70g TANK ON SECOND FLOOR.

[JCSReefing]

I am wondering if it is unsafe to put my 70g tank upstairs in my new house? It would not be on a load bearing wall and the joists would be running parallel to the direction of the tank. Would my floor support it??

 

[sbash]

Although it is wise to consider this, based on your situation it is almost impossible (for us) to safely answer yes. You are looking at over 700 lbs for the display tank alone, not including sump or stand. You have also acknowledged the location will not be on a load bearing wall as well as will run parallel to the joists, which are both the polar opposite to what everyone would recommend.

That said, I imagine it will be fine, I have read about plenty of people who have successfully had a 65-90 gallon in various places in the house. If you are legitimately concerned, get an engineer in. Definitely worth the money, it should only be a couple hundred bucks for that peace of mind...

 

[MikeyAl]

I am wondering if it is unsafe to put my 70g tank upstairs in my new house? It would not be on a load bearing wall and the joists would be running parallel to the direction of the tank. Would my floor support it??

I've had my 90 on second floor for 3 years. People put pianos on second floor- aren't houses built to withstand that sort of weight?

 

[JCSReefing]

I've had my 90 on second floor for 3 years. People put pianos on second floor- aren't houses built to withstand that sort of weight?

That is sort of my thought process but I just didn't know if it would not be wise since it is not a load bearing wall and parallel to the joises. However that being said it is a lot of weight but is distributed throughout my 2x4 stand but just wondering what people thoughts are so please share!

 

[KingBlingTX]

I think it would be fine. As you said it is distributed over an area.

 

[adroc718]

Although the floor will obviously hold the weight and not cause the tank to fall through, you should be more worried about the deflection and sagging that can occur over time also the floor can sometimes bounce.
Especially if the location will not be on a load bearing wall / exterior wall as well running parallel to the joists.
The deflection even a small amount could be enough to cause the tank to go off level and eventually cause stress to the seams and ultimately cause a fail.
I would just find an exterior wall and place the tank in that location instead

 

[MikeyAl]

I am not an engineer - so I don't know. All I know is that I've had mine there for 3 years.