180 gal, can my floor support it?

Psyduck · 04-26-2002, 10:25 PM

Ok folks, I have found a very nice deal on a 180 gal with pine stand, pump, canopy, VHO lights. Only thing I am worried about is my floor supporting it. I live in a condo with a basement. I have a 90 gal now in the spot I want the 180, and if I think about it, there really shouldnt be much more weight per square foot because we are stretching the tank out by 2 feet (6'x2'x2'). Should I be concerned about weight and get someone to come out and look at it. I never knew what the limit was on tank size before you needed floor reinforcement. Thanks for any help you can provide.

Doug1 · 04-27-2002, 12:01 AM

Hey psyduck, a proffesional opinion is a good idea on something that large. Try to site it across as many joists as possible and maybe reinforce from below with a couple 4x4 posts to be on the safe side. Check your insurance as well

Rick O · 04-27-2002, 05:22 AM

Here's a link to Richard Durso's site and shows how he reinforced his floor. http://www.rl180reef.com/pages/tankshots/pretank.htm

Minnreefer · 04-27-2002, 09:10 AM

Another thing that you can do is pull up a corner of the carpet and see if the floors are wood or concrete. If they are concrete then you should not have much problem. HTH

Jon

Psyduck · 04-27-2002, 12:36 PM

I assume it is wood since there is a basement below and I can see the wood flooring from downstairs. I will look at those sites about reinforcement. I guess one good thing is it is close to the wall that divides my condo from my neighbor, so that may give some additional support. I'd hate to have to stick it in the basement.

Casey · 04-27-2002, 01:00 PM

I had the same situation make sure your homeowners policy covers your tank trust me.

Doug1 · 04-27-2002, 01:52 PM

Very important!!!!!!!!! You will have thousands in the tank itself, not to mention the repair costs if something goes awry, it would not be good getting stuck with repair bills

Psyduck · 04-27-2002, 03:05 PM

Is this something I call about because I doubt they have specifically in the policy (We cover stupid people who put a big aquarium and their floor collapses). Thanks for the tip.

Doug1 · 04-27-2002, 03:57 PM

I would look into a specific rider on the policy, otherwise they may be able to weasel out if something happens

Casey · 04-27-2002, 04:21 PM

yes you have to be specific I used state farm and my condo and tank were covered as well as the lady below me and my sump overflowed and they fixed her ceiling get it in writing!! Casey

Psyduck · 04-27-2002, 04:46 PM

Hmm, interesting, thanks for the info. Who knew a big tank was so HARD!!!!

Minnreefer · 04-27-2002, 05:06 PM

If you can see the floor beems, then you are in luck. Generally if they are 10” or greater then you SHOULD be fine. Then you want to make sure that you put the tank over as many beems as possible, and to put the tank close to the wall where the beems connect to the basement walls. HTH

Jon

Doug1 · 04-27-2002, 05:27 PM

Better to hash all this out now rather than later

Have fun with it

Psyduck · 04-27-2002, 07:43 PM

10" or greater meaning the width of the beam? From the looks of it, the beams appear to be about 2" wide and spaced every 12-18" or so. I can measure to be sure if we are interested.

Doug1 · 04-27-2002, 08:31 PM

2" would be the thickness of the joist, Hopefully they are at least 10" wide (or high from your perspective)

If they are 10 or 12 inch you should be OK. If you add the insurance rider to cover loss the ins company may insist on an inspection by a qualified professional. If its your own home, you might chance it, but if its a rent or lease I would get the rider to keep from being sued by the owner incase something happens. If it were mine I would determine which joists the tank is going to be supported on and wedge 4x4 posts(trimmed) under those joists as cheap insurance