any large tanks on the 2nd floor?

[Scott Merrill]

i have read a bunch of articles and even had an engineer come check out the place but I was curious if anyone out there had a 180/220+ on the "standard" (no additional supports installed) 2nd floor in a home with 2x8-10 joist construction.
The engineer says I am at 35% over max for shear at 3200Lbs for a 6x2 footprint.
I know it’s better to be safe than sorry but I thought I would get a group opinion.

for all interested in a good read on tank weight check out:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/aquarium_weight.php

[MAS]

I would at least double up the joists on 2x8 contruction, specially if the tank isnt near a load bearing wall. That isnt always an easy option though........

[Scott Merrill]

tank is on 2x8 joists 16" apart. that span 12ft. the tank is up against a load bearing wall (cement brick below) with a steel beam running the span of the room on the other side, but i am told by an engineer that its still too heavy.....
and the worst par is i can't get to the joists without some major renovations.....

[spazz]

i have the same tank you do and i had to put a small sub wall in the crawl space below it. when i first set it up it sagged the floor about 3/4 of an inch at the center of the floor. so i quickly put a jack under the floor and started the process of releveling the tank and putting a sub wall in. i wouldnt put that tank up with out bracing the floor some how.

[masterswimmer]

Originally posted by spazz
i have the same tank you do and i had to put a small sub wall in the crawl space below it. when i first set it up it sagged the floor about 3/4 of an inch at the center of the floor. so i quickly put a jack under the floor and started the process of releveling the tank and putting a sub wall in. i wouldnt put that tank up with out bracing the floor some how.

Excellent & sound advice. Also, try to run your tank perpendicular to the existing joists, not parallel to them.

Good luck

[JCURRY@WESKETCH]

Scott,

There are basically two different forces that act on a beam, deflection & shear. Deflection is how much a beam or joist sags when weight is applied. Shear is more difficult to explain, but it's the ability of beam to resisit being sliced in half. Think of shear as a pair of scissors cuting through the beam. The two forces work inversely from one another. When a large weight is placed in the center of a span beam deflection can be very high, while the shear is very low. As the weight is moved closer to the supports, such as a bearing wall or column, the deflection becomesless but the shear is increased. Therefore when an aqurium is placed against a bearing wall, perpendicular to the joists the deflection is very low, but the shear is very high. Either force can cause your floor to fail, so don't mess around. Have your engineer design a floor system to support your tank. It may be as simple a bolting a thin steel plate to the joists below the tank.

Jeff

[tomasz]

DON'T DO IT.

[imbuggin]

my 300 gallon is on the 2nd floor. It is basically over a retaining wall (i think). 7 years no problems YET. It is on a tile floor. So i figure i would see the tiles crack if a problem starts.

[greg s]

i just added a 100 gallon to the 2 floor apt w/
a 60 gallon sump...about 140 gallons total...
its on a inside wall, but how would i go about
knowing if it is load baring or not? there are
garages under my apt.. (3 total)...i have a crawl
space to look in to the attic...how can i tell
if i'm ok...any help would be great..the tank was started
last sunday..there was a 60 gallon in its spot for
over two years befor.. thanks Greg

[FishhyRen]

I was thinking about setting up a 125G w/55gal sump on the opposite side of a weight bearing wall on the 2nd floor of my apt.

I was also wondering the same thing. I called the owners of the complex who told me to call the leasing office who told me they didn't know how the building is constructed. I looked under the carpet and it looked like cement board but I couldn't tell if there was actually cement or if had joinst running the length.