Bracing the floor, need advice

[Steph_D]

I have serious MTS and I'm looking into getting a 49 gallon tank but would like to be safe and brace the floor up before I get the tank set up. My house is old and I don't trust the floor with anything bigger than the 29 gallon that I already have. I'm wondering how you properly brace the floor (ie: what kinds of materials to use, etc.). I'd also like to go ahead and brace under the 29 gallon, too.

Thanks in advance!

 

[SeaMonkeyMiner]

Is your tank going to be on a second story, over a basement or is it a raised foundation?

49gallons x 12 lbs = 588 lbs (yes I know water weighs 8lbs/gallon but im including weight of tank and accessories)

do you have a couch that is on the same floor or room that the tank is in? if so and you have a couple of people over do you worry about the floor not supporting their weight?

One of the main things you have to worry about is which way the joists are running I wouldnt run it parrel with the joist otherwise the weight will be put on only one or two joists. If you run the other way the weight will be spread out over sevearal joists. I would also put it nearer the edge of the wall and not in the middle of the room.

What type of stand are you using? are their legs or does it have a base that sits on the floor?

 

[PlecoCollector]

I know nothing about bracing floors, but I just wanted to add in: I have all of my tanks in my room, which is on the second floor of my house. My room also has a rather heavy desk, oversized bunkbed, and very-filled-with-books dresser. Now, also consider that my house is only six years old and built with extra support because of hurricane standards, but still, that's a lot of weight for a such a small room. I've not had a problem yet... or at least, the floor doesn't tilt at all...

 

[jefftaylor]

If you are really worried about the structure then i would get 2 jacks and put them below your tank with a piece of 6*6 under the joists. If you are not that worried then i would just put cross members in the existing joists. I would not go cheap on the installation of your support method thats for sure. This is all depending on wheter or not your basement is finished of you are putting this on the second floor. Just to expand on the jacks i would extend it roughly 1 to 1 1/2 feet beyond your tank.

 

[jumpfreak26]

heres what i think should be done, just a basic idea, to go off of, but it should be pretty sturdy when you thinka bout it, if you are unsure talk to a local contracter

Heres my first idea

If you want it more sturdy then try this

If you are going to do this put the red beams up first, then the green ones, make sure the extra support beams are the same size of your originals and made of a high quality wood

 

[Steph_D]

Thanks for the replies! I do have a partial basement (no second floor), but I won't be putting the tank over the basement.

If I put the tank against a wall, would it be better to be against an outside wall than an inside? Or does it really matter?

I'm not really sure what kind of stand it has. Actually, I'm inquiring into 2 tanks (just one, but either one). The one is 49 gallon tall and the other is a corner tank but I don't know the gallon size. Both have stands, but I've never seen either of them so I don't know. I'm waiting to hear back to see if the lady still has either of them. Hopefully I'm not getting my hopes up too soon.

Thanks again!

 

[jumpfreak26]

Either wall should be fine, but i would go with the outside wall since that is where the ends of the beams meet, if its closer to the attachment point, then the floor wont sag.

 

[jefftaylor]

yes it matters you would want to find where the most support is in the basement like the I beam or the LVL. Also you would want to see where the jack posts are in the basement. going offf this you shoud have no problems but it will not hurt to add more support to where you are putting whatever tank it is you are getting.*celebrate

 

[SeaMonkeyMiner]

Steph: Where in your house are you putting your tank? So its not over the basement as you say. then you must have a raised foundation right? if its slab on grade then you dont really have to worry.

Going off the idea that it is a raised foundation with stemwalls and joist running underneth the rest of the house it would be best to put it on an exterior wall or by a load bearing wall(load bearing walls will have a stemwall underneigh you can go through your crawl space to figure out where the stemwalls are.) but if the rest of your house is slab on grade then forget what I just said.

 

[Mushroomman]

Could also think of it this way... the tank will weigh as much as 3 maybe 4 average sized adults, if the floor can support a bunch of people a tank should be ok.

 

[echoofformless]

The idea of comparing a fish tank, which will stay still in one exact spot for an unpredictable number of years with people sitting on a couch, which only lasts a few hours a week at best, really doesn't seem to intelligent now does it?

That being said, most floors are strong enough to support the weight of a tank up to about 60 gallons within reason, and it is only advised to do so across the joists and close to the wall as previously stated.

 

[Steph_D]

Thanks again for all of the advice!

I bought the tank, but when I went to pick it up, I was a tad bit disappointed. It was not a 49 gallon, like she had told me, but after measuring I found out that it was 36 gallons. That should be a lot better on my floor. The good news is that I got a lot of "freebies" with the tank. Most of it's for saltwater, which I don't have, but some of it is usable for me.

 

[Steph_D]

Another question, LOL. Would this 36 gallon tank be ok to put over the basement, across 2 joists, next to an outside wall? I think I'd like to put it next to my computer desk, but that room's over the basement. Would it be better to break down the 29 gallon and move it over there? I want to move the 29 gallon anyway, so that wouldn't be too much of a problem.

 

[echoofformless]

I have a 55 gallon over my basement across 3-4 joists and next to a wall. It seems fine.

In fact, I posted a similar thread when I was about to start filling it. Many replies came from people who have 75 and even 90g tanks on upper floors. So I wouldn't worry in the least about a 36g, unless of course your house is made of straw....but I think if that were the case you probably bought it from little pigs.

 

[scubadude]

The idea of comparing a fish tank, which will stay still in one exact spot for an unpredictable number of years with people sitting on a couch, which only lasts a few hours a week at best, really doesn't seem to intelligent now does it?

Totally agree with that! Also a couch spreads the weight over a large area while a tanks weight is all in one spot. Better safe than sorry. Floor braces cost about 15-20 bucks and are easy to install. It's really a no brainer when you consider the possibility of a tank tipping over when your not home.