Aquarium weight...too heavy?

I picked up a used 150 deep dimension from another member....cool tank. I had a few friends over to help me bring it inside and they looked at me with that "whoa, that is big" look. My plan all along was to have it on my main level and they gave me the "it is probably ok" response.


The look on their face has me doubting my plan and wondering if I need to set it up in the basement or figure out another plan. Is there a rule of thumb or someone you can consult on things like this? I have 10 inch cross beams and I am guessing this would hit three of them but I am certainly no expert and I don't want to stress anything structurally. There is a sofa on the same beams so likely 2 or 3 people though the tank would be on an exterior wall.


Who do you call to discuss things like this? Do I just move it downstairs or downsize? I have had tanks as large as 180 in the past but always on the lowest level so uncharted territory for me.

 

Wow i was in the same boat thats why I still have my 90 upstairs. You could add support in the basement. I even called a couple contractors and they wouldn't give me an answer. Heres how I look at it. 150 gallons at 8 lbs a gallon = 1200 lbs. Ok then you have your sump with water so at the max 2000 lbs. I weigh 300 lbsso 7 in a room isn't alot. Put a floor support you should be fine.

 

Roughly about 10-12 lbs. per gallon. SW weighs 8.5 lbs. per gallon, plus rock and sand. If your talking 2x10 floor joists ( Standard stress loads for a 2x10 is right around 10k psi before shearing) you shouldn't have no problems, but try to get as much of the tank/stand foot print over said floor joists. If you still feel uncomfortable, then just put bracing under said floor joists.

 

Yeah what they said! Also consider the direction your joist are in relationship to the tank. Are they going to run parallel with the tank or Perpendicular? The more load over many joist vs just one or two. Is it close to an outside wall or inside wall? You can use floor Joist Jacks if you feel uncomfortable about the wait depending on where the tank is in relationship to what below it in basement. So more joist running perpendicular to the tank the better.

 

Well it is a perfect square so it is pretty much independent of parallel vs perpendicular. I really can't put support under there due to the basement layout. Wow, I might have really messed up because this kind of thing will eat at me. Maybe I better downsize for peace of mind. I was so focused on the footprint I didn't even think about weight. Thanks for the feedback.

 

Wanna sell it lol?

 

I probably will to be honest. I love deep dimension tanks because I like to look into a tank but a bigger aspect to this is I wanted it to fit perfectly in the corner. My basement has a pretty unique layout and it will be hard to place it in an area where I can enjoy it. I need to wrap my mind around what to do but probably going to downsize to a 60 cube or get a 125 for the basement that will fit the spot better. It is hard to explain I just really have set ideas on what shape will go where. I have led lights, skimmer and pump on the way to fit this so need to make sure I think it all through.

 

I had a 150 high tank upstairs in my home for couple years till seal blew out of it . A friend of mine was a structural engineer and said I shouldn't have any problems so went with his word . Really anything over 300 is where I was told start looking at adding support . Hope this helps .

 

Thanks for the feedback. If I was spread over an additional joist or two I wouldn't sweat it but I will probably be lucky if I hit 3. I am going to downsize or move it downstairs.

 

There are a ton of factors to consider. Age of house, location along floor joist, species of wood for floor joists, existing load on floor. A picture would be very helpful. As a contractor I would be more worried about long term sag rather than catastrophic failure.

 

Any pics of the tank?