150-180g in a NY apt? (weight)

[Sparg93]

Hey guys,
I know its tough to tell w/o knowing the structure of the floor from an engineering perspective....but is it possible to keep a 150g-180g in an apt building in NY (typical older building)?

Is this even feasible?

Thanks!!!

-Craig

[coralnut99]

I'm no engineer, but just real rough numbers would add up to around 2500 pounds for the whole shootin match. I certainly could be off. You may be able to get by from a "safety" standpoint, but I think you'll face a bigger obstacle from your landlord once they see that behemoth heading up the stairs. I've seen threads here on RC where some folks have actually reinforced the floor joist beneath a second story tank, but I can't remember how big it was. Searching for such threads amy give you some points of comparison.

[Kelly]

Craig,
You hit the nail on the head when you say that without some understanding of the structure and it's dead load capacity, you won't know. Having said that, I've seen alot of tanks this size in NYC apartments...especially in older buildings that may have been used as heavy commercial spaces years ago, they have a higher dead load capacity.
Speak with the super, but don't get into too much detail, most places will give you a hard time with a tank that size.

[Sparg93]

thanks for the advice guys....

I def agree with the landlord seeing a 6' tank going upstairs and not being happy.

When i'm in the apt next time hopefully i'll get a better idea of the construction when i'm there. Just like you said Kelly, some of these places are built like tanks, others are thin and built like crap.

Unfortunately it looks like i'll def have to ask the landlord and seeing its run by a mgmt company i'm not hopeful....due to liability.

That would be a sight, 2500lbs of marine going down a few floors...sad, yet kinda funny :)

[Kelly]

Yea man...talk about losing your security deposit :)

[coralnut99]

I didn't even think of the security deposit. I was just picturing the landlord/super standing in front of the door with his arms folded as you and your buddies try to get it up the front stairs.

[eastonreef]

i considered the weight of my 90 gal + 30 gal fuge in my house. my home is only 5 years old and i had the phone # to the engineer. i approx. the weight to be 1600 lbs for the tank alone. then add the fuge, stand, canopy and you hanging in it. the engineer did not think it was a good idea. the location of mine is an outside wall but it is running across only 1 joist. i went in the basement and added 2 lolly columns and a 10" x 48" x 3" thick board under the tank. may be overkill but my husband would kill me if the tank wound up crashing into the waterheater and central ac unit. haha

[MadTownMax]

easton - you have any pictures?

I just helped a friend put a 120g in his townhouse, and he put up some decking lumber in his basement for support - a picture of your support would be helpful to know that he did it the right way

[cooder24]

i have a 135 with 55g sump in a second floor apartment. has not fallen through the floor yet. but i do get nervous when i have parties and 20 or more people are in the living room.

[danthemanj]

Craig,

I would think your setup would probably weigh about 3000 - 3500 pounds once you have all the rock, sand, water, etc. in the tank. I guess two questions would be crucial in determining whether it would be OK for such a heavy tank in an apartment. the first would be the kind of construction (Dead load limit) of the floor of the apartment and the second would be placement with reference to beams, etc. I'm sure the tank will not go through the floor of the apartment but there will definetly be some sagging of the floor which will affect the seams of the tank eventually causing a tank failure. The only person that can truly answer that question would be the building super or an architect.

Good Luck.

Dan

[MadTownMax]

do make sure you have a solid answer... When moving into an apartment I asked about the construction and was told it had concrete floors, only to find out when I moved out a year later, that the floors were in fact wood - luckily it was only a 72-gallon

[alistairf]

The tank would need to sit accross the joists to distribute the weight on several members, and no parallel to the joists.

[Sparg93]

Thanks guys, i really appreciate all the advice. I'm have been thinking about this for awhile and some of the obstacles to overcome.

I def agree with one thing, i'm going to need to find the super and an architect/engineer who knows the layout of the floor. A crucial piece will be the beams and how many and in which direction they run.

Worse case scenario is the floor literally cracks and tank goes through. More likely is it will sag over time and the tank will crack.

Anyone know a local engineer/architect to the Bronx/Riverdale area?

Thanks!!

-Craig

[eastonreef]

madtownmax--
i can take some pics later and i will send them to you.......

[Sparg93]

MadTown...just noticed the pic next to your name. Is that a Midas Blenny??

As soon as i get my bigger tank i'm picking one of those up. Gorgeous fish and from what i hear, is perfect for the reef.

[MadTownMax]

yes, yes it is - and they are excellent fish!

I couldn't find one for the longest time, and finally came across one at Aquarium Center on Blackwood pike - they're very active swimmers, and both the coloration and "attitude" is really unique - definately the favorite fish in my tank (don't tell the clowns )

[DRZL-sauras]

any updates on the weight problem?

Im thinking of putting a 120 on my 2nd floor

[moose8721]

Sneak the tank in at 2 am, when the super is asleep!!!

[Kinetic]

I have been planning a 82g display tank, and I reinforced the floor underneath with a couple more beams just in case. It would be sitting on two joists, but still, I thought it would be safe to add a couple beams. Plus I built the shelf for a fuge/prop tank and sump into those beams so it works out perfectly, just finished building on Monday, I still have to stain and coat it:

http://i.xkinetic.net/3-06/20th/DSC_0001.jpg

http://i.xkinetic.net/3-06/5th/DSC_0012.jpg

[johnfaas]

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