Will floor support tank - 120g on upper level ?

[hoju74]

I'm in the planning stages and thought I would ask if my floor could support the tank..
My house is a raised ranch build in 1978. The tank is a 120g (4x2x2feet) and will be placed in the living room in the upper level. Tank would be placed along an exterior wall and the joists run perpindicular to the tank 16" on center. The room this is going in is above a finished basement. The tank would sit on a carpeted floor if that makes a difference.

From what I've read, I should be okay but wanted to see if anybody here has any opinions on this.

 

[lapin]

Should be fine as along as its good construction.

 

[SeaJay]

There's good and bad about being against a wall. The good is that those joists are supported at the wall and that is going to give you the most support. The bad is that if it does start to settle or sag, it will only do so at the front of the tank causing it to lean away from the wall. I've seen furniture lean away from the wall for this reason. It will physically support the weight, but you could end up with an unlevel tank. Just for peace of mind, I would put a small beam and post under the front of the tank. It wouldn't really be that much work as long as the space downstairs can accommodate it. If not, I'd put a level on the tank and watch it as I fill, then check it regularly for a while.

 

[SeaJay]

The room this is going in is above a finished basement. The tank would sit on a carpeted floor if that makes a difference.

If you put it right up against the wall, you may have the back of the stand sitting on the tack strip, which is usually an inch or two from the wall. This would be a problem that could cause you to have to shim the front. Also, there is no padding over the tack strip, so the carpet will compress more at the front than at the back. I personally would not set up a large aquarium on carpet. I use a 36 gallon bow front as my QT and the carpet causes it to rock. If there were carpet under my DT, I would cut it out for the tank stand.

 

[hoju74]

I would put it a couple inches away from the wall for the tack strip reason. Also, to leave some space for plumbing as I plan to run a return over the top for a herbie drain style.

We plan to get new carpeting in this room, and I'm trying to sell either wood or laminate to the wife.

I also have a possible spot in the family room which is in the basement. Problem with that location is that it would be near a fireplace and gets a little chilly down there. The plus side is the tank would be on laminate floors that sit over concrete.

 

[SeaJay]

I would put it a couple inches away from the wall for the tack strip reason. Also, to leave some space for plumbing as I plan to run a return over the top for a herbie drain style.

We plan to get new carpeting in this room, and I'm trying to sell either wood or laminate to the wife.

I also have a possible spot in the family room which is in the basement. Problem with that location is that it would be near a fireplace and gets a little chilly down there. The plus side is the tank would be on laminate floors that sit over concrete.

I'd put it where you spend the most time to enjoy it regardless of the flooring.

If you plan to get new carpet anyway, it's a no brainer. I'd cut the carpet and install the stand, then have the new carpet put in with the stand in place. Save some of the carpet. If you ever get rid of the tank, you'd be surprised how well they can patch that in without seeing the seams. They already have to hide seams anyway, they can hide a couple more.

 

[hoju74]

Yeah...I'm leaning towards the carpeted room just because we can see it from our dining room and we spend the most time there. I guess I can always set up the tank and get water flowing through it for a week or two to see how it settles.

 

[Jeremy Luke]

I'd put it where you spend the most time to enjoy it regardless of the flooring.

When I moved in to my new house I had all kinds of ideas for the basement. Gaming area, the big tv, surround sound, couches. I put my new 126g down there amongst it all. Long story short, 3 years later I'm about to pay to have the tank moved upstairs if I don't move altogether.

 

[SeaJay]

Yeah...I'm leaning towards the carpeted room just because we can see it from our dining room and we spend the most time there. I guess I can always set up the tank and get water flowing through it for a week or two to see how it settles.

If you have the space & you're handy, you could do something creative like frame and finish a riser and add some side cabinets. This could spread the load from 3 joists to 5. That would make a significant difference.

 

[hoju74]

Our family room is actually in the basement, so we spend a good deal of time down there.
Ugh..there's pro's and cons to each location actually. Plus, in the basement I could probably go behind the wall into the utility room to put some equipment.

 

[Super Fly]

Plus, in the basement I could probably go behind the wall into the utility room to put some equipment.

that's what I ended up doing. I put the sump behind the wall, makes it so much easier doing work in sump no longer having to go on hands and knees. Basement also makes it easy to do WC & refill ATO, RODI & slop sink on same floor so don't have to carry water up & down the stairs.