120 gal too big for 2nd floor apt??

[FISHEYES]

I was just wondering if anyone knows if I could keep a 120 gallon on a 2nd floor apt without it crashing onto the neighbors below? all feedback would be appreciated.

[benihana]

It would be iffy in my opinion. But depending on which way the floor trusses went, it could be doable, as long as you ran it perpendicular to the truss line. I kept a 75 gal. in a 3rd floor apt, but never a 120.

good luck! :)

[storrisch]

I kept dbl stacked 55's in a second floor apt. last year along with 21 other tanks. I think once you add a sump and everything else the water volume is getting pretty high though unless you know you are working against the floor joists.

[patent]

I was just wondering if anyone knows if I could keep a 120 gallon on a 2nd floor apt without it crashing onto the neighbors below? all feedback would be appreciated.

That depends on the construction of the apartment floors, age, etc. Not all apartments are created equal.

[civil]

It would be well in excess of 1000+ lbs in a small area. I would not recommend that kind of load on a wood frame structure.

[David Grigor]

Back in apartment living days since it was very difficult to really know what the condition of the structure is, I limited myself to 75-90g tanks and put them next to an outside wall.

[Taklu]

I have a 75G with a sump on the second level... :brainoverload: the floor creaks...& Im required to report to the management any water beds & all fish tanks above 30G..... so wouldnt dare to go any over.. it really comes down to how much load the structure was designed to take & whats the current condition of the structure.:eek4:

[spsick]

yeah, can you look in a laundry or storage room at the ceiling and see the structure? I just look at it this way, imagine having a party on a second floor apartment, with 6 200 lb. dudes talking in one spot, ~1200lbs, but on the other hand, thats not for a year in the same spot... I think you'd be o.k, but i'm not an expert

[lessthanlights]

yeah, can you look in a laundry or storage room at the ceiling and see the structure? I just look at it this way, imagine having a party on a second floor apartment, with 6 200 lb. dudes talking in one spot, ~1200lbs, but on the other hand, thats not for a year in the same spot... I think you'd be o.k, but i'm not an expert

go to reef central, there are many many structural engineers that have weighed in on this topic in endless threads. they will say that analogy has no bases in reality because of . . . all their technical mubo jumbo. but i do know "they" get really upset when people say they are the same. it really depend on how many trusses you are spanning and the quality of construction. For example spanning 8 trusses with a long shallow tank is very different than 4 trusses with a tall tank. i would contact an engineer or architect to be absolutly sure.

[christensonjes]

yeah, can you look in a laundry or storage room at the ceiling and see the structure? I just look at it this way, imagine having a party on a second floor apartment, with 6 200 lb. dudes talking in one spot, ~1200lbs, but on the other hand, thats not for a year in the same spot... I think you'd be o.k, but i'm not an expert

Thats a good point I used to have parties at my apartment and you could barely walk around in there.

I have a 75 gal tank and 75 gal sump in my apartment

[HermitSolo]

Worst case you can spread out the weight distribution with a strong platform under the tank. I've never had to do it, but couldn't you make a solid platform out of ?? dunno 2x4's or 4x4's and plywood that are much larger than the area of the tank stand so it distributes the load over a larger surface area?

[morty]

yeah, can you look in a laundry or storage room at the ceiling and see the structure? I just look at it this way, imagine having a party on a second floor apartment, with 6 200 lb. dudes talking in one spot, ~1200lbs, but on the other hand, thats not for a year in the same spot... I think you'd be o.k, but i'm not an expert

If you do set the tank up then you might want to avoid having parties with too many 200lb people around the tank :eek4:

[Turf]

I'm opting not to go to that tank visit :biggrin:

[droinablunt]

I had a buddy with a 150 4 footer and it was in his 4 th floor room. Whenever ya walked by it the floor would make some weird noises. and after a year or so you could see the floor starting to sag. (the house was only 3 years old) so he had to take it down. Now the floor where it was has a little spring to it when ya walk on it.

so if I was you I would stick to less than 100gal

[Goldpony75]

if you can give me the dimensions of the room you are going to put the tank in i can give you a rough idea of how much the floor can hold.