90 to 125 gallons, what is the weight?

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Komodo

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Sep 19, 2014
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Location
Montréal, Canada
I would like to buy a 90 to 125 gallon tank for my basement. It has a concrete floor but it also has ceramic tiles, should I worry about the weight?




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Hey Komodo,
1 gallon of Reverse Osmosis water weighs approx 8.3 lbs
1 gallon of saltwater weighs approx 8.55 lbs

90 - 125 gallons of fresh water weighs 747 lbs - 1,037.50 lbs

90 - 125 gallons of salt water weighs 769.5 lbs - 1,068.75 lbs

**remember this doesn't include the weight of the tank or equipment**


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As long as there is concrete underneath, you will be fine. I worry about tank weights too, so I am glad you are considering it before you set it up. Basements with concrete are ideal for these larger tanks, so you are good to go.
 
I hate when you ask a simple question and people give off facts and statistics that really do not answer the original question. I think that is why so many fish keepers get frustrated in the hobby. Just answer the question, and if you do not know, then move on.
 
Hey Komodo,
1 gallon of Reverse Osmosis water weighs approx 8.3 lbs
1 gallon of saltwater weighs approx 8.55 lbs

90 - 125 gallons of fresh water weighs 747 lbs - 1,037.50 lbs

90 - 125 gallons of salt water weighs 769.5 lbs - 1,068.75 lbs

**remember this doesn't include the weight of the tank or equipment**


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So what?! a smarter answer would have been...with a concrete subfloor the tank will be fine..

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So what?! a smarter answer would have been...with a concrete subfloor the tank will be fine..

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Maybe you should use a bit more tact and stop getting irritated. This type of attitude is not what we need. You gave the criticism in one post and that is enough. Please use reasonning and constructive criticism not personal attacks.

55 Gallon- Empty
125 Gallon- CKF and Tiger Oscar
220 Gallon- To come...
 
Maybe you should use a bit more tact and stop getting irritated. This type of attitude is not what we need. You gave the criticism in one post and that is enough. Please use reasonning and constructive criticism not personal attacks.

55 Gallon- Empty
125 Gallon- CKF and Tiger Oscar
220 Gallon- To come...

Why? That was my only post by the way... why confuse the op with all that cut and paste nonsense. It's utterly useless and I can't stand it..

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Why? That was my only post by the way... why confuse the op with all that cut and paste nonsense. It's utterly useless and I can't stand it..

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First my bad i thought you were ppo but in all contextual reference to your post ppo had already given the constructive criticism,i dont think it was necessary to repeat. Once again my bad though.

55 Gallon- Empty
125 Gallon- CKF and Tiger Oscar
220 Gallon- To come...
 
First my bad i thought you were ppo but in all contextual reference to your post ppo had already given the constructive criticism,i dont think it was necessary to repeat. Once again my bad though.

55 Gallon- Empty
125 Gallon- CKF and Tiger Oscar
220 Gallon- To come...

All good:) I was reiterating ppo's point because I entirely agreed. You're right in that I probably could have shut up and just +1 ' d it... I'll see myself out...

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Haha np but now to answer the op,it all depends how your tiles are made and the temperature. 95% of the time tiles will be fine as they are pretty robust but some will pop with a bit of heat and some pressure.

55 Gallon- Empty
125 Gallon- CKF and Tiger Oscar
220 Gallon- To come...
 
Depends on how good the tiler was!
Depends how thick the tiles are, 1/4" ceramic isn't as strong as 1" quarry.
Also depends how good the concrete sub base is.

Use a board to spread the load if you are uneasy, I'm assuming it's a regular stand, normally with 5-6 feet on the bottom. Each of these has the ability to pop through a tile if there is any void within the adhesive, which is probably likely as the adhesive tool (floor adhesive float/trowel) has notches to rib up the adhesive, these are an inch wide up to 3/4 deep with a half inch space between. If the sub floor was in a near perfect condition maybe a wall type adhesive trowel was used in which case there would be fewer and smaller voids.

When I installed a tank on an upper floor level I put the stand on an old section of kitchen worktop to ensure the load was spread. 1/2" or 3/4" Plywood would've worked but worktop was on hand.

(You could knock out the offending tiles and pour in a screed, depends on what is acceptable, if the floor is out of level then that's possibly a good route)

My first fish room was quarry tiles on concrete with a self levelling screed.
 
Depends on how good the tiler was!
Depends how thick the tiles are, 1/4" ceramic isn't as strong as 1" quarry.
Also depends how good the concrete sub base is.

Use a board to spread the load if you are uneasy, I'm assuming it's a regular stand, normally with 5-6 feet on the bottom. Each of these has the ability to pop through a tile if there is any void within the adhesive, which is probably likely as the adhesive tool (floor adhesive float/trowel) has notches to rib up the adhesive, these are an inch wide up to 3/4 deep with a half inch space between. If the sub floor was in a near perfect condition maybe a wall type adhesive trowel was used in which case there would be fewer and smaller voids.

When I installed a tank on an upper floor level I put the stand on an old section of kitchen worktop to ensure the load was spread. 1/2" or 3/4" Plywood would've worked but worktop was on hand.

(You could knock out the offending tiles and pour in a screed, depends on what is acceptable, if the floor is out of level then that's possibly a good route)

My first fish room was quarry tiles on concrete with a self levelling screed.

Let's say it's a 50 year old, 4" slab.. let's say they're 1/4" ceramic tile set in modified thin set mortar with a square notched 3/8" trowel. As long as the point of contact is less than 1/4" square than I can't see it being an issue. If the slab buckles under 1500 pounds than the op has bigger problems than a tipped tank;) I agree 110% is spreading the load as much as possible.. it will always help and can never hurt!

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Last edited:
Why? That was my only post by the way... why confuse the op with all that cut and paste nonsense. It's utterly useless and I can't stand it..

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If it's useless, do not read it and move on. Did you see the first question in their title? "What is the weight".


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Let's say it's a 50 year old, 4" slab.. let's say they're 1/4" ceramic tile set in modified thin set mortar with a square notched 3/8" trowel. As long as the point of contact is less than 1/4" square than I can't see it being an issue. If the slab buckles under 1500 pounds than the op has bigger problems than a tipped tank;) I agree 110% is spreading the load as much as possible.. it will always help and can never hurt!

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I've put tiles on a flat/good floor using a wall spaced float, my walking on said tiles was enough to make one crack and I'm only 16st (220ish lb)
A little pressure is enough to crack a tile, even a wide load pressure like my foot.
The cracking alone is ok but if the foot of the stand ends up suddenly dropping, even by a few mm/thou, then you have problems. A 5mm shock drop on one corner would see off your system.

Now if a tile has been built up due to a particularly un even sub base, it may only have a dot in each corner or a dot in the middle. Sometimes the ridges are inadequate on the trowel. Quite often the bloke who pours the slab isn't the bloke laying tiles and the concern for level is over ridden by the concern for home time. Also you often get build up or pits in the corners or around service inlets and sometimes this isn't screeded out it is made up with adhesive.

If the point of contact is less, more pressure will be exerted through it, so it will present a greater threat to failure. It will be more of a concern if the foot is less than 1/4" not less of an issue, otherwise load spreading wouldn't work.

I hate scare mongering but I would assume the worst for the safest set up.

Yes I fully agree, if the slab fails you got a world of issues!
I poured my fish house floor with a393 mesh just in case.
Concrete has a low tensile strength and steel will help prevent cracks if the ground shifts. The people laughed but failure was not an option, now I know the floor is as tough as it can be.
 
concrete is a very good hard surface but try to avoid stands that have 4 individual legs as the weight of your tank will be sitting only on those 4 legs , more likely to break tiles ,
best choice would be to build your own stand so you can make it were the whole stand supports the tank this in return will give you a more even distribution of the weight ,less chance of breaking tiles
 
Update

I just received my tank; it has eight foot at two inches diameter each. The tank is sixty inches long and seventeen inches deep. It’s also a 104 gallon tank.
 
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