Reefer503 Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Hi everyone, I hope I'm posting this in the right place. I currently have a 29 gallon tank stocked and want to go bigger. I have an older house in Portland that was built in 1940. It's a single level house with a full basement and I'm trying to figure out what is the largest tank I could go without worrying about crashing through the floor. The floors are supported with 2x10's and are doubled up every 6 feet or so. The issue I'm seeing is that the boards run parallel to the length of the tank, so the weight would fall on only 2-3 supports instead of displacing it across more of them. I'm not a builder, so I have no idea what the building code might have been, any information would be greatly appreciated. I know the math of how to calculate tank weights, but no idea what is acceptable for houses like mine. I don't want to put the tank in the basement on the concrete slab... I feel like it would be out of sight and I want to enjoy my fish. BTW, I'm new here, but this forum seem to be the busiest one I have ever seen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRENT Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Welcome aboard! What about reinforcing from underneath (basement)? This is what I ended up doing when I had my 210. Worked great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefer503 Posted May 31, 2011 Author Share Posted May 31, 2011 that might be possible, the basement is 85% finished, so a lot of the basement has a ceiling where I can't access. Trent, Did you add pillars for support or did you add more 2x10's inline with the others? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefer503 Posted May 31, 2011 Author Share Posted May 31, 2011 Welcome aboard! What about reinforcing from underneath (basement)? This is what I ended up doing when I had my 210. Worked great. Did you add 8x8 pillars for support or did you add more 2x10's inline with the others? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRENT Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Here is what I did. Mine was under the house but the same concept. You would have to place a piece of wood under the two or three support your tank would be on. Hope this helps or at least gives you some ideas. Maybe a picture of what you have to work with would help with suggestions. Are you planning to put your sump down their also? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefer503 Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 Wow Trent, yeah, that could totally be done, except my support beams would be 8' tall I never thought about putting the sump in the basement, seems like a long way for the pump to move the water... would be like 12' between the tank and the sump. I like that idea though. I double checked and I do have access to where I want the tank. I'm seeing a summer project coming together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 If you can put the sump in the basement I would. Having the extra space is great and it also helps keep the sound down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRENT Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Good deal, do a google search on Basement sumps and you'll be surprised how many people do them. You'll also find some good return pump recommendations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smann Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Welcome to the forum! What size tank do you want to go with, that would determine if you need to add support. If you can access both ends of the floor joist (where they sit on walls) you could double up three of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mohaynow Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Another idea that came to mind if you do go with a basement sump. You could build a room around it and totally conceal the sump and extra supports if you do go that route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefer503 Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 Welcome to the forum! What size tank do you want to go with' date=' that would determine if you need to add support. If you can access both ends of the floor joist (where they sit on walls) you could double up three of them.[/quote'] I have a 10' wall I want to put the tank against. I was originally thinking a 55 - 65 gallon, but that somehow feels small. Maybe a 75 or 90 gallon would be better... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 With a 75 or 90 I don't think you would need to support the floor. I used to have a 75 on the second floor of a cheap apartment years ago and it wasn't an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefer503 Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 With a 75 or 90 I don't think you would need to support the floor. I used to have a 75 on the second floor of a cheap apartment years ago and it wasn't an issue. Okay, great... I mean, I would like a 110 or 125, but I don't think I want to bite off that much just yet. Thanks for all the replies guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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