55 gallon tank no more!

[PK Tester]

Well my dreams of having a 55 gallon tank have been shattered.

My parents believe it is to heavy to go on any of our floors other than the basement. They belieive this because of some guy at walmart!

The countless hours of research I looked at and what not I guess doesn't matter. The retard at walmart buying an aquarium knows better!

Anyhow...My next option is to get a 30 gallon oceanic cube with a nice stand...but I don't really see it being any better than a 10 gal.

Being so small limits so many things that can go into an aquarium. I mean even with a 55 gallon I was limited.

Maybe I should go with a 30 gallon...piece it together myself, light it my self, and DIY CO2 it and plant it.

Do you guys have any ideas?

 

[severum mama]

That really sucks for you! I have a tiny old rental house with 4 tanks in it, a 20 gal, 29 gal, 35 gal, and a 55 gal. I haven't had any problems at all *knocks on wood*. If you're thinking about the Oceanic cube, I know exactly which tank you're talking about, I looked at it myself a while back. It looks really sweet because of the unusual shape, but if I were you I would consider the standard 29 gallon instead. First of all, you will save a lot of money. Second of all, you will probably have more options as far as stocking the tank, because despite being 1 gallon smaller, the footprint should be larger. I planted my 29 gallon and it has 3 Bolivian rams, 7 green fire tetras, 6 rummy nose tetras, and a clown pleco. It is an active and beautiful tank and I love it!

But of course I feel your pain, I love my 55 gallon also.

 

[Corty]

That's infuriating. I've got a few 55 gallons in one room in my completely non first floor apartment. Here's hoping you can change their minds.

Ironic that they're alright with a 30 gallon cube that's got a shorter footprint, and would be less likely to go across more floorboards, supporting the weight more evenly.

I don't even understand why the guy would say that, isn't the point of a salesman to sell more things and more expensive things?

 

[gheitman]

That's too bad that you can't get a 55 gallon tank. I live in a third floor apartment and I'm afraid to get one that big because I don't want it to "drop in" on a neighbor. Instead I have a bunch of smaller tanks from 5 to 30 gallons in size. I'm just now setting up a new 20 gallon tank and will probably get another one in a month or so. I have been amazed with what I can do with something as small as 10 gallons or as big as 30 gallons.

I would also suggest going with a tank that is normally proportioned because of the greater surface area for gas exchange between water and the air. The only exception to this would be if you plan on keeping fish that are vertically elongated like angelfish or discus.

 

[Gordinho80]

like the guy at my LFS told my brother who just moved into a 100 yr old house...u can run a 55 gal tank pretty much anywhere...think of it this way...take 2 larger gentlemen, or 3 avg gentlemen and put them up against a wall in your house...will they cave the floor in? NO...there is added suppport closer to a wall and a tank of that size is more evenly dispersed than 2-3 guys just standing there...needless to say, my brother is no longer looking at a 55 gal, rather a 120 gal...

i say tell your parents that there will be NO problems whatsoever...and prove it...grab 3 guys and stand em up against ur wall, explain the situation and the differences between the guys standing and a more evenly dispersed weight of a tank...

55 gal tanks runs around 500 lbs full right? i'm setting mine up on a 2nd floor appartment...i aint scared...considerring there is a granite countertop bar with real wood cabinets and draws on the same floor...

 

[Rocket2001]

I like Gordinho80's analogy...three average size men will not cave in your floor why would a 500lbs fish tank...how much does your refridgerator weigh or did that fall into the basment?

 

[Cafe Jeff]

To quote Beavis (or Butthead): 'that really sux.'
A 55 is just such a nice size.
Gordinho80's analogy is an excellent one. Try working out the math and determining just how much pressure per square inch there would be with a 55. You might be able to reassure your parents by the careful selection of a stand that better distributed the weight. Also, print up this thread for them. That might even help.
Anyway, here's hoping for the best. You never know, Santa may just be able to bring that 55 down the chimney after all. Jeff

 

[gheitman]

While the argument about the floor supporting 2 heavy guys meaning that a tank can be supported sounds good it doesn't hold much water in my opinion (pun intended). The heavy guys may stand there for only a few minutes while the weight of the 55 gallon tank and all it implies (probably adding up to close to 550 pounds) will be there for years. This is a strain that your floor may not be able to support. There is also a big difference in the weight a floor can support if you set your tank up next to a load bearing wall versus just an interior partition. The topic of how much weight a floor can bear comes up repeatedly on this site and the link below has explained the issue better than I ever could.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/aquarium_weight.php

I suggest reading this and then deciding if you want to show it to your parents.

 

[jennymit21]

i live on the 2nd floor of my aparment building and I have.......

1 75 gal and 1 55 gal in one room about 5 feet apart

2) 75 gals and a 10 gal in the next room within 15 ft of each other and my 6ft long sleeper couch is right up against them



Been living here a year and haven't shared anything with the neighbors yet

 

[PK Tester]

Well thanks for all the replies guys!

I have read that article many time...the problem I have and what my parents have is that there are no building codes within this area...I have no idea what these floors can actually support...My uncle seemed to think it would be fine if a proper stand was used.

Our one room (where we have decided to place an aquarium now it seems) is a petagon looking out onto a lake...part of one of the walls doesn't have any windows except one and there is a spot where an aquarium wouldn't be hit by direct sunlight. The other good part about this room is...Our basement doesn't really go under it...I believe the builder added it on as a spur of the moment type deal...Yet he dug a crawlspace underneath it.

I still dobut I will be putting the 500 - 600 pounds of weight on this...I mean...our tiles don't even lay flat...I really do not trust the floors in this house.

I was considering putting it in our finished basement but...There is no plumbing down there except a sump pump...What if I have a disater to clean up? I have a python but it just isn't convient.

I never go in the basement either...what a curse...you think you want a basement but no...you end up never using it.

Oh well...

The 30 gallon oceanic is my choice. As far as the height...It isn't horiably bad...I will probally end up with some exotic guppies haha...We will see. Oceanic's contrast is very nice looking...it is the best stand system I can find in this area.

The 46 gallon sided hex contrast may also be an option...as it drops about 100-150 pounds off of the 55 gallon weight...Oceanic's Hex aquariums are so damn expensive though wow...


Oh well...We will see what happens!

 

[QTOFFER]

Your parents may have other reasons for not wanting a 55 gal tank, like electrical costs and risk of leakage. If weight is truly their only concern, perhaps this will help you put things in perspective for them.

Water weighs 8.3 lbs per gallon, but 10 lbs per gallon is a handy rule of thumb helps you estimate the total weight of the aquariun (water + gravel, rock, and tank stand) A 55 gal aquarium will weight about 550 lbs. Sounds like alot, right? But consider these other household items, whose weight we don't generally worry about.

1 linear foot of encyclopedia books (8in x 10in) = 30 lbs. I checked this myself on the digital bathroom scale! So, a full four foot wide, four shelf bookshelf = 480 lbs!!!

Amana 18 cubic foot refrigerator: 300 lbs EMPTY
http://www.amana.com/docs/US English/Brochures/specs1004.pdf

Oak Computer armoire: 449 lbs WITHOUT computer, printer, books, etc
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/modernoffice/sooakcoar.html

Roll top computer desk: 390 lbs WITHOUT computer, printer, books, etc
http://www.walkersfurniture.com/AA10087_OakComputerRollTopDesk.htm

 

[Menagerie]

Wow, QTOFFER, you have too much time on your hands!

My husband and I had an 80 gal set up in a cruddy old trailer we lived in. The trailer had many problems, but the tank never fell threw the floor.

 

[TomK2]

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/aquarium_weight.php

Awesome article. Amazing how all that scientific thinking still comes back to: experience has shown that you can put a 55 gal tank on any weight supporting wall and likely be O.K. There were no guarantees, lots of explanations as to how things still could go wrong, but the fact is that so many of us have done it, with so few problems.

 

[Guest]

i live on the 2nd floor of my aparment building and I have.......

1 75 gal and 1 55 gal in one room about 5 feet apart

2) 75 gals and a 10 gal in the next room within 15 ft of each other and my 6ft long sleeper couch is right up against them



Been living here a year and haven't shared anything with the neighbors yet

Notice the key word is "yet".

That's a lot of dead weight on a second floor. Please tell me it's not a wood subfloor. Keep your renters insurance current and extensive.

 

[jhd]

Take it from an engineer: the floor not being able to support 55g tank issue is nonsense.
The only thing you need to watch for is that the tank length is across the floor beams.
This way a 4 foot long tank weight spreads over at least 3 beams that are at least 2x8 and most likely 2x10 wood, capable of supporting thousands of pounds each.

If tank is positioned along the beams, and it happened it is not directly over the beam, the floor (most likely ¾ thick) will slowly cave in a little, enough that you will see a level of water going off towards one side of tank. That is not good.
If tank is positioned across the beams (they are most likely 16 inch apart), it really does not matter the size of tank, you can have 10 footer in there, all it means that the weight will be distributed over more beams, making weight per beam almost the same.
To find which direction beams are, lift a corner of your carpet, if it is a second floor, and you will see rows of nails or screws holding floor to the beams. Position your tank across them and make sure you leveling tank over the beams, as the area between the beams will be more susceptible to cave in some (but not much).
If you want to be super safe, position your tank across the beams near the outside wall. Floor beams are supported over outside walls.

And one thing more: give that idiot in the store a dose of reality of structure support. Refrigerator in your kitchen is still there, I presume, not fallen through the floor to the basement yet.
Hth.