Anyone here at reefcentral have a aquarium larger than 150 gallons on a wood floor ?

marinerules · 12/09/2012, 11:23 AM

I have had a 240 gallon aquarium for probably 7 or so years now, my parents gave me one of the their old rent houses thats on the property right across the road..

I have the house fixed up now , but its all wood floors, not concrete, and i the 240 gallon is still at my folks house, Dad, is a GOOD professional contracter and he says that we can get under the house and fix it for the 240 gallon to be up at my house. WHILE i do trust him, I explained to him on a large tank like that , that it needs to be solid cause the least stress on it , boom, tidal wave, and he stated again, "we can do it" so, i was just curious to see if anyone else out there has a large aquarium on a wood floor

Flippers4pups · 12/09/2012, 11:36 AM

Is the floor hard wood laminate? On concrete slab? When I had my 200, it was on concrete in my basement because of the weight. The only tank I've had on a first floor of a house was my 75, we had the floor reinforced and I put steel posts under it in the basement for support.

marinerules · 12/09/2012, 11:46 AM

its a old house, its old hardwood floors, that i recovered with those 18 inch corsica vinyl stone tiles at lowes.

im not trying to dismiss what my dad says cause he knows his stuff, but im not so sure if he knows aquarium lingo as well with it all lol,. . if it just cant be done , or if its a huge risk I still want the aquarium up there and ill just have a big snake or something it , because i have room to build it in the wall. and have it framed like i do the 75 thats in my bedroom....

ITS an old house, old as in sitting on blocks lol, no concrete foundation ect, sounds terrible, but this place is really shaping up , he told me i could have it if i wanted to fix it up , its been gutted, insulated, sheetrocked, new floors (vinyle armstrong floors) but pretty, if i can find out how , i will post pictures of the 75 gallon thats in the wall thats in my bedroom

yalpal · 12/09/2012, 01:17 PM

I have my 180 on the second floor of our house. I asked our contractor before putting it in to make sure that the floor would support it, and after a year now it has worked out well. It is only a six year old house, but it is on hardwood. Hope that helps!

marinerules · 12/09/2012, 01:47 PM

Ok. Thanks for sharing. Dad said we can pour concrete under the house but that we wouldn't have to. The floor joist are running the correct way which is a plus. And pops says all we gotta do is get under each joist and cinder block it up as well as reinforce the existing floor joist.

Flippers4pups · 12/09/2012, 02:01 PM

Sounds like a plan. Just double up the joists and place those steel posts under them, like three of them the length of the tank. The steel ones are adjustable and can hold up a whole house. Then you can go for a sump in the basement! I plan on at least a 100+ in our living room this coming year and that's my plan!

marinerules · 12/09/2012, 02:23 PM

Basement? I don't have a basement lol. Maybe I misread your post. I mentioned the pouring concrete under the house. He said we could if I just wanted yo. I told him u was afraid of the weight of the tank sinking the blocks into the dirt below the house but he said withh the weight of the tank sitting in six or eight built up columns of cinder blocks it wouldn't cause the weight would be shared on all of em lol

Loserland · 12/09/2012, 04:23 PM

Putting a 460 on the main floor tonight. House is 15 years
Old and contractor says it will be know problem with a steel I beam my house has already installed.

marinerules · 12/09/2012, 04:48 PM

Sweet. Lol. I'd live to have a tank that big. I'm so proud of this old house I fixed up. Plus it's rent free lol Which means more money for fish haha The 240 in the wall in my kitchen will awesome. It's a 13 by 16 room and for the ceiling in the room that has the tank I'm gonna do a strip of corrugated metal. Then a 1x4 board stained. Then repeat this pattern. Then for the trim of the in wall tank I'm gonna use stained 1x4s as well

keithhays · 12/09/2012, 05:03 PM

I have a little over 300 gallons on red oak tongue & groove wood. It is 6ft by 2ft footprint that run lengthwise to the 8" floor joists which is over a crawl space. I had an engineer out and they designed a wooden beam system which sits on concrete footings dug into the crawl space creating a box of 6" x 6" beams a little bigger than the footprint of the tanks. I live in TN and it took 2 or 3 guys two days solid of actual work not accounting for the concrete time to complete. It cost about $2500 altogether.

marinerules · 12/09/2012, 05:05 PM

Expensive

keithhays · 12/09/2012, 05:11 PM

...the 6x6 beams are wood.

keithhays · 12/09/2012, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marinerules

Expensive

True, but my Dad isn't a contractor. And, not nearly as expensive as your own private tidal wave.

mtcoins123 · 12/09/2012, 05:37 PM

i have never seen a 250 to 400 on anything other than a wood stand not to be a smart alec but i think the stand is built a lot less sturdy than most floors in modern homes so i would guess if your floor looks more structuraly sound than a stand you should be fine

marinerules · 12/09/2012, 06:32 PM

good point mtcoins123 lol

Epicreefer · 12/09/2012, 07:18 PM

If your dad knows what he's doing then it shouldn't be a problem, just make sure the new post footers are on solid ground. Spread across 5 beams it's only about 500lb a beam

Giovanni · 12/09/2012, 07:21 PM

I have a 330 on a wood floor.

marinerules · 12/09/2012, 07:34 PM

ok... im at my parents house now, the 240 has freshwater in it, with no fish. is it ok to empty the water now even though we wont be moving the the tank for about 2 weeks or so , or will it damage the silicone or something if it all dries out ? just want to make sure, its had water in it since ive bought it lol

keithhays · 12/10/2012, 06:03 AM

It will fine for two weeks, I have had tanks sitting on my back patio for months with no issues.

KBzreef · 12/10/2012, 07:21 AM

Keith, I live in a house built in the 40's. To suuport my 300gal, we went into the crawl place and scabbed onto the existing joists, tied the joists together where the tank would sit front and back, and supported the joists with cap blocks in the front and rear. It is not going anywhere. We are not contractors or engineers, but i know my floor is not a concern.

gbru316 · 12/10/2012, 07:22 AM

A contractor does not equal structural engineer. If there are any doubts whatsoever, hire someone who understands the math/physics of the problem and who can give you a definite answer. In hiring a structural engineer, the engineer assumes the liability in case of an accident. I'm not doubting the abilities of your father, but he simply does not have the background to properly address this issue.

We removed a wall in our house, paid $125 for a legal document stating the house wouldn't collapse after the wall was removed. I already knew it wasn't a load bearing wall, but $125 is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

FuzzyZipperbaum · 12/10/2012, 07:49 AM

GBRU is correct....it may cost you 300...but it buys insurance for peace of mind...your father can do the work...

With the above said...LOL.... I have a 900# safe going in on the third floor and a 10,000# aquarium going in on the 2nd floor all in the next 2 months...So I have spent some considerable time on this... The safe is HEAVIER than the tank is.....why?, because the safe is 152# per sq foot and the tank is 124# per sq foot..... you can google how to figure these numbers out...very easy to do, basically foot print in inches or feet divided by weight.

some random thoughts...

Wood floors or any floor isnt really part of the consideration...if you are going to put a tank on carpet, tile, etc... they are going to have plywood underneath them so technically they are also wood floors.... and there are ways to keeping the stand from scratching the nice wood floors but different topic...

What I would suspect you will end up doing....is sistering DEMONTIONIAL LUMBER (not plywood) against the joists underneath and then boxing them in...look up sistering and boxing....you father should be able to do both rather easily if he has access...I would also make the sisters as long as possible not just under the tank..... THEN google beam calculator and put your numbers in.... So you may end up say putting a 2x8 or 2x10 underneath the tank with concrete footers...as long as the footers are poured correctly I think you will be fine.

also remember when working with wood....Width of the wood may be more important than thickness..... 2 doubled up 2x4s are not nearly as strong as 1 2x8 for deflection......

Not to say anything about posts here or anywhere else...but just because someone else did something does not mean anything to your situation.... they may have tanks against load bearing walls, in apartment that were built with concrete floors on all levels...etc, etc, etc.... My situations are even different, I have a "shear" issue on the safe but a deflection issue for the tank....I have to tackle them differently... also the old "2 of my 200# friends standing close together on a floor has not caused a problem" thought doesnt work either....they will not be standing there group hugging for 20 years as a live load....

keithhays · 12/10/2012, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keithhays

It will fine for two weeks, I have had tanks sitting on my back patio for months with no issues.

I just wanted to be clear on this since I didn't quote the original question. This response was related to the drying out of silicone not the floor issue.

marinerules · 12/10/2012, 12:40 PM

Yea. I guess I'll be ok. If dad can draw up 800 grand homes from scratch and build them I think I'm worrying too much haha. Thanks everyone for your replies

iced98lx · 12/10/2012, 12:54 PM

Easy to discuss with him without him knowing the specifics of fish keeping. Just calculate the weight, and describe the dispersion, let him do the rest. Sounds like you're in good shape.

12/09/2012, 11:23 AM	#1
marinerules Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Paragould Arkansas Posts: 2,219	Anyone here at reefcentral have a aquarium larger than 150 gallons on a wood floor ? I have had a 240 gallon aquarium for probably 7 or so years now, my parents gave me one of the their old rent houses thats on the property right across the road.. I have the house fixed up now , but its all wood floors, not concrete, and i the 240 gallon is still at my folks house, Dad, is a GOOD professional contracter and he says that we can get under the house and fix it for the 240 gallon to be up at my house. WHILE i do trust him, I explained to him on a large tank like that , that it needs to be solid cause the least stress on it , boom, tidal wave, and he stated again, "we can do it" so, i was just curious to see if anyone else out there has a large aquarium on a wood floor __________________ Looking at purchasing a good SLR camera within the next year, under $1000, any suggestions , email me Current Tank Info: 75 gallon damsels tank , 300 gallon predator fowlr tank

12/09/2012, 11:36 AM	#2
Flippers4pups Home made abyss Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Lake Saint Louis, MO Posts: 2,047	Is the floor hard wood laminate? On concrete slab? When I had my 200, it was on concrete in my basement because of the weight. The only tank I've had on a first floor of a house was my 75, we had the floor reinforced and I put steel posts under it in the basement for support. __________________ Don Reefing since 1993 Current Tank info: 125 gallon DT , 125 gallon basement sump. Rw 15 & Rw 8. Panworld 150ps return. Reef Octopus 150 skimmer, 3 165w mars aqua led. Last edited by Flippers4pups; 12/09/2012 at 11:42 AM.

12/09/2012, 11:46 AM	#3
marinerules Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Paragould Arkansas Posts: 2,219	its a old house, its old hardwood floors, that i recovered with those 18 inch corsica vinyl stone tiles at lowes. im not trying to dismiss what my dad says cause he knows his stuff, but im not so sure if he knows aquarium lingo as well with it all lol,. . if it just cant be done , or if its a huge risk I still want the aquarium up there and ill just have a big snake or something it , because i have room to build it in the wall. and have it framed like i do the 75 thats in my bedroom.... ITS an old house, old as in sitting on blocks lol, no concrete foundation ect, sounds terrible, but this place is really shaping up , he told me i could have it if i wanted to fix it up , its been gutted, insulated, sheetrocked, new floors (vinyle armstrong floors) but pretty, if i can find out how , i will post pictures of the 75 gallon thats in the wall thats in my bedroom __________________ Looking at purchasing a good SLR camera within the next year, under $1000, any suggestions , email me Current Tank Info: 75 gallon damsels tank , 300 gallon predator fowlr tank

12/09/2012, 01:47 PM	#5
marinerules Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Paragould Arkansas Posts: 2,219	Ok. Thanks for sharing. Dad said we can pour concrete under the house but that we wouldn't have to. The floor joist are running the correct way which is a plus. And pops says all we gotta do is get under each joist and cinder block it up as well as reinforce the existing floor joist. __________________ Looking at purchasing a good SLR camera within the next year, under $1000, any suggestions , email me Current Tank Info: 75 gallon damsels tank , 300 gallon predator fowlr tank

12/09/2012, 02:01 PM	#6
Flippers4pups Home made abyss Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Lake Saint Louis, MO Posts: 2,047	Sounds like a plan. Just double up the joists and place those steel posts under them, like three of them the length of the tank. The steel ones are adjustable and can hold up a whole house. Then you can go for a sump in the basement! I plan on at least a 100+ in our living room this coming year and that's my plan! __________________ Don Reefing since 1993 Current Tank info: 125 gallon DT , 125 gallon basement sump. Rw 15 & Rw 8. Panworld 150ps return. Reef Octopus 150 skimmer, 3 165w mars aqua led.

12/09/2012, 01:17 PM	#4
yalpal Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 68	I have my 180 on the second floor of our house. I asked our contractor before putting it in to make sure that the floor would support it, and after a year now it has worked out well. It is only a six year old house, but it is on hardwood. Hope that helps!

12/09/2012, 02:23 PM	#7
marinerules Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Paragould Arkansas Posts: 2,219	Basement? I don't have a basement lol. Maybe I misread your post. I mentioned the pouring concrete under the house. He said we could if I just wanted yo. I told him u was afraid of the weight of the tank sinking the blocks into the dirt below the house but he said withh the weight of the tank sitting in six or eight built up columns of cinder blocks it wouldn't cause the weight would be shared on all of em lol __________________ Looking at purchasing a good SLR camera within the next year, under $1000, any suggestions , email me Current Tank Info: 75 gallon damsels tank , 300 gallon predator fowlr tank

12/09/2012, 04:23 PM	#8
Loserland Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Katy, TX Posts: 274	Putting a 460 on the main floor tonight. House is 15 years Old and contractor says it will be know problem with a steel I beam my house has already installed. __________________ If you don't want to spend $20,000 don't go into the Large Reef Tank Section! A 300DD Tank is all you really need trust me! You can call me John if you feel bad about calling me loser. Current Tank Info: Go big or don't go!

12/09/2012, 04:48 PM	#9
marinerules Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Paragould Arkansas Posts: 2,219	Sweet. Lol. I'd live to have a tank that big. I'm so proud of this old house I fixed up. Plus it's rent free lol Which means more money for fish haha The 240 in the wall in my kitchen will awesome. It's a 13 by 16 room and for the ceiling in the room that has the tank I'm gonna do a strip of corrugated metal. Then a 1x4 board stained. Then repeat this pattern. Then for the trim of the in wall tank I'm gonna use stained 1x4s as well __________________ Looking at purchasing a good SLR camera within the next year, under $1000, any suggestions , email me Current Tank Info: 75 gallon damsels tank , 300 gallon predator fowlr tank

12/09/2012, 05:03 PM	#10
keithhays Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Tennessee Posts: 1,259	I have a little over 300 gallons on red oak tongue & groove wood. It is 6ft by 2ft footprint that run lengthwise to the 8" floor joists which is over a crawl space. I had an engineer out and they designed a wooden beam system which sits on concrete footings dug into the crawl space creating a box of 6" x 6" beams a little bigger than the footprint of the tanks. I live in TN and it took 2 or 3 guys two days solid of actual work not accounting for the concrete time to complete. It cost about $2500 altogether.

12/09/2012, 05:05 PM	#11
marinerules Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Paragould Arkansas Posts: 2,219	Expensive __________________ Looking at purchasing a good SLR camera within the next year, under $1000, any suggestions , email me Current Tank Info: 75 gallon damsels tank , 300 gallon predator fowlr tank

12/09/2012, 05:11 PM	#12
keithhays Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Tennessee Posts: 1,259	...the 6x6 beams are wood.

12/09/2012, 05:37 PM	#14
mtcoins123 Far From Average Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Stopitithurtsalready Posts: 467	i have never seen a 250 to 400 on anything other than a wood stand not to be a smart alec but i think the stand is built a lot less sturdy than most floors in modern homes so i would guess if your floor looks more structuraly sound than a stand you should be fine __________________ I would rather be known as an honest sinner than a lying hypocrite Fubar, my life has become..... Current Tank Info: The power company has put the replacement meter bearings on hold until someone else hooks it up :D

12/09/2012, 06:32 PM	#15
marinerules Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Paragould Arkansas Posts: 2,219	good point mtcoins123 lol __________________ Looking at purchasing a good SLR camera within the next year, under $1000, any suggestions , email me Current Tank Info: 75 gallon damsels tank , 300 gallon predator fowlr tank

12/09/2012, 07:18 PM	#16
Epicreefer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 238	If your dad knows what he's doing then it shouldn't be a problem, just make sure the new post footers are on solid ground. Spread across 5 beams it's only about 500lb a beam __________________ Aquatic systems supervisor, somewhere around 100k gal. Current Tank Info: 40g breeder sps

12/09/2012, 07:21 PM	#17
Giovanni AKA Flippa Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: KY Posts: 2,207 Blog Entries: 8	I have a 330 on a wood floor. __________________ Giovanni Most of My Money I Spent On Whiskey, Women and Reefing, The Rest I Just Waisted! Current Tank Info: 180 Mixed Reef

12/09/2012, 07:34 PM	#18
marinerules Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Paragould Arkansas Posts: 2,219	ok... im at my parents house now, the 240 has freshwater in it, with no fish. is it ok to empty the water now even though we wont be moving the the tank for about 2 weeks or so , or will it damage the silicone or something if it all dries out ? just want to make sure, its had water in it since ive bought it lol __________________ Looking at purchasing a good SLR camera within the next year, under $1000, any suggestions , email me Current Tank Info: 75 gallon damsels tank , 300 gallon predator fowlr tank

12/10/2012, 06:03 AM	#19
keithhays Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Tennessee Posts: 1,259	It will fine for two weeks, I have had tanks sitting on my back patio for months with no issues.

12/10/2012, 07:21 AM	#20
KBzreef Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Birmingham Posts: 24	Keith, I live in a house built in the 40's. To suuport my 300gal, we went into the crawl place and scabbed onto the existing joists, tied the joists together where the tank would sit front and back, and supported the joists with cap blocks in the front and rear. It is not going anywhere. We are not contractors or engineers, but i know my floor is not a concern. __________________ 300 gallon tank in the works

12/10/2012, 07:22 AM	#21
gbru316 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Lancaster,PA Posts: 1,720	A contractor does not equal structural engineer. If there are any doubts whatsoever, hire someone who understands the math/physics of the problem and who can give you a definite answer. In hiring a structural engineer, the engineer assumes the liability in case of an accident. I'm not doubting the abilities of your father, but he simply does not have the background to properly address this issue. We removed a wall in our house, paid $125 for a legal document stating the house wouldn't collapse after the wall was removed. I already knew it wasn't a load bearing wall, but $125 is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

12/10/2012, 07:49 AM	#22
FuzzyZipperbaum Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Wayne Manor, Tampa Florida Posts: 474	GBRU is correct....it may cost you 300...but it buys insurance for peace of mind...your father can do the work... With the above said...LOL.... I have a 900# safe going in on the third floor and a 10,000# aquarium going in on the 2nd floor all in the next 2 months...So I have spent some considerable time on this... The safe is HEAVIER than the tank is.....why?, because the safe is 152# per sq foot and the tank is 124# per sq foot..... you can google how to figure these numbers out...very easy to do, basically foot print in inches or feet divided by weight. some random thoughts... Wood floors or any floor isnt really part of the consideration...if you are going to put a tank on carpet, tile, etc... they are going to have plywood underneath them so technically they are also wood floors.... and there are ways to keeping the stand from scratching the nice wood floors but different topic... What I would suspect you will end up doing....is sistering DEMONTIONIAL LUMBER (not plywood) against the joists underneath and then boxing them in...look up sistering and boxing....you father should be able to do both rather easily if he has access...I would also make the sisters as long as possible not just under the tank..... THEN google beam calculator and put your numbers in.... So you may end up say putting a 2x8 or 2x10 underneath the tank with concrete footers...as long as the footers are poured correctly I think you will be fine. also remember when working with wood....Width of the wood may be more important than thickness..... 2 doubled up 2x4s are not nearly as strong as 1 2x8 for deflection...... Not to say anything about posts here or anywhere else...but just because someone else did something does not mean anything to your situation.... they may have tanks against load bearing walls, in apartment that were built with concrete floors on all levels...etc, etc, etc.... My situations are even different, I have a "shear" issue on the safe but a deflection issue for the tank....I have to tackle them differently... also the old "2 of my 200# friends standing close together on a floor has not caused a problem" thought doesnt work either....they will not be standing there group hugging for 20 years as a live load....

12/10/2012, 12:40 PM	#24
marinerules Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Paragould Arkansas Posts: 2,219	Yea. I guess I'll be ok. If dad can draw up 800 grand homes from scratch and build them I think I'm worrying too much haha. Thanks everyone for your replies __________________ Looking at purchasing a good SLR camera within the next year, under $1000, any suggestions , email me Current Tank Info: 75 gallon damsels tank , 300 gallon predator fowlr tank

12/10/2012, 12:54 PM	#25
iced98lx Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 2,258	Easy to discuss with him without him knowing the specifics of fish keeping. Just calculate the weight, and describe the dispersion, let him do the rest. Sounds like you're in good shape.