150 gallon tank on second floor? Will it hold?

[Ken Ken]

Based on an open garage door header only, under this aquarium wall, and a SINGLE floor joist running left to right, My engineering background says absolutely DO NOT PUT A LARGE TANK AGAINST THAT WALL. Find a wall where the floor joists end under the wall the tank is against, and there is a bearing wall directly under that tank wall.

My never to be humble opinion...

Yea i had the feeling that it wouldn't work but my mind is searching for every little bit of YES just to get the tank going. Every other spot would not work out great for me unless i install it in the basement which is unfinished at the moment. So so so sad :-\

 

[Pat24601]

Yea i had the feeling that it wouldn't work but my mind is searching for every little bit of YES just to get the tank going. Every other spot would not work out great for me unless i install it in the basement which is unfinished at the moment. So so so sad :-\

Obviously, without knowing your house, none of us can know where a good spot would be, but one thought I have that is very much an individual choice, but do you really need the larger tank? I know I debated everything from the 65 gallon to a 150 gallon when I was first buying and there were times in the decision process when I was sure I was going to get a 120, then a 90. I'm totally a "bigger is better" guy deep down on aquariums.

I eventually went with the 65 gallon (RSM 250) and ended up being glad I did. The larger tanks would have really dominated my room in an aesthetically less than ideal way and my wife would have been unhappy (although I still wonder if a 90 would be OK from time to time). My living room is pretty large and the 65 gallon is the first thing people notice when they walk in it as is. Bigger might have even started to look a bit gaudy.

I certainly think a 65 gallon in the living room where it's a cool part of everyday life would be better than a 150 gallon in the basement where people spend much less time...and my basement is finished.

Would a 65 gallon have more spaces in your house it could fit? Would you be happy with it or regretting you didn't have the bigger? Those are choices only you know the answer to.

 

[Ken Ken]

Obviously, without knowing your house, none of us can know where a good spot would be, but one thought I have that is very much an individual choice, but do you really need the larger tank? I know I debated everything from the 65 gallon to a 150 gallon when I was first buying and there were times in the decision process when I was sure I was going to get a 120, then a 90. I'm totally a "bigger is better" guy deep down on aquariums.

I eventually went with the 65 gallon (RSM 250) and ended up being glad I did. The larger tanks would have really dominated my room in an aesthetically less than ideal way and my wife would have been unhappy (although I still wonder if a 90 would be OK from time to time). My living room is pretty large and the 65 gallon is the first thing people notice when they walk in it as is. Bigger might have even started to look a bit gaudy.

I certainly think a 65 gallon in the living room where it's a cool part of everyday life would be better than a 150 gallon in the basement where people spend much less time...and my basement is finished.

Would a 65 gallon have more spaces in your house it could fit? Would you be happy with it or regretting you didn't have the bigger? Those are choices only you know the answer to.

Well the question now would be what is the largest size tank i can put there without any concern of structural damage?

 

[Pat24601]

Well the question now would be what is the largest size tank i can put there without any concern of structural damage?

Fair enough. I really can't help. I'd like to, I just don't know how to.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

My engineering background says...

@ziggy with your background, what is your opinion on this link

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article28.html
it starts... "So here is the long winded explanation from some one (me) that has been working as a structural engineer since 1976."

is it one Ken can trust & work from?

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Ken think posting some pics of the underside where you will be placing the tank, would help some members with better feedback?

 

[Dracko]

Well the question now would be what is the largest size tank i can put there without any concern of structural damage?

So much depends on the tank itself. One thing to consider is depth vs length. The longer and shallower the tank, the smaller the footprint. Also, no matter what the tank size, a stand that has a full footprint, as a dresser might, will have a smaller footprint than a tank with legs because it spreads the weight more evenly. As it seems you do not have a tank picked out yet a custom tank might be the answer you are looking for.

 

[Ken Ken]

well the next step down would be the Innovative marine sr-80 with a footprint of 48”L x 24”L x 16”H. Here is a picture of where i want to add the tank...The second picture is the garage down below. The tank will be directly above that.

 

[ChitownRomeo]

Honestly go ahead and spend the money to have someone come look at it. It's too many factors involved such as the condition of the sub floor, if any insect damage, damaged or rotted floor joists and so on. don't wonder cause in all honesty you not going to enjoy the tank cause you will always be wondering or scared its going to fail. Also have to account for you and whoever else is sitting in front of the aquarium weight besides just the weight of the aquarium. You can't put a price tag on peace of mind. Have a city engineer come look at it then you know for sure and won't be worrying all the time.

 

[Dracko]

Tank would be where the support is weakest. 80 g x 8.35# = 668#. And sand/rock ? I'd say around 750# plus or minus. Centered on windows would be centered on door more or less. The question of would it support the weight, probably. Would it continue to support the weight, ?. I would feel more inclined to put it on the wall to the left of photo. Full support beams all the way to foundation.

 

[Ken Ken]

Tank would be where the support is weakest. 80 g x 8.35# = 668#. And sand/rock ? I'd say around 750# plus or minus. Centered on windows would be centered on door more or less. The question of would it support the weight, probably. Would it continue to support the weight, ?. I would feel more inclined to put it on the wall to the left of photo. Full support beams all the way to foundation.

I would actually go with the 120g against the wall on the left whoever we have plans to put a TV in that area. It is a sitting area in our bedroom so the tank would be best placed straight ahead. yeah I may end up hiring someone to look at it. :\

 

[Ken Ken]

just got off the phone with a structural engineer who quoted me 200 to get a decision over the phone or 300 to come in person to view what i want to do. i dont know but i feel like that price is over kill.

 

[Dracko]

Engineers aint cheap.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

If I was paying for a decision, I would like one in writing

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

this seems be same link with pics...

http://www.african-cichlid.com/Structure.htm

 

[Pat24601]

this seems be same link with pics...

http://www.african-cichlid.com/Structure.htm

Oh, I hadn't seen this. The pics help. Still a great article.

 

[Pat24601]

just got off the phone with a structural engineer who quoted me 200 to get a decision over the phone or 300 to come in person to view what i want to do. i dont know but i feel like that price is over kill.

I'm actually not that surprised by the price, but in my area the problem would be finding an engineer that even felt $300 was worth his time to come help me. I know, I tried back when.

It's expensive, so only you can decide if it's worth it.

I think the core problem is that what you want to do goes against the rules of thumb most of us are taught. Not load bearing wall, parallel joist, etc. So, most of us aren't going to much help. . While my opinion means little, I've at least talked to enough people that I personally would feel OK if it was my tank against the load bearing wall spread across joists on the second floor. ( I probably wouldn't want a tank on the 2nd floor for maintenance reasons, but that's a different issue. )

I kind of feel like you might be able to get your answer over the phone as this probably isn't rocket science for someone who knows the math, but that's not me. If you do decide to go this route, maybe you can ask him if he feels like he can give a confident answer over the phone.

 

[Ken Ken]

ehh i dont think its worth the 300.00. Pretty sure i will get a no for the 120g. after reading the article 55 seems to be safe. i would say 80g is like jumping off a plane and hoping the parashoot deploys. I dont plan on doing a lot of rock work on the innovative marine tank as they are long. I plan to do 2 small groups of rock work on both ends of the tank. So i think the tank will be just as heavy as a 55g with alot of live rock vs a 80g that has minimal live rock and mainly fish?

 

[Ken Ken]

i have a question...how can i find out for sure what direction my floor joist are running on the second floor? Would the floor joist run the same direction as the first floor? I assumed the joist direction from the first floor joist looking up from the basement.

 

[Ken Ken]

Here is what looks to be a support beam under the second floor bedroom. Would the joist run perpendicular to this beam?