How big a fish tank for a 2nd-floor apartment?

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Rubycon

Originally posted by: spidey07

Piano anyone?

A loaded 220g reef system will weigh more than two Yamaha concert grands - with Billy Joel and John Elton on the benches. Do you have these kinds of things going on in your living room.

Don't talk 220g reef to me missy. That's my next tank. It's not that big of a deal.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: mugs
How is he incorrect? 1 gallon of water DOES weigh 8 lbs.

Salt or fresh?

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Bonus points for using a high speed camera.

24,000 fps streak - WMV encoded at 30 fps = super smooth slow action. Temper release is quite fast - the cracks spread at blinding speed.

The only "fish tank" I have nearby is the Sargasso sea. Unless there's a serious release of methane gas from an underwater volcano, I don't think anything dramatic is going to happen this evening in short order. I hope it STAYS that way.

Originally posted by: spidey07

Don't talk 220g reef to me missy. That's my next tank. It's not that big of a deal.

I was poking at the piano reference. Why stop at 220? 300 - 96x24x30 is way cooler - in Tenecor Acrylic of course. A 750G room divider would be nice too - you have the moola. Go for it!

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Rubycon

Don't talk 220g reef to me missy. That's my next tank. It's not that big of a deal.

I was poking at the piano reference. Why stop at 220? 300 - 96x24x30 is way cooler - in Tenecor Acrylic of course. A 750G room divider would be nice too - you have the moola. Go for it! [/quote]

I'll post pics when I'm done.

220 is all I want to deal with maintenance wise. It's gonna be all SPS. And it's gonna be sweet. And I'll never do acrylic again. Ever.

 

[bonkers325]

Originally posted by: NTB
I'm thinking about setting up an aquarium in my apartment, but I'm wondering what size I could get away with. It's a small apartment, so a huge tank would look out of place. But since I'm on the 2nd floor, I'm thinking that weight would be a limiting factor before physical size (height, width, and depth) would.

for example, a 50-gallon tank is only 36"Lx15"Dx20"H. But at about 8lb/gallon, the tank would weigh around 400lbs once it was set up

Nathan

worst case scenario, your fish tank breaks the floor and crushes someone on the below...

but really, weight wont be an issue unless you turn an entire room into an aquarium. even at 200 gallons, you're only looking at 400ish lbs on each leg, which is roughly what a large couch that is seated to capacity would weigh. so at 50 gallons, 100 lbs per leg, thats like having two people stand at the same spot as your tank 24/7.

 

[montypythizzle]

Hey guys should I worry about my 30 gallon fishtank on cracked cheap wannabe milk crates? Oh well I will get rid of it this summer.

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: Rubycon
Lots of folks have furniture heavier than that.

When you get up to 150 gallons you need to worry. Not about the floor supporting it but the people below if there is leak. Tanks seldom leak but check valves fail.

Exactly. My parents had a waterbed in their bedroom, and beneath that was a basement. That's going to have just a wee bit heavier than a fish tank.

Even at 400lbs, with a size of 36 x 15 inches is less than 1psi. If you stand on the floor, you're at more risk of falling through than the tank, unless your feet are larger than Big Bird's.

Good point. I should have thought of it that way (weight per unit area) than just thinking strictly of the weight. Oops

Nathan

 

[Chaotic42]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: mugs
How is he incorrect? 1 gallon of water DOES weigh 8 lbs.

Salt or fresh?

Both weigh 8 pounds. It just depends on where you are.

 

[spidey07]

doubtful. Saltwater is denser than fresh.

 

[BoberFett]

Not that it changes anything but some of you are forgetting the weight of the tank itself. Bigger tanks have thicker glass, which is damn heavy. I helped my best friend* move a 200 gallon tank and that thing by itself weighed around 400 pounds. That was a lot of fun getting it to the basement down a flight of narrow, rickety stairs with a turn halfway down. I saw a mention of acrylic, but I know that my friend refuses to use acrylic because he's never seen one that hasn't warped and bowed over time.


* My friend is a fish fiend, he's got about 30 tanks around his house. Several huge arowana he's had since they were 2 inches long, a large lungfish, and a snakehead which are now illegal to bring into the US.

 

[CTho9305]

I think the rule of thumb usually used is 10lbs per gallon, because the sand/gravel weighs a lot (I have well over 20lbs of playsand in a 20 gallon aquarium, and glass is heavy too).

Check with your landlord. My place charges $300 non-refundable + $300 refundable extra security deposit if you go over 30 gallons (or is it 50 gallons?).

edit: This article is decent.

 

[sooner22]

I have a 120g and a 55g right next to eachother, and I am on a second floor.

You should be fine.

 

[KDOG]

One thing you could do is get a 3/4" thick piece of plywood and put it under the stand so all the weight is distributed evenly, not just on 4 small points.

 

[trmiv]

I have a 90 gallon reef tank with a 20 gallon sump in a third floor apartment.

 

[CTho9305]

Originally posted by: KDOG
One thing you could do is get a 3/4" thick piece of plywood and put it under the stand so all the weight is distributed evenly, not just on 4 small points.

Myth #7: "My aquarium is on a metal stand with 4 legs so all I have to do is put a sheet of plywood under the legs to distribute the load to more floor joists."

*

That will help some, but not very much at all. A sheet of plywood laid flat is not very stiff so it will bend and not distribute the load to more floor joists very effectively.

From here

 

[BoomerD]

You should be sure to put the tank somewhere that it sits next to a load bearing wall, preferably spanning the floor joists, rather than running along the length of them. Helps to spread the load a bit. With a conservative weight of 10 lbs/gallon for the tank and all it's contents, you want to be sure that where you put the tank is solidly built. It'd be the pits to have your tank cause the floor to sag...THAT could be costly...Many people in the hobby have structural engineers do load-bearing analysis of their floor before installing a large tank...for a reason. NO, a 50 isn't large...but it will weigh around 500 lbs once filled, so you want to be sure the floor can support it without sagging.

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
You should be sure to put the tank somewhere that it sits next to a load bearing wall, preferably spanning the floor joists, rather than running along the length of them. Helps to spread the load a bit. With a conservative weight of 10 lbs/gallon for the tank and all it's contents, you want to be sure that where you put the tank is solidly built. It'd be the pits to have your tank cause the floor to sag...THAT could be costly...Many people in the hobby have structural engineers do load-bearing analysis of their floor before installing a large tank...for a reason. NO, a 50 isn't large...but it will weigh around 500 lbs once filled, so you want to be sure the floor can support it without sagging.

Originally posted by: CTho9305

Originally posted by: KDOG
One thing you could do is get a 3/4" thick piece of plywood and put it under the stand so all the weight is distributed evenly, not just on 4 small points.

Myth #7: "My aquarium is on a metal stand with 4 legs so all I have to do is put a sheet of plywood under the legs to distribute the load to more floor joists."

*

That will help some, but not very much at all. A sheet of plywood laid flat is not very stiff so it will bend and not distribute the load to more floor joists very effectively.

From here

Well, after looking around some this weekend, I am considering getting a 75-gallon tank. I want to get a cabinet-style stand, rather than a simple cast-iron one. so the weight should be spread out a little more than it would on a cast-iron's 4 spindly little legs. I've also cleared space along the one outside wall in my front (living) room for it; I figured that would be the safest place to put it. After reading CTho's article, though, I'm wondering if I should drop back to setting up a 55...

Nathan

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: her209
1 gallon of water weighs approximately 8 lbs.

Incorrect. 1 Liter = 1 Kg.

1 US gallon = 3.7854118 liters
3.7854118 liters = 3.7854118Kg
3.7854118 kilograms = 8.34540449 pounds

The OP needs to look at the amount of pressure that water will exert on the floor. The 50 gallon tank would put 111.27206 lb/ft² of pressure on your floor, which *is* not too bad at all.

Edit: Grammar

Your ability to type all the digits from your calculator is impressive. Unfortunately, your second line is incorrect.

 

[JMWarren]

Originally posted by: Rubycon
Lots of folks have furniture heavier than that.

When you get up to 150 gallons you need to worry. Not about the floor supporting it but the people below if there is leak. Tanks seldom leak but check valves fail.

MS Dawn, is that you?

 

[Pepsi90919]

10 gallons

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: JMWarren

MS Dawn, is that you?

Yes

 

[Safeway]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: Chaotic42

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: her209
1 gallon of water weighs approximately 8 lbs.

Incorrect. 1 Liter = 1 Kg.

1 US gallon = 3.7854118 liters
3.7854118 liters = 3.7854118Kg
3.7854118 kilograms = 8.34540449 pounds

The OP needs to look at the amount of pressure that water will exert on the floor. The 50 gallon tank would put 111.27206 lb/ft² of pressure on your floor, which *is* not too bad at all.

Edit: Grammar

Your ability to type all the digits from your calculator is impressive. Unfortunately, your second line is incorrect.

Called out!

 

[snapper316]

i had a waterbed on a second floor at one point. while its weight is dispersed over a much larger area its kinda harder to break

 

[TheNinja]

If you imagine 2 Rosie O'Donnel's having sex you have to realize that's around 800 pounds. She doesn't require extra bracing so neither should your tank. Also if you imagine 2 Rosie O'Donnel's having sex you will lose 2 pounds from throwing up.

 

[NTB]

No aquarium for me Talked to the manager yesterday and she said that aquariums are only allowed on the ground floor.

Nathan