cbrkid11 said:
my buddy has a 75 gallon tank in his apartment. his apartment is like a 75 year old house and his apartment is on the 3rd floor..
no problems at all.. and its in his livingroom with the tv, couch and alot of other weight.
I have brought this up several times, and I don't mind talking about it again. I am an Architect, and I do have some problems with some of what is being said here.
Some of you have advocated that it is fairly safe to put a 300 gallon tank in a framed room. A tank of this size weighs over 3000 pounds, heavier than most mid-sized cars. This is of huge concern. Depending on the overall structure of the building, this could be safe, on the other hand, it could be disasterous if placed wrong. Homes are not designed to take that significant of a point load
for that duration of time.
Time is a factor as deflection and overall failure can be a slow process. I.E. you could not notice any problems the first month, or first year or more the tank is in that position, but over time the wood in the joists deflects to carry that load.
I have yet to advocate any concern of tanks 75 gallons and under, but some of the larger ones should really have significant consideration in their placement.
The comparison of a tank, and a water bed or jaquzzi are not really valid. The foot print of these objects is much larger than that of an aquarium. Not to mention, if some of these items were placed in the structure when built, it was probably reinforced for the additional load.
I would be more than glad to talk to anybody further about their concerns, and take a look at some photo graphs of their home and desired placement if you wish. I can't guarantee anything with out doing calculations, but I will be able to raise red flags if anyone is interested.