# Fish tank on first floor



## Meerkatarmy (May 13, 2012)

Hi,

I want to keep tropical fish and want the biggest tank I can fit in my room. Problem is I am worried about being on the first floor of my landlords house, I don't want ta tank through the ceiling incident, so how much weight will the floor take? How many gallon tank can I have?


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## Paul112 (Apr 6, 2007)

It's too tricky to say without knowing the structure of the building. I have a 55G on the first floor, and that's about the heaviest I'm willing to go.

If you're in rented property, I'd stick with a 20-30G tank. A tank that size shouldn't be of any concern weight wise, but if there are any accidents or leaks, it's a lot less water to worry about (although still quite a lot!).

Best,
Paul


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## Frostpaw (May 10, 2010)

the biggest i ever had upstairs was 100ltrs. That was fine.

Currently my 200ltr resides downstairs, it wouldnt stand a chance of being stable upstairs as its full of rock etc.


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## Christie_ZXR (May 14, 2011)

I live in a flat and I've got a 3ft with mahogany cabinets and lid which seems alright. Got a 4ft in the hall as well and that's fine too. If your building's not too old, chances are you'll get away with it


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## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

Stamp about a bit, you get a feel for where the best support is and keep it against the wall. I think the risk is probably a little overstated.


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## Lord Vetinari (Mar 4, 2011)

LiamRatSnake said:


> Stamp about a bit, you get a feel for where the best support is and keep it against the wall. I think the risk is probably a little overstated.


Just make sure it's an external or supporting wall and not an internal stud.... Otherwise it would be pointless. 

Depends on the size of the tank and construction of the floor and what sort of stand you're putting it on...

Domestic floor joists are designed for an imposed load of 1.5kN/m2.... That will increase slightly towards the external Walls (depends on the construction). But I wouldnt exceed that figure.


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## caribe (Mar 21, 2010)

My 800 litre is on the ground floor against a supporting wall.

It also crosses the joists.

I had a 500 litre tank upstairs, i laid extra flooring to spread the load over a wider area first before setting up the tank.


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