Who Has A Fish Tank Upstairs And What Size?

[wackystarfish]

I have had a 30 gal and stand upstairs for two years and its fine

 

[onebto]

190 litre tank in a 2nd floor flat and a cabinet , water , sand fish etc etc

 

[Smoothy]

Thanks for the replies ... making me feel a little better lol

 

[Truck]

please ask a structural engineer before hand, what i heard from a guy in the LFS the other day wasnt good, he had a 120 litre come through because his joists were damp a few years ago, it warped them and crash, £30 is a lot cheaper than a new ceiling, and a clear conscience is good

 

[Smoothy]

Where can I find a structural Engineer for £30?

Also what did he say about your tank being upstairs ... did he sound concerned when hearing the weight?

 

[Truck]

he looked at the joists and checked for subsidence etc, he told me where it would be best to position it,

i told him an approximation of the total weight, he did some calculations and said it will be fine accross two joists over here (where it is situated) this however is not the same if you move house, you would need to check again for structural damage, ie water damage or wood worm.

a friend recomended him

 

[Smoothy]

Thanks

I've been hunting the internet obviously and the general price is coming up between £120 - £395!!

Sounds like you got a bargain ... got the number for him?

 

[Truck]

lol no i havent but i can try and get it, but then again he was a family friend, but price £120 against a new ceiling and figure which one works out cheaper

 

[TigerIssey]

I have a 55ukG upstairs as our house is upside down. It is against an external wall in a 240 yr old cottage. Before getting the tank we had to get the floorboards up anyway to install spot lights in the hall. We found that at some time in the last 30 yrs (we think early 80's and our house and neighbours were one house then) that the whole house had the joists refitted, they were also reinforced all the way along. We have the tank covering 4 joists. We know the house was derelict in the 70's and was totally unfit for habitation, so 80's is about right. I am glad we checked under the floorboards though, the ceilings downstairs are lath and plaster, would make an awful mess if that came down. We also bought the house not that long ago and have the wood worm clear certification although the upstairs vaulted ceiling beams do show signs of previous wood worm.

 

[Just_Another_One]

I had a 65G tank upstairs with all the fixins in it for around a year before I sold it. Never had any problems. The tank was even going with the joists on the floor. not against them. My house is around 72 years old as well. I worried about it for a few weeks but it was fine for almost a year but I dont think I'll do that again, too risky.

 

[7755matt]

I would also suggest that it sould be fine, especially with the build of the fluval cabinets. The weight will be evenly spread over the whole base so no point loading. I would make similar cases as everyone else, I think my bed weighs mre than a small tank, and it bears all teh weight on 5 small points and is still showing no signs of dropping through the floor.

The other thing is that you have it near the external wall so if the beams are likely to break there then its a bad start tbh.

 

[Syphoniera]

Gee, I thank heavens we don't have woodworm problems in Canada.
If you have an older, well-built house - and anything not well-built won't last in the temperature extremes and potential for ground heaving on the Prairies - you're pretty much good to go.
I had to move back in with my parents after my marriage broke up, brought the queen size water bed, thank gawd, because that helps in my tank arguments.
After being injured at work and then getting a nasty medical diagnosis, I wound up back in with my parents, and have a number of smaller tanks upstairs with no problems, at the moment: a 35 gallon, a 25 gallon, 3 - 15 gallon, a 10 gallon, 3 - 5 gallon, one 3 gallon, a 30 gallon still to be set up, a 10 gallon which will be the official Q tank once I've redone the silicone, and a 3 - gallon downstairs to come up - but, boy, do I need more tanks...
Doesn't seem like very much to me, and they're all relatively small, and all against walls, mostly against outside walls.
But placing a board under larger tanks to spread out the weight would be a very good idea.

Edit - caught one typo, don't know how many got away...

 

[electric yellow]

While mine isnt upstairs it is up on the level above our sunken lounge. It holds about 190ltr, full of sand and fish. Im pitching it isnt on beams as the floor boards move when ever i alk past it. Ialways yell at my fiancee' to not jump around in front of the tanks as i see the water move.

We are moving an 3mths so this beam thing will be the first thing i think about!
I was told a floor can warp if there is the same weight on the same spot over a prolonged period of time??

 

[Truck]

I was told a floor can warp if there is the same weight on the same spot over a prolonged period of time??

yes it can,

no house is the same.

 

[Jdubz]

The most ive had is the 60L tank, but my bro had a 3ft and a 4ft tank in his 2nd floor flat.