Big Tank Upstairs

[Proxo]

I've wanted to set up a tank in the bedroom for a while now, i've seen a few people recommending not to do so as there's ALOT of weight in it
& it could end up going through the roof.
If i was to do it the tank would prob be roughly 300L and prob full of rocks so i can imagin that been alot of weight .

It would be going up against a supporting wall so i guess that would help alot..

Anyone here have a big tank upstairs? IM SCARED hahaa

 

[redbug]

I have a 150 gallon tank in my family room it is above a full basement.
I made sure that it sits across the floor joists for more support.

 

[nigel siddall]

I have a 300 litre Aqua one in my room i also have it sitting across the floor joist's i lifted the carpets up and remover a couple of floor boards also to check the width and depth of the beams as well they were 8 by 3 inches and the tank is sitting on 4 of them so i can rest easy but i know wat you are going through. its better to be safe than sory.

 

[fluttermoth]

If your house is fairly new it should be fine; if you're really worried, maybe you should get a structural engineer or builder in to have a look to be on the safe side.

 

[Uriel]

Got a 500l + 100l in my bedroom.

 

[weezawoo]

TBH I think it all depends on the house. Older houses probably won't have the structure to hold it as wel as a newer house. I have 2 in my room, 200l and 95l, soon to have a 300l instead of the 200. But we have a well built house

 

[ChrissyBoy]

I don't think it's really an issue unless you've got a monsterous sized tank. I've got a 220L in my bedroom, concerns from family members were voiced about this going through the ceiling. However, haven't had any problems so far! lol.

Another thing to think about is the average bath holds 67 gallons of water which equates to around 304L. Almost every household has a bath and I've never heard of anyones bath falling through the floor. My house is fairly old and when I moved in, there was an old wrought iron bath which weighed an absolute tonne. We had to cut it into 3 pieces when we got rid of it so we could carry it downstairs. Imagine how much this weighed full of water.

Also baths normally rest on either legs or rails, which don't spread the weight half as well as a flat bottomed fish tank stand.

Just a few points to think about

 

[kaivalagi]

http/www.african-cichlid.com/Structure.htm
Excerpt from the web page:
"Aquariums up to 55 gallons can be placed almost anywhere without much worry at all. Many tanks larger than 55 gallons and no more than 125 gallons will be okay, if they are placed in a good structural location and your floor framing is free from significant defects. For example, a 125 gallon tank, on a wooden stand, placed perpendicular to the joists up against a bearing wall, will often be okay without any additional structural support. If your tank is over 125 gallons, then it is likely that you should consider adding supports under your wood framed floor. Please realize that these are generalities that may or may not apply to your particular situation."


I have approx 100USG on a wooden floor, I wouldn't go any larger myself...and that's in the corner perpendicular to the floor joists

 

[Proxo]

Thanks for all the replys, i'll prob have a little spy under the floor and see what's going on if i decide to go for a larger tank.
It was mainly family members concerned it'll go through the roof as someone else mentioned above

The bath post is a good point too, never thought about that & some people have massive baths too

Cheers people

p.s that link helped alot too thanks kaivalagi

 

[juggernuts]

mmmm Yeah my parents were the same, I managed to get a 4ft bow front in my room which, too my knowledge could be on the least supported bit of floor in my room but either way its held up fine its about 66 US Gallons, then i did have a 90l tank which recently got upgraded too a 180l and still, the floor remains!

Also the cheeky sods my parents are, they took about 6ft by 8ft from my room to add to their en suite which now has a bath right on the other side of the plasterboard wall, so in effect there is probaby another 300+litres of water when thats full.

Again as people say I would just double check the flooring and run it perpendicular to them

Hope you manage to get a bigger tank!! woooo cant go wrong getting a bigger tank! More Fishiesssss

 

[kaivalagi]

The bath post is a good point too, never thought about that & some people have massive baths too

Note that flooring for bathrooms tends to have the joists closer together to support more weight, the engineers/builders know a bath tub will go in there...

p.s that link helped alot too thanks kaivalagi

No problem

 

[Aqua Tom]

Another good tip is to put the tank stand on a piece of sheet wood about 1 inch thick. This will spread the load more evenly. You can stain the wood sheet to match your stand & it will look like part of the set up.

 

[Proxo]

I'll more then likely build my own stand for the tank, then i can make some funky shelfs and what not too lol

 

[kaivalagi]

definitely have a flat bottomed stand, without one you are risking putting a whole through the floor boards

But do read that link I gave thoroughly, it explains some things well which can sometimes be mis-understood through "myth"