that it should be going down almost through to the subfloor and is'nt really "on" the fluffy carpet. However, if the stand has a flat bottom, it will be dispersed over a greater area than being concentrated at the legs, and will "float" more on the carpet. A 125 is pretty heavy, and broad enough that I don't think it would tip, but use your better judgement. I had a labrador retriever jump onto my 55 gallon and it rocked a little but never tipped, on an iron stand, on a thick carpet on top of concrete slab. Can you strap the stand to the wall behind at all? I would say add weights underneath, but what is heavier than a full 125? Cement blocks? I doubt it. Good luck/stay safe.

PutAwayWet · 08-15-2006, 08:07 AM

I think I would make sure that your landlords fully understand how heavy a filled 125 gallon tank really is and be absolutely sure they approve. You could put down a piece of 3/4" plywood before the stand. That would help even out the carpet and distribute the load over the floor a little.

SCFatz · 08-15-2006, 09:16 AM

Ya know.... its titles like this that get me to wishing a little wish...

"Wouldn't it be great if I just answered the question and not read the thread?" Read some of em with this logic applied and it gets kinda fun.

In this case the answer would be" YES your tank is going to tip over and kill you."lol.

Ok...back to the topic...How tall is the stand?Its a lot of weight to just tip...something under it would have to give up for it to fall...or the stand itself I suppose.

In your situation I would fill it and see which way it leans if at all,it may lean towards the wall.
If it leaned towards where I slept I would drain it and move it.I would not risk any lean towards the room.If it sits level,stay diligent in the water level observation...it is a lot of weight and that can change things over time,and do so slowly...ya know...until it kills you.

src · 08-15-2006, 10:17 AM

I doubt it will tip, but you absolutely have to have a frank and open discussion with your landlord, especially if your room is on the second floor. Do you know which way the floor joists run? You want to position the tank so that it crosses several joists instead of running along one or two.

Personally, if I were renting a room to someone, I would NEVER let them set up a tank that size. There's just too much risk involved for the homeowner.

RogerMcAllen · 08-15-2006, 04:05 PM

The guy who owns the house is a friend, so it isn't just some ananamous landlord. If he doesn't like the size once it is in, I'll just have an extra long/wide 55 gallon tank. I have no concerns about the floor, the only thing I was wondering if tanks were prone to tipping when placed on carpeting.

Sicklid · 08-15-2006, 06:19 PM

Quote:

In your situation I would fill it and see which way it leans if at all,it may lean towards the wall.

Ummm, if it leans ANY WHICH WAY it's at risk of falling over, let alone busting a seam due to uneven distribution. How can you tell someone to set up a tank that "leans" in any direction, ALL TANKS SHOULD BE LEVEL. PERIOD.

Is your stand home made? If so I would fear for you a little, but if it's somewhat built by a professional, don't sweat it.

vertex · 08-15-2006, 08:03 PM

Psersonally, its unlikely to tip over. I have a 4' long 1 foot deep 60 gallon that is obviously very top heavy. It is on carpet and iron stand. It is stable but I still strapped it to the wall. You can easily do the same. A couple of screws and a bracket or at least a tarp strap is all you need. Problem solved.

Oh and BTW. A good home built stand is FAR stronger than most purchased tank stands. Just depends how you build it.

DeFeKt · 08-15-2006, 08:19 PM

Quote:

ALL TANKS SHOULD BE LEVEL. PERIOD.

Best advice yet

Quote:

Is your stand home made? If so I would fear for you a little, but if it's somewhat built by a professional, don't sweat it.

FWIW Building stands for aquariums is not a certifiable trade. In a sense they are all DIY

Sicklid · 08-15-2006, 10:07 PM

Quote:

FWIW Building stands for aquariums is not a certifiable trade. In a sense they are all DIY

True indeeed, but if I may be more specific I meant the welded iron or steel stands which are (although sometimes ugly with the decorative corners and what not) the best value of cost/strength IMO. Unless you can throw down a stacked, interlocked cement block DIY'er, which I think is REALLY the best for strength, but no space below for anything and ugly as sin in a bedroom or living room.

Quote:

Oh and BTW. A good home built stand is FAR stronger than most purchased tank stands. Just depends how you build it.

Again, I don't disagree. I myself wouldn't bother to undertake such a project without "overbuilding" it.

08-15-2006, 12:09 AM	#1
RogerMcAllen Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Champaign, IL Posts: 2,330 Images: 16	Will my 125 tip over and kill me Recently I bought a 125 gallon tank from a forum member, and am looking to set it up in a house where I have rented a room. My room is only 9x12, so a 6' tank will take up a pretty good chunk. To make room for all of the things I'll need, I have decided to just sleep on an air mattress and flip it up during the day to give me some walking room. If it came down at night I would cease to exist. The room has fairly thick carpet, and it seems to me that the tank/stand will be a bit top heavy. Are there any special precautions to take, or am I worrying about nothing? __________________ Have your reviewed your aquarium products yet?

08-15-2006, 09:16 AM	#4
SCFatz Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 813	Ya know.... its titles like this that get me to wishing a little wish... "Wouldn't it be great if I just answered the question and not read the thread?" Read some of em with this logic applied and it gets kinda fun. In this case the answer would be" YES your tank is going to tip over and kill you."lol. Ok...back to the topic...How tall is the stand?Its a lot of weight to just tip...something under it would have to give up for it to fall...or the stand itself I suppose. In your situation I would fill it and see which way it leans if at all,it may lean towards the wall. If it leaned towards where I slept I would drain it and move it.I would not risk any lean towards the room.If it sits level,stay diligent in the water level observation...it is a lot of weight and that can change things over time,and do so slowly...ya know...until it kills you. __________________ Fatz 90g SW FOWLR 50g tall fw planted at .6wpg 29g fw planted at 1.2 wpg 10g fw planted at 3 wpg cf

08-15-2006, 04:05 PM	#6
RogerMcAllen Aquarium Advice Addict Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Champaign, IL Posts: 2,330 Images: 16	The guy who owns the house is a friend, so it isn't just some ananamous landlord. If he doesn't like the size once it is in, I'll just have an extra long/wide 55 gallon tank. I have no concerns about the floor, the only thing I was wondering if tanks were prone to tipping when placed on carpeting. __________________ Have your reviewed your aquarium products yet?

08-15-2006, 08:03 PM	#8
vertex Aquarium Advice Activist Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Calgary Canada Posts: 143 Images: 11	Psersonally, its unlikely to tip over. I have a 4' long 1 foot deep 60 gallon that is obviously very top heavy. It is on carpet and iron stand. It is stable but I still strapped it to the wall. You can easily do the same. A couple of screws and a bracket or at least a tarp strap is all you need. Problem solved. Oh and BTW. A good home built stand is FAR stronger than most purchased tank stands. Just depends how you build it. __________________ Equipment: 33G [acronym:140c8ae565="Saltwater"]SW[/acronym:140c8ae565] Reef tank (pic), 192W Coralife [acronym:140c8ae565="Power compact fluorescent"]PC[/acronym:140c8ae565] lighting, [acronym:140c8ae565="power heads"]PHs[/acronym:140c8ae565] for H2O circulation, Red Sea Berlin Classic Skimmer Aquascaping: 3" [acronym:140c8ae565="Deep Sand Bed"]DSB[/acronym:140c8ae565], 50lb live rock (~35 lbs home made Cement Base Rock) Clean Up Crew: Blue Leg hermits, Cerith snails, Astrea Snails, Stomatella snails, Brittlestar, banded brittles. Critters: Hawaiian feather duster, Coral Banded Shrimp, Emerald Crab Corals: Open Brain Coral, Cabbage coral, 4 RBTAs, Melon mushrooms, green Zoos, yellow polyps, finger Leather, orange Zoos, Brown Zoos, Chocolate Zoos, Xenia, GSP, Kenya Tree Coral, 2 acropora [acronym:140c8ae565="Small Polyped Stoney"]SPS[/acronym:140c8ae565], blue sponge, candy cane Fish/Inverts: Maroon Clownfish, Scooter Blenny, Coral Beauty dwarf angel, Sea Hare

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08-15-2006, 12:21 AM	#2
Sicklid Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Tarpon Springs FL Posts: 658 Images: 4	What is the subfloor made of, and what type of stand is it? Wood, Wrought Iron, flat bottom, legs, etc. Any tank can tip, but if the floor is firm underneath a thick carpet, and you have a wrought iron stand, the weight of the tank compresses the carpet enough under the legs that it should be going down almost through to the subfloor and is'nt really "on" the fluffy carpet. However, if the stand has a flat bottom, it will be dispersed over a greater area than being concentrated at the legs, and will "float" more on the carpet. A 125 is pretty heavy, and broad enough that I don't think it would tip, but use your better judgement. I had a labrador retriever jump onto my 55 gallon and it rocked a little but never tipped, on an iron stand, on a thick carpet on top of concrete slab. Can you strap the stand to the wall behind at all? I would say add weights underneath, but what is heavier than a full 125? Cement blocks? I doubt it. Good luck/stay safe.

08-15-2006, 08:07 AM	#3
PutAwayWet Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Toledo, OH Posts: 19	I think I would make sure that your landlords fully understand how heavy a filled 125 gallon tank really is and be absolutely sure they approve. You could put down a piece of 3/4" plywood before the stand. That would help even out the carpet and distribute the load over the floor a little.

08-15-2006, 10:17 AM	#5
src Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Richmond, Virginia Posts: 476	I doubt it will tip, but you absolutely have to have a frank and open discussion with your landlord, especially if your room is on the second floor. Do you know which way the floor joists run? You want to position the tank so that it crosses several joists instead of running along one or two. Personally, if I were renting a room to someone, I would NEVER let them set up a tank that size. There's just too much risk involved for the homeowner.

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