Setting Up 55 Gallon Tank On Wooden Floor

[robertmarda]

I am moving a 55 gallon tank to my new place. The main floor seems to be wooden with (I believe) a crawlway or something below it.

This townhouse was built toward the end of the 60's or in the early 70's.

Should I be concerned that the weight of the full 55 gallon tank could do structural damage to the floor or even fall through it? Is there any way I can determine the best place to put it?

The stand is made of wood and so all the weight of the full tank will be distributed across the entire bottom surface area of the stand. I've heard that metal stands which have four legs are worse since all the weight is on 4 small points. Any truth to this?

I have all the fish in a 20 gallon wide tank with the filter from the 55 gallon tank and an extra filter so they should be fine like that until I find the right place for this 55 gallon tank.

Robert

 

[greenmaji]

Try to figure out wich way the floor joists run and place the tank somewhere that it will
be spanned across them. From personal experience this should not be a problem.. I
had my 75 up and running at my old house, built in 1929, and it also had wood floors
with a crawlspace.. The weight of the tank is spread across the floor joists and does
little to each individual one as far as weight is concerned. Good Luck!

 

[beblondie]

''Should I be concerned that the weight of the full 55 gallon tank could do structural damage to the floor or even fall through it? Is there any way I can determine the best place to put it?''
Place it against an outside wall the floor joists should be on 16'' centers try nd place the tank so each end is on a joist

The stand is made of wood and so all the weight of the full tank will be distributed across the entire bottom surface area of the stand. I've heard that metal stands which have four legs are worse since all the weight is on 4 small points. Any truth to this?
yes this is true

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The metal stands that have 4 posts are not good to use on larger tanks. A 10 gal is fine. Even a 20 Gal I wouldn't be worried about.

A 55 gal tank does not have any more weight per square inch than a full fridge. You won't have any issues. My brother has a 55 gal tank on the second story without problems. It's against an inside wall that is not supported under it. The house was built in 1990, but you still shouldn't have any issues. It's when you get to the larger tanks that you have issues. I have been house hunting for several weeks and keep passing up nice houses because the first floor either has a crawl space or basement. That's the bad part about 150 gal tanks. BUT, you won't have any issues. Just make sure you don't have any water spills behind the tank. I'd be more worried about the wood warping from that than the weight.

 

[Ariamus]

I am moving a 55 gallon tank to my new place. The main floor seems to be wooden with (I believe) a crawlway or something below it.

This townhouse was built toward the end of the 60's or in the early 70's.

Should I be concerned that the weight of the full 55 gallon tank could do structural damage to the floor or even fall through it? Is there any way I can determine the best place to put it?

The stand is made of wood and so all the weight of the full tank will be distributed across the entire bottom surface area of the stand. I've heard that metal stands which have four legs are worse since all the weight is on 4 small points. Any truth to this?

I have all the fish in a 20 gallon wide tank with the filter from the 55 gallon tank and an extra filter so they should be fine like that until I find the right place for this 55 gallon tank.

Robert

The two things you need to consider are the footprint of the stand and the weight of the aquarium. Figure about 10 lbs per gallon of aquarium (water weighs 8.5 lbs / gallon and add another pound and a half per gallon for the stand, substrate, decorations and equipment. For a 55 gallon tank, then you're talking about 550 lbs give or take. Divide this weight over the area of your footprint and you'll get a figure of lbs / square foot. Unless you're talking about a very oddly shaped 55 gallon tank that has a small footprint, then you're going to get a figure of well less than 200 lbs / square foot. In other words, if your floor can hold the average adult male human without collapsing, it will hold your tank.

 

[Ariamus]

BTW, my house is 100 years old and I have no concerns about putting my 75 gallon tank in the living room, another 75 gallon tank (down the road) in the den and a 65 gallon (also down the road) in the master bedroom. The only tank I plan to have that I wouldn't put on one of the wooden floors is the 500 gallon saltwater that I want to set up as my last challenge but fortunately, there is nowhere on the main or second floor it would even remotely fit so that will go in the basement in the card room.

 

[fishyrican]

As others have said, try to get the tank to span several floor joists. Here is a good article on the subject:

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

 

[Guest]

I'd be more worried about the wood warping from that than the weight.

I was about to say the same thing. Things happen, for example a couple of weeks ago my phyton overfilled because I was distracted. On carpet its just a 10 minute clean-up, but with wood you are going to get water under the stand every time that happens and the wood down there is going to be an absolute mess. Maybe get a rug to put it on? Even then I think you might be asking for trouble.

 

[greenmaji]

Is there a finish on the floor, kinda shinny, like a polyurethane? if so you dont have to worry as much about the water.. It would clean up with a mop..

 

[Andos99]

You might be able to treat the wood with scotch guard or something like that around the tank area to make it more water resistant to spills and such....just an idea.

 

[robertmarda]

Thank you all for your replies!!! You have all been very helpful.

Forgive me for not indicating that the room is carpeted. I just wanted to make it clear that below that there was no concrete, it just seems to be wood.

There isn't a lot of space in the living room. So the only places I can put it is between the front door and the window, behind the door on an inner wall, or on the other inner wall (the place farthest from the door). I know that it is not good to put a tank near a door because of drafts but I might have to. I still don't have any furniture in the living room yet, but have a friend that is going to give me a sofa (of unknown size). So I am trying to place the tank in a place that I won't have to move it once I get the sofa.

Now I must admit I've never had to put an aquarium on a floor other than concrete so when you talk about joists, I have no idea how to find them unless jumping up and down on the floor will find them by finding an area that doesn't give as much as other areas of the floor.

The foot print is wider than the tank itself so perhaps I don't need to worry about finding the joists. Anyone know how I can discover where the joists are?

Robert

 

[greenmaji]

I personally would just stick my head down in the crawlspace and look.. I would tell you the way they are usually laid out but Ive seen some really strange things in construction that defy logic sometimes..LOL
Direct sunlight from a window is not the best idea either, is it a southern exposure window? If its the north side of the house I wouldnt worry about the window, or if you plan on using drapes or blinds for it.. Hope this helps

 

[Hoovercat]

In my work, I've moved a 6000 plus pound safe across a hardwood second story floor made around 1900. That safe was on wheels with about 2 square inch footprints. Works out to about 750 pounds per square inch. It didn't even leave a mark. I don't think there's any way a 55 would overload a floor if you coudn't feel it flex when you walked on it.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

You won't have any problems. I wouldn't even worry about the joists. If you can safely walk across the floor without it creeking or bowing, then you're fine. Like it was said before, it will be about 220 lbs per square foot. That's not alot.

 

[robertmarda]

The window is on the north side. I can only tell the floor is wood because when I or one of my children jump on it I can feel the vibrations.

The floor seems most solid between the door and the window and least solid along the wall farthest from the door.

Robert

 

[robertmarda]

I just checked the only place I have seen something that looks like an entrance to the crawlway and it is bolted shut. The townhouse I live in is run by an apt complex as if it were an apartment.

Robert

 

[greenmaji]

It is just a 55 gallon.. along a wall should be fine..as said before.. most joists run the shortest way possible across the span.. longer boards are more $.. Just in case that helps you make the decision..
And the window is no problem since its at the north face of the building..

 

[fishyrican]

Hoovercat and Fishyfanatic, you make good points but just a thought: the loads you are both referring to are temporary loads. The weight of the fish tank will place a sustained load on the floor for a significant period of time. The ability of a floor to sustain a sudden, temporary load does not equal the ability of that same floor to sustain that load over time. Also, there is no way to compare the floor that withstood the moving of a 6k+ safe to robertmarda's floor because the floors are likely different and there are simply too many variables to make a fair comparison.

The article I referred to in my earlier post makes a similar point.

As for finding the joists, perhaps you can try a stud finder. However, if the carpet is thick or has padding, that may not work.

Having said that, I think the best bet is to still have the tank span the joists.

Hope this helps.

 

[robertmarda]

Yes all your advice has been very helpful. I am going to put the tank in the most solid place I have found which is between the door and window and hope for the best. The floor does not make noise there.

Thank you all very much!

Robert

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The tank does not way any more then your fridge does. If your fridge has not blown through the floor, the tank won't. 55 gal tanks are not that heavy in regards to pounds per square inch.