[AquaStudent]

Hello TPT.

My friend said someone he knows is looking to get rid of a 100+ gallon tank and I could get it for free. This of course caught my interest but I need to make sure I can handle it. I am on the second floor so that makes this a very complicated situation.

My apartment complex does not allow pets but has not said anything about my 55g or 29g tanks. The maintenance workers have been in and out a few times in the 9 months I've been here and haven't said anything.

Now, of course a 100+ gallon tank is a big step so I'm looking into building structure and tank locations to make this the safest possible.


Things I've considered:
-My complex is fairly old and built with thick walls. It is not flimsy construction (like my college housing).
-I'm trying to identify load bearing walls but I don't have access to the lower apartment to compare. I was considering getting a deep-stud finder to look at the joist structure in the floor so I would be able to lay the tank across multiple joists.
-I have renter's insurance but does flood insurance cover aquariums?
-100+ gallons is a lot of water...


Does anybody have experience with having a large tank in an apartment (preferable a non-ground floor apartment)? Do you have any advice?

What are some good ways to prevent a major tank leak?

 

[deeda]

I would first check with the apartment manager/owner to see if a tank this size is allowed. No sense in spending all the money to get everything setup and then find out you need to get rid of it.

Renter's insurance does not normally cover damage from leaking/broken aquariums. Check your policy or call your agent for specifics. Flood insurance is a different product so would be useless to you.

I had a 75G aquarium years ago in a 17th floor apartment with no problems at all. Of course the building was built in the 60's but the floors were concrete and had no problem supporting the load.

 

[wazzupmac]

I would first check with the apartment manager/owner to see if a tank this size is allowed. No sense in spending all the money to get everything setup and then find out you need to get rid of it.

Renter's insurance does not normally cover damage from leaking/broken aquariums. Check your policy or call your agent for specifics. Flood insurance is a different product so would be useless to you.

I had a 75G aquarium years ago in a 17th floor apartment with no problems at all. Of course the building was built in the 60's but the floors were concrete and had no problem supporting the load.

All of the above points are valid. Additionally, I would put a thick piece of plywood below such a tank in an older building unless you know you have poured concrete below it to evenly distribute weight (which might make leveling it easier and reducing chance of stress on the aquarium braces). I've also some people have water sensor (usually put in basements) to alert them to leaks sooner rather than later. Home Depot sells one for $10 -- google "water sensor basement" and it'll be within the first 5 links.

 

[AquaStudent]

I forgot to mention that I was planning on building a water sensor using a smoke detector. I can plan out either buying a commercial model or doing a DIY project. Thanks for the reminder.

Yes. Those are all very good points. I wasn't sure how the flood insurance worked. My insurance covers me for damages (to my property and my residence) and if I get sued.

 

[PlantedRich]

Watchdog is the alarm I use. Can't really see any way I could build one that works as well and would cost less.
Really recommend one to anybody who has a risk of overflows or leaks that would do damage.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_117272-84862-BWD-HWA_0__
The price is up. Isn't it always? 11.99 isn't bad though as it is really hard to build anything electronic for $10.
These set on the floor under my tank and work on 9V battery which seems to last forever if it is not alarming. The probe can be separated from the main unit if you want to place the electronics higher off the floor. They work great for places like basements where sewer lines might back up. Once you've cleaned that off a floor once, you would do most anything to keep it from happening again! :eek5:

 

[Deflected]

First off, I am a structural engineer. I would be extremely cautious with doing a 100+gal on a second floor. After a lot of research, I realized that I would need to add tons of floor reinforcement to my second story for my 120gal. If you do not have access to the lower level to ensure it is strong enough, I advise strongly against adding the tank. You are going to be in a ton of trouble if the tank goes through the floor.

 

[AquaStudent]

For the DIY water sensor I'd just wire into a smoke alarm test. If you press the test button down on a smoke alarm you're completing a circuit which will then sound the alarm (test).

It'd be as simple as soldering in a wire to each side of the circuit and placing the ends near eachother outside the alarm (a piece of tape would keep them in place). Then just put the wires on the ground and if there's any sort of water accumulation then the water will complete the circuit and sound the alarm. It's a build by UruJoey. I thought it was a clever design.
$11 isn't bad for a commercial piece either.

I'm less worried about the weight and more worried about what happens if something goes wrong. This really applies to me now because no matter if it's 20 gallons, 55 gallons, or 200 gallons of water it'll still cause damage.

@Deflected - That makes sense. What do you have for second off?

 

[Axelrodi202]

Personally I'd just take the tank and save it for when I have my own place if that's an option.

 

[Raymond S.]

Tanks twisting is the main reason for breakage/leaks. The length of any tank over a 75/55/90 is your main enemy here. Had a friend have a 125 break sitting on top of a concrete floor because there was an irregularity hidden under the carpet on one end
of his tank. Tank sat there for months OK but one day just fell apart on him.
Any apartment floor will sag/w that much weight. Can you gaurantee it will sag
evenly ? I'd take it, but store it till later like suggested.

 

[AquaStudent]

Thanks guys. I'll see if I can even get the tank. I haven't heard back from my friend.

Gah...it'd be so great to be able to set up a monster tank! Patience is key right?!?!

 

[Hilde]

My friend said someone he knows is looking to get rid of a 100+ gallon tank and I could get it for free. This of course caught my interest but I need to make sure I can handle it.

The tank is free but then there is the lights and stand that would be costly.

Also if it leaks it could affect your neighbors and lead to a suit. Thus seems best to wait to own your own property.

 

[Bettatail]

Fill it with 30 gallons of water.

And

 

[datsunissan28]

Renter's insurance does not normally cover damage from leaking/broken aquariums. Check your policy or call your agent for specifics. Flood insurance is a different product so would be useless to you.

A typical renter's policy will not cover the actual aquarium or its inhabitants if it was to break. The liability portion would cover you for damage to the apartment and damage to any neighbor's personal property.

In the scenario that the actual floor collapsed you would most likely have coverage for you own personal property including the tank (animals are typically never covered) and for any liability.

There are a lot of different policies out there and I don't have experience will all of them, but the above scenarios would be true for the ISO forms that is the insurance standard.

Background: I train property insurance adjusters for a living and have paid for claims like this in the past.

 

[MarkM]

Different situation for me. I set up a 120 in my family room on the ground floor. Floor is built over a crawl space, 2x10 joice every 16", 5/8 subfloor, finished with 1/2" hardwood planks. I installed additional support under as the master plan has a larger tank in the future. I welded a two screw type jacks to three foot sections of steel I Beam. I made two of these and tacked the I Beams to the bottom of the joice. I dug in four 20" x 2" concrete pads under each jack. Then I adjusted the four jacks to net a flat floor using a three foot level.

 

[jrman83]

I'm not sure why everyone thinks Renter's insurance won't cover tank leakage damage. A tank breaking is not flooding. I didn't add any special things to my policy but I asked the agent straight out if any of my fish tanks busted would I be covered and the answer was yes, to include any structual or carpet damage. Also, don't think that small imperfections in the tank being level will necessarily cause issues. I have 2-125g tanks and neither are perfectly level side to side or front to back and have had them for 4yrs and haven't had any problems and they are used 10+ yr old tanks.

As far as your apartment, if your outer wall is the same outer wall as the main building I don't see why there would be a question of whether that wall is load bearing or strong enough. A 100g weighs about 1000lbs with everything underneath and in the tank...so 4-5 of your friends would cause your floor to sag? I don't think so.

 

[Aqguy]

Fill it with 30 gallons of water.

And

Thats simply amazing !

 

[Aqguy]

I thing were all over playing this 2+6 can easily carry the weight just ask your landlord and go from there .

 

[Hilde]

My apartment complex does not allow pets but has not said anything about my 55g or 29g tanks. The maintenance workers have been in and out a few times in the 9 months I've been here and haven't said anything.

Animals that are confined 24hrs aren't always thought as pets. For I have parakeets, which I always inform the landlord of. I tell them they stay in their cages thus I should not have to pay a deposit for them.

If you are good tenant of many years they won't bother you unless they are worried about possible damages. Do though inform your landlord of your plan and tell them you have renters insurance. For if they are worried about it after you get it they could make you get rid of it or move.

 

[THE V]

Get the tank, store it or do a paludarium.

I wouldn't put that much weight in constant load on an uncertain construction. When the apartment was newly constructed it probably could withstand the load, but what about now? Without inspection of the joist you want to place the load on you don't know.

Some of the cheap halfbaked fixes I've seen down to rental properties makes me concerned.

Dryrot in the subfloor causing staining in the lino - fix: put another layer of lino on the floor to hide it and pretend that it doesn't exist.

Tissue paper and spray on texture to fix a hole and hide a persistent leak in the roof before a new rentor moves in.

HVAC access cover missing - piece of cardboard 1" from the fan...

Don't push your luck with too many unknowns. Play it safe and don't put too much weight on it. I waited until I was in a duplex with a solid cement slab foundation before getting my 125. I now have my big tank downstairs on the same type of foundation in the home I pay the bank to claim I own it.

 

[AquaStudent]

After a bunch more researching I went ahead and got the tank last summer. I resealed it, painted the stand, and set it up along a load bearing wall. There are no guarantees in this hobby but by resealing the tank I should provide decent insurance against disaster.

The tank has been filled since June. I began stocking it later in the summer and by late Fall I had the stocking pretty much complete.

Here's a semi-recent FTS.



Stocking includes a pair of chocolate cichlids, a group of Severums, a group of Synplisums, and a group of Geophagus Red Head Tapajos. It's a lovely community. Can't wait for these guys to get BIG!

The chocolates have spawned multiple times. I haven't had success with fry yet. It seems that whenever the fry are nearing hatching the parents get spooked and eat the eggs. They're still young. Perhaps they'll get bored of breakfast for dinner eventually. No, that's definitely not going to happen. Breakfast for dinner is the best. Nothing better than eggs on toast, biscuits, gravy, and bacon.

If you're interested in watching the progression of the tank I recorded it and put it into a playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd06lGtLYrEWJaz-0dyFtzkXQh2aPXh2i

The next project will be to build a sump. I have all the materials but am lacking the time. Eventually that will get done. I'm thinking of putting together a thread for tank updates but that's a bit lower on the priority list.