Need opinion on tank placement

[67Elmo]

I have an opportunity to buy a very nice planted tank, but its 90 gallons, bigger than I really wanted. The problem is it has to go parallel to the floor joists on the main floor, NOT across them.

Specifically the tank would weigh in the neighborhood of 1000 lbs with water, etc. It is going right against the outside wall (good) but it has to go parallel to the floor joists (bad as only a couple of joists will support the weight.) Specifically I have 2 x 10 floor joists that are spaced 16" apart. There is a 15 ft. span along the outside wall between bearing walls and the tank must go pretty well in the middle of this span.

Bottom line it looks like the tank will be parallel and supported by two 2x10 floor joists only, and about a foot from the wall, which is supported by a concrete foundation. Will my tank ultimately end up in the basement? Or will the floor start to warp after a while? Comments? Many thanks.

 

[Alan79]

How much space do you have under the floor? You might be able to build some extra bracing down there without too much trouble. If the area you would be bracing is in a basement where it need not be seen you could just build two rectangular frames for the floor and under the floor the tank rests on then cut support legs to fit between the two frames. That way you could move it if you decided to put the tank elsewhere.

If you just used this idea to brace the tank above you could even cut shelves to fit between the bracing legs to turn the space into a storage area.

 

[67Elmo]

Sadly there is no space in the basement below. Its a fully furnished bedroom. So I can't shore up the two joists without making things look very unfinished in the bedroom downstairs.

I guess I'm asking if no reinforcing whatsoever is done, is it safe to put 1000 lbs on only 2 2x10 joists near a wall? Or do I just go with a smaller aquarium in the same spot, say a 55 gallon that would be only about 600 lbs instead of 1000 lbs. I know the floor will hold a 90 gallon, at least initially, but I don't want it to sag a bit over the months and years since I can't really effectively shore up the two joists from below.

 

[aqua_holic]

Placing the tank perpendicular to the joists is far more important than placing the tank on an outside wall. A 55 would be more unstable in that space than the 90, for sure.

 

[Ricky 1]

Is there a way you can brace the 2 joists to the out side wall, that would make them very strong..........

 

[BillD]

Since the room below is finished, it would seem that there is no option to sister the joists in question. That wouldn't be my first choice, but would have been an option if the ceiling was open. It is hard to imagine that it wouldn't cause the floor to sag over time.

 

[67Elmo]

More Information so you can counsel me properly

I removed some of the ceiling tiles in the finished basement to inspect the joists. Sure enough they are 16" apart and 2 x 10" joists. HOWEVER there is a ray of hope! I found a "bearing wall" that connects to the parallels joists perpendicularly. This wall has two 2 x 10" joists running perpendicular to the "parallel joists". These joists are immediately beside each other and touching, so the effect would be I assume of a 4" x 10" joist in total for support running perpendicular to the floor joists.

So I could "straddle" the junction of the 2 beams x 10" bearing wall and the parallel joists that are 16" apart. This to me seems like it should hold a 90 gallon tank long term without sagging. But what do you folks think?