75 Gallon total weight

[hound21]

Hey folks,

Just new to the forum and setting up my first 75 Gallon Aquarium.

I have a question about the total weight. Ive been told that a 75G full can reach weights of 750lbs-900lbs. Not sure if this is true, but seems logical based on the weight of water.

I currently would like to set it up in an upstairs room of the house. I do not have the luxury of wall space along a load bearing wall (window right in the middle), so I am wondering if the floor joists near the middle of the room would be enough to support the tank?

The joists are 2x12 and the total span of the joists from wall to wall is 14 feet. They are spaced at 16 inches on center.

I know that's specific, and I'm not sure if anyone knows how much one joist like that can support, but I'm wondering if anyone else has a 75 gallon tank currently set up in a similar situation.

I have made sure the tank is perpendicular to the joists so that it spans 4 of them. It currently rests 5.5 feet off of a load bearing wall.

Any help on this matter would be appreciated. I Would like to get my tank up and running as soon as possible.



Mike

 

[dmolavi]

The water is approx 8lbs/gallon. Figure on 75lbs of live rock and 75lbs of sand, at least. The rock and sand will take up probably 15-20% of the volume of the tank (let's say 20%...15gallons). That leaves:
60 gallons of water = 480lbs + Another 150 lbs of rock/sand = 630lbs. Add in the weight of the tank (average about 100lbs), so you're up to 730lbs. The stand could be another 50 lbs, plus supplies under the tank, and the sump, if you have one (so add in that water weight too).

Your estimate of 750-900lbs is reasonable. Let's make it an even 1000lbs for easier math, and to err on the side of caution. That puts 250lbs per joist. Can your joists support that? I don't know. If in doubt, get an engineer to come check them out. Or, do you have similar loads elsewhere in the house?

 

[jwh0818]

The water is approx 8lbs/gallon. Figure on 75lbs of live rock and 75lbs of sand, at least. The rock and sand will take up probably 15-20% of the volume of the tank (let's say 20%...15gallons). That leaves:
60 gallons of water = 480lbs + Another 150 lbs of rock/sand = 630lbs. Add in the weight of the tank (average about 100lbs), so you're up to 730lbs. The stand could be another 50 lbs, plus supplies under the tank, and the sump, if you have one (so add in that water weight too).

Your estimate of 750-900lbs is reasonable. Let's make it an even 1000lbs for easier math, and to err on the side of caution. That puts 250lbs per joist. Can your joists support that? I don't know. If in doubt, get an engineer to come check them out. Or, do you have similar loads elsewhere in the house?

I too am going through this. 75g weighs 140lbs exactly plus 50lbs of sand and filled to the too. My hoist are 2x10's and it spans over 5 of them. My house was built in the 40's so I think I'm safe. Add another 250 when I stand next to if and wow that's a lot of weight

 

[hound21]

I don't think I have anything like that weight elsewhere in the house...probably nothing over 500lbs in the rest of the house.

250 lbs per joist sounds like it should be ok. Just Hoping someone has a bit of experience in the matter to ease my concerns...I certainly would not like the tank ending up in my downstairs rec room.

 

[dmolavi]

I too am going through this. 75g weighs 140lbs exactly plus 50lbs of sand and filled to the too. My hoist are 2x10's and it spans over 5 of them. My house was built in the 40's so I think I'm safe. Add another 250 when I stand next to if and wow that's a lot of weight

75 gallons of seawater weighs much more than 140 lbs.

 

[dmolavi]

WHOA NELLIE!! You're talking about having it on your 2nd floor. You'd better check w/ your homeowner's insurance. Most don't cover water damage from 2nd floor aquariums. Some companies won't give you a policy (or cover anything at all) if they discover you have a tank on the 2nd floor.

 

[hound21]

Heh0818 is your tank currently sitting on 2x10's? Is it full and operating?

I have a metal stand, so it's definitely not 50lbs, but that means my weight is only distributed through the four small points it contacts the floor. Wondering if this would be a problem?

I have carpet over plywood in that room.

 

[dmolavi]

Heh0818 is your tank currently sitting on 2x10's? Is it full and operating?

I have a metal stand, so it's definitely not 50lbs, but that means my weight is only distributed through the four small points it contacts the floor. Wondering if this would be a problem?

I have carpet over plywood in that room.

If that weight (say 1000lbs) is resting on 4 little feet, you're moving from 250lbs per joist spread out over the footprint of the stand to probably 250lb/sq in on 4 spots on the floor. That's a different animal all together.

 

[dmolavi]

75 gallons of seawater weighs much more than 140 lbs.

One gallon of pure water is 8.35 lbs. 75 gallons (assuming no loss due to rock or sand) is over 625lbs.

 

[jwh0818]

Haha what have I done here. It's a 1 story house that sits on studs about 2 feet from the ground because we can't have basements here! Mine is safe and its a fw tank. I haven't even hit 1000lbs yet on it

 

[jwh0818]

75 gallons of seawater weighs much more than 140 lbs.

I meant the tank alone weighs 75g but aparently I didn't type tank and only thought it in my head

 

[jwh0818]

Heh0818 is your tank currently sitting on 2x10's? Is it full and operating?

I have a metal stand, so it's definitely not 50lbs, but that means my weight is only distributed through the four small points it contacts the floor. Wondering if this would be a problem?

I have carpet over plywood in that room.

If I was you, I'd get someone to come out and inspect before hand. 75g of water is a lot to mop up!

 

[venymae]

Chart to help you.

Aquarium Sizes and Weight Chart
Maybe this will help. I've actually checked it out with my 5 gallon and 10 gallon and it's pretty accurate (at least for those two).
Take into consideration you are taking the
weight of your aquarium (filters, hood, tank, lights) + amount of water actually in it (displacement) + decor + fish + your stand +any supplies in your stand = total amount
Also, if your stand has feet, (4 points) you might want to set it atop something (like a piece of plywood) to help distribute the weight. I would be nervous about 2nd floor stuff, but that's just me.

 

[dmolavi]

You can also get the weight of the tank from Marineland's page: http://www.marineland.com/Products/...~/media/3C6722AFB0654DF18473C2CFEA649D9F.ashx Those are good ballpark numbers for just the tank (vs filled weight) so that you can more accurately determine how much weight you are dealing with.

Note that both the Marineland numbers and the numbers posted above are for glass tanks.