First Tank size

[mrukus]

Hello everyone. I am going to follow this up with a more specific thread on all the details to get opinions on my first tank setup before I go drop the coin. The first question i wanted to pose so I could put together specifics is in regards to the size of tank and how much it weighs. I was looking at a 55 gal 48x13x20 and it seemed really narrow. The 75 gal has an extra 5 inches of width. I know that bigger is better, especially for a first tank and the cost difference is very little.

I live on the 2nd floor of an apartment building that was built in the 60s or 70s. I know that 75 gallons of water weighs a lot, are we talking about tank sizes that I should be worried about the weight being supported or am I being paranoid? It will be set up against a load bearing wall.

[3dees]

you should be fine with a 75. many people start with a 55 and soon regret it. really hard to scape it. you almost have to stack the rocks on the glass which makes cleaning hard. I only have room for a 4' tank and went with a 120. double the room of a 55 and lots of options on scaping.

[Jeff210]

I agree - you should be fine with a 75...It's about the weight of 4 guys standing in a row...the key is that the weight is spread over about 8 square feet...

Go as big as you can - like you say - bigger is better...

[Sk8r]

A 55 Starphire glass tank (5/8ths inch thick superclear) weighs 80 lbs empty and is NOT to be twisted during carry, because of the seams: a good grip and steady strength are useful and it is not a one person operation. Voice of experience with getting a 55 corner tank up and down 3 floors---you need help. A 75 even more so. And a 100 gallon of that persuasion really taxed two strong guys on flat ground.

[Goldndoodle]

...It's about the weight of 4 guys standing in a row...

Funny you should say that ...

I was worried about the weight of my new 120 gallon tank that I'm about to put in my Office, on the first floor of my house. I recently had a bunch of friends over the house for the Holidays, so I got 6 of the guys to stand in the spot where I'm going to put the tank as a "load test".

I kept them standing there, while I ran down to the basement - then I had them jump up and down while I was down there. That's when I noticed the steel beam that runs basically under where the tank will be ... I'm guessing there's enough strength / structure there to support it.

Not sure what I would have done if they came crashing through the floor when they started jumping ...

[morleyz]

Hello everyone. I am going to follow this up with a more specific thread on all the details to get opinions on my first tank setup before I go drop the coin. The first question i wanted to pose so I could put together specifics is in regards to the size of tank and how much it weighs. I was looking at a 55 gal 48x13x20 and it seemed really narrow. The 75 gal has an extra 5 inches of width. I know that bigger is better, especially for a first tank and the cost difference is very little.

I live on the 2nd floor of an apartment building that was built in the 60s or 70s. I know that 75 gallons of water weighs a lot, are we talking about tank sizes that I should be worried about the weight being supported or am I being paranoid? It will be set up against a load bearing wall.

The difference between the weight of a fully loaded 55 and a fully loaded 75 is very minimal, so if that is your only concern, I wouldn't be too worried about the extra weight.

If you're concerned about the weight in general, you'll need to do a little more research into how the building was built. Do you know if your floor is wood joists and sheeting or concrete? Is your proposed tank location near a load bearing wall? I'm sure the construction would support a 75. An empty tank with just water would be roughly 850lbs. Add in 150 lbs or live rock or rock and sand, and you're pretty close to 1000lbs. Would you trust your floor to support 5 200lb men standing right next to each other? Even if you add a sump, you're still topping out at under 1500lbs.

[A sea K]

IMO a 75 is about the perfect size for a first tank. Its big enough for stability and offers lots of options in both aquascape and fish. A 55 on the other hand is probably the worst, and anything much smaller than that is tough to keep stable and requires more (complicated) support equipment.
I do not endorse the thought of getting the biggest tank you can fit mentality. save that for when you have set-up a few smaller systems. You will make plenty of mistakes(some readily evident and some will take longer to uncover as the system ages) and learn from those mistakes as you work up to being prepared for a larger system.
Jumping into a large first tank more often than not will lead to problems not easily or cheaply rectified.

[mrukus]

Thanks for all the responses, that sure was quick! The apartment building definitely has wooden floor joists and the tank will be right up against a load bearing wall. Which makes me feel really good about the amount of weight I can put up against it. Now I'm off to crunch some numbers, bust out a measuring tape, and buy the gf a nice dinner and ill post up what I was thinking.

[hkgar]

It is preferred that the floor joists run perpendicular to the length of the tank. You then have a joist under every 16 to 18 inches of tank.

I believe load baring walls are to support the weight of the floor above them, i.e. there is a beam running the length of the wall.

[mrukus]

Yup. So I think I'm good. I'm not a contractor but from what I've seen in helping out on sites as a kid the fact that joist wI'll meet over load bearing walls is what make them load bearing. Therefore parallel to the wall should equal perpendicular to joists.