Is it safe?

[F22]

i think you will be fine, get 3 fat guys and have them jump where ever you are gonna put the tank, if they dont go through the floor you are fine. We use the fat guy test at work pretty often.

[thomas111]

Home floors are only designed to hold 40 lbs per square foot. I just added a 75 to my home. The first floor joists are only 2 X 8's. I was told by my engineer friend that I needed to add a laminated beam across where the tank sits. I also have a 65 kitty corner to this tank so that added to the problem.
Outside wall are your best bet and try to put the tank across several joists not sitting the same way the joists are running. This will let you hit probably 3 of them. Running parallel with the joists you will probably only be sitting on one.

[AquariumNoob]

Originally Posted by thomas111

Home floors are only designed to hold 40 lbs per square foot. I just added a 75 to my home. The first floor joists are only 2 X 8's. I was told by my engineer friend that I needed to add a laminated beam across where the tank sits. I also have a 65 kitty corner to this tank so that added to the problem.
Outside wall are your best bet and try to put the tank across several joists not sitting the same way the joists are running. This will let you hit probably 3 of them. Running parallel with the joists you will probably only be sitting on one.

How can i tell what direction the joists are going? And yea youd be on 3 of them if its spaced exactly.. definately two though, considering its 16" spacing in between each, and the tank without the stand is 48" wide so pretty good chance youll be on 3 joists..

[thomas111]

Try using a stud finder. They measure the density of a wall or floor. If you don't have one you can get one at any hardware store or Home Depot/Menard's. Sometimes tapping on the floor with a hammer you can here the different sound the joist makes.

[xGROMx]

aqua, you did the right thing. I hate those I beams, I don't trust them, and they are used in so many homes now.

[Sharkfood]

40 lbs. per square foot? So if a 200 lb person stood on one foot the floor couldn't hold them? Are you sure that isn't 40lbs per square inch?

I've put 3000 lbs worth of industrial batteries ( 2x 1500 lbs. batteries) on a crappy, old pine pallet without it breaking. I can't believe a 600 lbs fish tank is going to fall through any properly constructed floor. People tend to place their tanks up against walls also. Just pick a structural wall.

i think you will be fine, get 3 fat guys and have them jump where ever you are gonna put the tank, if they dont go through the floor you are fine. We use the fat guy test at work pretty often.

That's great.

[aquaman3000]

Floors generally won't fail episodically, but rather over time. Enough weight applied over time can cause all kinds of problems from joists cracking to floors sagging. A 200 pound man standing temporarily on one foot isn't a very good test to determine if a floor will fail over time. I suspect most average homes will have no problems with 750 pounds, as empirical evidence here is suggesting, but it's worth taking seriously if you aren't sure about your home.

[AquariumNoob]

true.. but im not sure about the quality of my home.. my parents bought it off of the original owner that had the house built in the 70's or something.. and we've been in it for around 4 years.. I dont doubt the structure of the house because as of yet i dont see any problems, but its a relatively "new" house and 750 pounds would probably make it shift like hell.. What if i built a structure out of a few 4"x4"x8' beams? sorta like a deck? to help distribute the weight.. if i made it lets say 8 feet wide thats a good 6 or so joists lol.. build a deck in my bedroom haha.. I should have a stud finder somewhere from all of the work my dad did on the house when we got it.

[Sharkfood]

I just found this http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article28.html . It looks like in most cases aquariums 125 gallons or under are not a cause for worry.

I misinterpreted the 40 lbs/square foot rating. It refers to a theoretical condition in which 40 lbs. is applied to every square foot of the entire floor. (4,000 lbs in a 10'x10' room for example, but spread across the entire surface.) I live on the second floor of a building that has concrete floors, so I've never worried about the weight before.

[thomas111]

You don't need a deck. Just put it as close to the outside wall as possible and across the 3 joists. In all but a few instances this will be fine. Like stated, if your 400lb aunt comes over and walks across the floor it's not going to fail. It's long term weight applied in one area.
As to the fish tank stand. You want one that is flat, or is touching the floor all the way around the stand. This will distribute the weight. One that has 4 points of contact like a dresser is going to cause problems unless all 4 feet are on joists.
I was talking with my engineer friend last night and he said that in many cases where joists fail they actually slip out or flip sideways if you will. In many cases the floor will start to sag first or crack.
In my case with the 2 large fish tanks (on 2 X 8 joists ) in a 10 foot square area, he told me exactly what joist would fail and where. The 50 dollar micro-lam from Menard's was well worth not having any problems down the road. This beam, if you will, was sandwiched in next to the joist that needed the extra strength and screwed in every two feet. 2 x 8 floor joists in not very common in most homes. The people that built this house cheeped it out. This is where problems start. Well constructed homes usually don't have too many problems. When in doubt have someone check it out.

[AquariumNoob]

Ill ask my dad.. He opened up the floor in the bathroom which has a common wall with my room while renovating the house, so ill ask him if it was 2x8's or 2x10's there.. Anyhow, yea if i get one its going to be a solid bottom. one with 4 points of contacts is nowhere near as safe as one thats solid on bottom, regardless of the floor.. too much weight and itll do a split haha.. I dont even know what the stand i was offered looks like, but ill definately ask the guy if its solid- bottomed.. Thats what i have right now with my 37g so its not really causing any problems, although its not against an outer wall.. It is against the wall but its an inner wall... flat bottom will help prevent noticeable damage too..(sagging, etc)

[AquariumNoob]

Originally Posted by Sharkfood

I just found this http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article28.html . It looks like in most cases aquariums 125 gallons or under are not a cause for worry.

I misinterpreted the 40 lbs/square foot rating. It refers to a theoretical condition in which 40 lbs. is applied to every square foot of the entire floor. (4,000 lbs in a 10'x10' room for example, but spread across the entire surface.) I live on the second floor of a building that has concrete floors, so I've never worried about the weight before.

Thanks for that link, by the way. Its great! And yea i know what you mean.. When i lived in israel for a few months, we had a concrete house.. over there there is barely any wood, but plenty of rocks and mountains, so concrete is standard for everything.. All of the houses and buildings were made of concrete and steel.. definately a lot safer during wars too.. in the US a 50cal can blow apart a house.. in Israel you need a missile.. haha

[OverStocked]

Originally Posted by F22

i think you will be fine, get 3 fat guys and have them jump where ever you are gonna put the tank, if they dont go through the floor you are fine. We use the fat guy test at work pretty often.

I understand why people think this is comparable... but the trouble is that heavy objects in one spot over a very long time cause stress and settling. It is not the same as a few guys jumping around for a few minutes.

I will say that you are likely fine, but because I understand construction methods. Even in a very old house it would prob be safe.

[xGROMx]

Everyone is making this way too complicated! HAHA It will be fine, just keep an eye on it, make sure its level when you install it and if it goes out of level there might be a poroblem, but this will take quite some time to show if ever.