Hi all, I am considering putting a 6 ft tank in my living room on the main level of my house, ideally something in the 180-200 gallon range. Together with sump and ATO I'm guessing this would come to something like 260 gallons of water. The basement is directly below this spot and so I'm a little worried that I will overload the floor. As I currently have it planned, the tank would run perpendicular to the joists and would be right next to an exterior wall. The other thing in my favor is that the main floor is ~10 inches longer in that direction than the basement is. I believe this entire 10" is concrete... as such I THINK half of the tank is sitting right on top of concrete or on top of the framing for the finished basement wall. What's the best way to get peace of mind that the floor will be ok? I wouldn't even mind going bigger (we've got the space there) but I'm just unsure of what is reasonable and safe.
How to be sure my floor will hold?
- Thread starter Spudsly
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dz6t
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Depending on how old the house is.
260 g of water is going to weigh about a 2300 lbs, plus the tank, sump and stand with weight at about 600 lbs.
For a 180g system, you are looking at 200 to 300 lbs of rocks.
So you will have about 3100 lbs at 6 feet x 2 feet foot print.
It is like the weight of a Honda Civic parks at your living room with more than triple the pressure per square feet on your floor.
So I will get an structural engineer to look at the floor.
If I were you, I will limit to 125 gallon.
260 g of water is going to weigh about a 2300 lbs, plus the tank, sump and stand with weight at about 600 lbs.
For a 180g system, you are looking at 200 to 300 lbs of rocks.
So you will have about 3100 lbs at 6 feet x 2 feet foot print.
It is like the weight of a Honda Civic parks at your living room with more than triple the pressure per square feet on your floor.
So I will get an structural engineer to look at the floor.
If I were you, I will limit to 125 gallon.
Unfortunately it's the only room in the whole basement that actually has a finished ceiling. The one caveat is that I do happen to have a contractor coming to finish the other parts... Maybe it would be relatively cheap to ask him to just add some supports there anyways.
I do get the feeling that the fact that part of the tank would sit directly on top of the foundation would help a lot but I have no idea how much it matters
I do get the feeling that the fact that part of the tank would sit directly on top of the foundation would help a lot but I have no idea how much it matters
Edward
IG: @ed3aquatics
If the contractor is coming out I’d get their opinion about this before you move any further. Like Dong said, it’s a lot of weight to not be 100% sure you’re safe with. Not to mention the cost of the set up and potential damage a failure would cause
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Do you know the size of the joist? If it’s 2x12, it’s likely to be fine. You can double up on the joist and run some blocks. But you’ll have to open the finishing ceiling in the basement to do that. But either way, you’ll be looking at opening that ceiling in some way or form to make the support.
This is what I did for mine. With 345G 3/4” glass, Steel stand, and cabinet and two young kids.
The support is easily walled off. Besides, I think you’ll want that room beneath the tank to be the “fishroom”. It’s the only way I see to get a silent and enjoyable fish tank upstairs without the fishy smell.
This is what I did for mine. With 345G 3/4” glass, Steel stand, and cabinet and two young kids.
The support is easily walled off. Besides, I think you’ll want that room beneath the tank to be the “fishroom”. It’s the only way I see to get a silent and enjoyable fish tank upstairs without the fishy smell.
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Also, if you have young kids, don’t underestimate what they will do to the tank and the room. This is why a dedicated fishroom to keep the kids out is what I prefer.
Hmm, thanks all for the thoughtful responses. Unfortunately the room below it is my wifes work space so probably can't steal it. I would love a fish room but I don't think it's in the cards unless I decide to keep it in the other part of the basement that we are refinishing now (which is a sub-optimal possibility). As much as the basement sounds very easy in terms of space and logistics, I fear it will be harder for me to mess with it down there and be more isolating! Perhaps the best option is for them to just open up the ceiling and put some supports in, I'm worried about the cost though.
I'll measure the joists in the rest of the house when I get home.
I'll measure the joists in the rest of the house when I get home.
Shareba picture of the basement space. Quite frankly I know people who have had 180s in the same situation that you're talking about with no additional support and no issues. This is a good post for a larger forum like r2r. Things that influence the decision is how big the floor joists are, how long they span between supports. Being located against the foundation also is way better than the middle of the joist span. Funny thing. As I'm writing this I forgot my first salt tank (25yrs ago) was a 6 ft 150 with thick glass and a plate glass mirror laminated to the back of it. I had that running perpendicular to 2 x10 joists and about 3 ft off the beam support underneath for about 3 years. no issues.
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Relocate the wife’s office. Or plan on putting the tank elsewhere you can have a basement fishrooom. When I say fishroom, I don’t mean the display tank in the same room. The display tank should be in a separate room whether if it’s adjacent or above the fishroom. The fishroom is where the sump, water tanks, supplies, etc. and where you do the real work of the system.
My best configuration is having the tank in the living space, and all the supporting system in the basement. This way the tank can be truly enjoyed without the sound of the running pumps and skimmer smell. I had tank in the display before with the fishroom adjacent to it but it was too isolated and I rarely went down the basement even thought it was fully furnished.
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Don’t be afraid to make holes in the floor or walls to have the optimal set up. It’s just wood and Sheetrock and all can be repaired/replaced.
My house is newly built in 2019 and I have a cut out in the wall to send all the pipes down the basement.
My house is newly built in 2019 and I have a cut out in the wall to send all the pipes down the basement.
Spoken like someone that is handy! I'm very jealous of those that feel like they are capable of this stuff. Unfortunately I would have to run the water the length of the house to get to the "crappy" part of the basement where I could put stuff. I've had a 180 once with a sump in the stand and I admit piping into another room would be wonderful but I fear it's just beyond my abilities in this case. Maybe I could try piping it into the garage which is pretty close by and on the same level but I wonder if that's just asking for a nightmare electic bill in the winters.
Here's my artist rendition of maybe an idea to make a "fish room". It would require a ~50 foot run pipe in the ceiling, not sure how reasonable that is though. Interestingly, you'll notice the room below the "tank" in the basement is shorter than the room above it on the main floor. I'm kinda hoping that space (which is entirely on the south side of the room since the north side is lined up with the fire places) would buy me enough strength to put the tank.
Edward
IG: @ed3aquatics
You’ll need a hell of a return pump to push that much head
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I don’t think you’ll have any issue with a 200g next to an exterior wall like that.
But just be warned that you’ll need at some access to the back of the tank. I left enough space for me to walk to the back(I think it’s 20”-24”) of the tank. Not having access to the back of the tank is many people’s regret.
But just be warned that you’ll need at some access to the back of the tank. I left enough space for me to walk to the back(I think it’s 20”-24”) of the tank. Not having access to the back of the tank is many people’s regret.
I know that the long run will cause some loss from friction but I thought maybe since it's mostly horizontal it wouldn't be that bad. Well... not that I had thought about it much, things are escalating quickly. However, I do worry because in the spot I show there's not a lot of "support" like I can't really put a mixing station anywhere or a RODI unit in a good place.
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I don’t recommend the long run. You’re talking about the entire length of the house. Not a good idea. For one, your drain will need to be slope down. By the time you reach the other end, you’ll lose about a foot(12”) or more of headroom. That is just plain stupid. Not to mention the pipes will hold a lot of water and you need to account for all this extra water in the pipes when the power is cut. In other words, your sump need to be able to hold all this water draining down when the power is cut. Again, it just stupid.
You either put some support on the floor if you’re worried about the weight and have all the equipment under the stand. Many do this. Just not ideal to work under the stand in such a big tank.
Finish another section of the basement and move the wife’s office there and use the current wife’s office to set up a proper fish room.
You either put some support on the floor if you’re worried about the weight and have all the equipment under the stand. Many do this. Just not ideal to work under the stand in such a big tank.
Finish another section of the basement and move the wife’s office there and use the current wife’s office to set up a proper fish room.
Yeah, good point with the extra water and the slope part. Maybe I should think more seriously about the garage. There's no water or drain out there at the moment but it would be relatively easy to pipe water out there. Not sure if the whole winter thing would make that impossible. The space above the garage is finished and is heated.
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