Big tank placement - new 125 gallon with sump

[EricT]

Hi all

(Ignore the numbers and see second post for actual amounts. I think. Picking this thing up in a couple of hours and we will actually see what is what. Gotta love the old craigslist)

So I am picking up a 6' long 175 gallon reef setup, complete with a 65 gallon sump, in just a few hours here. I have a few options as far as placement goes, at least I hope I do.

My house is poured on a cement slab, and the lower level walls are poured in place concrete. Standard 2x6 framing only begins at the second floor. So the tank would sit on joists, and perpendicular to them which is perfect. It's 6 feet long as well, so the load is spread out nicely. But...

Assuming sump half full, I'm at 205 gallons, so 1700#s in just water. The tank itself, and the rock and sand might be denser and let's just assume 2000#s. That is a lot, no doubt.

Some photos - my freshwater planted is a 40 gallon, that would be relocated. The other picture shows the pnp concrete wall. As that is a "finished garage" as it were, I could put up a secondary steel beam and supports bolted into the slab there if needed. That tank sits right at the start of the joists, so I'm thinking that should be good.

Current owner has the tank on a stand he made from 2x4s which is... quite a thing. And it's been fine, oddly. I can weld, and I have some spare angle iron that should be more than thick enough to make a new base.

Just curious what the consensus might be on this! And I will not be installing it right away, plan is to set up the sump temporarily to incubate the live rock. So there is no rush, tank does not come with any inhabitants, save for maybe sneaky bristleworms.

Happy to hear any thoughts at all on this, and happy to be here. Thanks!

 

[EricT]

Sorry to self bump the thread here, but I just ran the dimensions through the calculator on the site here - it comes up as a 125 gallon. 6' x 1'7" x 2' tall. Guy might be overselling the capacity, but I'm quite happy to see that. 125 is plenty!

That recalcs out to Just under 1300#s assuming sump is actually a 65 gallon at half full. Assuming gear/glass weight, 1500#s.

 

[Uberhoust]

I take it you want to put the tank upstairs. If so you will have to place it adjacent to a supporting wall, if it is mid span on the joists I expect you will end up with noticeable sag or bounce on the floor. If you house has 2x6 construction you may be able to find the engineering drawings or notes so that you can find out what the maximum static and dynamic loads the house is engineered for. The tank might be too large for the upstairs.

You will want to spread the weight over as many joists as you can, so you will want the stand to contact the floor in multiple locations, rather than just 4 point at the end.

FYI I have a newish house, and have about 120 gallons of fish tanks on the second floor. Even though the weight is still below my dynamic max the floor is definitely bouncier now. I wouldn't put more tanks in that area.

 

[EricT]

Thanks uberhoust. I would prefer, it's more visible upstairs. I have a nice little area to build out as a viewing alcove downstairs but its a little secluded. I do have options, but the upstairs one is definitely superior. I'm going to open that drywall and see what my joist situation is, I believe they are 2x10s but I want to verify that.

 

[Uberhoust]

@EricT Before you open up your walls it might be easier to see if you can find the plans for your house. When I bought my house I didn't have any drawings or plans but I requested the information on the house from the Regional District. I got the original drawings, the variances, and even changes to the drawings because the original plans did not meet one of the Regional District requirements. In those drawings was the engineered load values the house was designed for.

Additionally, in a lot of areas engineered joists are a lot more common. I don't know if the tables for span and width of joints works the same for engineered joists.

If possible I try not to mess with the dry wall because I can never repair it as well as the people who do it for a living.

I haven't done it, but my Father in an older home actually put posts in the basement under the tank location, supporting the joists. That type of work might require you to pull a building permit.

 

[EricT]

The drywall I would open is in the garage, its not done particularly well in the first place. All of this is somewhat a moot point as I have decided to sell the big boy tank and buy a smaller one, like a 75. This was a good thought experiment though, and I do really appreciate the feedback. 125 is just tooo big for me at this time.