2nd Flour fishroom build QUESTION

[Jeff O]

Has anyone built a second floor fishroom with any weight issues? Id like to start one. Heres the tank list.
x2 33gl
x2 55
x4 20H
x4 20L
x2 29
x1 75

All of these tanks would be on the same rack along one wall. Would weight be an issue?
Any help would be great.
-Jeff

[DiscusLoverJeff]

Jeff can you access the floor boards under that level? If so just run some supports under there. You have approximately 4300 lbs of weight over what 12' or? It just depends on how you will dispurse the weight. what is the length of the wall you plan of putting them on?

You will have about 350 lbs per foot if your wall is say 12'.

[Bud Smith]

Jeff - I had a spare bedroom on the 2nd floor that I turned into a fish room - I have 1 90gal. 2 65 gal. 1 50 gal. 1 40 gal. 1 20 gal. - I put my tanks on 3 walls with the weight distributed evenly. I have had no trouble and plan to add one more tank
To put them all on one wall would be pushing the issue unless you know what your floor structure is and are able to add additional supports if needed - as described that is alot of weight

[joeandmeagan]

I would also look at your floor joists and see if they are running parallel or perpendicular to the rack. If parallel it would worry me because of all that weight on only a couple joists.

[Jeff O]

Jeff can you access the floor boards under that level? If so just run some supports under there. You have approximately 4300 lbs of weight over what 12' or? It just depends on how you will dispurse the weight. what is the length of the wall you plan of putting them on?

You will have about 350 lbs per foot if your wall is say 12'.

The wall is 10' long (it would be 12 but it gets cut off by a closet) Unfortunately the floor joists aren't in my favor either and if have to put the rack against a window which I don't want to do.
-Jeff

[cjr8420]

I would also look at your floor joists and see if they are running parallel or perpendicular to the rack. If parallel it would worry me because of all that weight on only a couple joists.

+1 i have never heard of a cave in but have seen were they will sink and bow.any more info on floor joist 2x? truss? ijoist? then how close together are they 12,16,19d,24 inches on center leave a lot of difference in total weights

[Skip]

+2
nobody on simply has ever posted.. their tanks ever caved in from second floor.. i have looked and GOOGLED>. never found anything..

am sure your safe ..

however.. you are putting 3,700 lbs of dead weight of water.. NOT lncluding the tank weight or substrate.. if any..

[Poco]

Get a survey done by a structural engineer to be 100% sure. A cave in didnt happnen (google etc) so far doesnt mean it will not happen. You rather be safe than sorry.

[DerekFF]

I've seen posts of people on 2nd and 3rd floors having tanks partially break their floor. It happens. That's a lot of weight though and I would never in my wildest dreams put that much on the 2nd floor without making sure an engineer checks it or if I built the walls/reinforcement myself or had them built extra beefy at time of construction


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[AndLaw134]

Depending on your building codes in you area. You have the potential of on having these tanks rest on one floor joist. You have about 4500 lbs of water not including stands tanks pumps and you your family or a visitor.

I agree you are not going to have a cave in but you will wrap your floor joist over time. That area would need to be seriously beefed up with an engineers input.

Why not move your fish room lower and move another area of you house up to that place.

Not to mention on garden hose falling out of a tank on to the floor will spill o
About 20 gals on a min. And most of us have done that once or twice Fish room belong in the basest with a floor from in my humble option

Good luck

[Jeff O]

Im going to down size my tank number at least for whats going up there. Unfortunetly I dont have the option of putting these tanks anywhere else, so il have to figure out something different.
-Jeff

[DiscusLoverJeff]

Jeff if you have to put the tanks infront of a window, try and insulate the back of the tanks from them cold Chicago drafty nights. Cold air seeping through the window will make your heaters run more and burn out faster.

Bill used an insulation on his tanks and they dont look to bad with the back and sides wrapped.

[Poco]

Bill used an insulation on his tanks and they dont look to bad with the back and sides wrapped.

It is called Reflectix.

[DiscusLoverJeff]

It is called Reflectix.

Thanks Poco, I knew someone would remind me the name.

[sheaspina]

depends how old your house is really. If it's less than 20-30 years old you can probably get away with it.
The most important consideration would be to put it up against a bearing wall, and second, as stated, running perpendicular to the joists would help as well. As long as the house was framed correctly doing this should be ok, just use common sense while setting things up. Obviously though, your safest bet is to try spreading the load around a bit if at all possible.

Not quite the weight you're looking at, but I've had a 200 gallon system on the 2nd floor before without issue.