# Whats the largest tank I can safely have on a 1st floor?



## 9Red (May 30, 2008)

I have a couple of smaller tanks but would really love to upgrade to something of a decent size. Problem is I live in a 1st floor flat, and the last thing I (and my landlord) needs is a massive weight of water which then ends up damaging or even going through the floor into the flat downstairs.

Without knowing anything much about the construction of our building, other than it was originally a very large 3 storey victorian townhouse, what would you say is the largest size tank I could keep without any risk of potential structural damage? 

If 1 litre = 1 kg in weight, and I weigh 100kg+ (yes, I know, I'm on a diet!) and the floorboards bow slightly when I walk about, I need to be sure that any significant volume of water will be stable and not cause the floorboards to bow or shift when the tank is in position. I know I would have to position it over at least 2 supporting beams which run underneath the floorboards, which just means it would have to sit longways against our bedroom wall rather than in the lounge where I'd prefer it to go.


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## Xiorell (Aug 15, 2007)

Thing is man you'd need to really know where all the joists are and possition the tank over them really well... if you think about a bath tub being upstairs, full of water that's gonna weigh in at something silly and it still supports.

Then again, a 200 Litre tank is gonna come in at over 440Ibs before you've put any rocks or whatever in there, if you don't get that sat evenly on the beams... Well personally I'd be shitting a brick.


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## 9Red (May 30, 2008)

Yep exactly! I'm not willing to take any chances - although a 200l tank would be fantastic, I doubt my budget (or floorboards) could stretch that far. 

What about something in the region of 80-100l?


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

How well do you get on with your neighbours below you? Ask them if you could have a look at their flats layout and see how it matches yours, you may find they could have a supporting wall under part of your floor where the tank could go to help take the weight if you get my drift.


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## alpharoyals (Nov 21, 2007)

I had this problem when choosing my marine tank, I was told that a bath may be heavier but the floor is already strenghthened for its weight.

If you want a 80-100l tank it will be fine, just make sure it goes across the joists and against a load bearing wall and make sure the weight is spread out if poss (i.e dont stand it on a table so all the weight is on 4 points)

I have a 130l marine with rock, stand, chiller.... probably in the region of 250kg and its been there a year no problem.

1 litre of water= 1 kilo


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## Xiorell (Aug 15, 2007)

So glad I am moving into a ground floor room, been eyeing up some tanks in the 600L region lol


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## xyra (Apr 26, 2007)

We have a 29 gallon marine tank upstairs (with lots of rocks), but we were careful to locate the joists.

Also be sure the joists are in good condition. We almost put a bigger tank upstairs when we moved in the summer. 2 weeks the ceiling below fell down and it turned out there was a slow leak in the house plumbing (builders thought probably for 3years+) and the joists were rotten to nothing, all had to be replaced in that area. Glad we didn't put the bigger tank there!

Another problem is that the tank is there continously, so the joists and floor can't bounce up, meaning you can get a sagging floor over time. This apparently doesn't happen with a bath or bed apparently as it is only used for a percentage of each day.

I'm not a builder or engineer, just what i've searched online in the past, so it may all be totally incorrect!


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## 9Red (May 30, 2008)

Ok guys, thanks for all the info!

The flat downstairs is off limits at the moment as the landlord is currently doing it up ready for new tenants, but having peeked through the windows it looks to have the exact same floor plan as our flat above, with all the walls in the same places. 

As for the joists under the floorboards, I'm not entirely sure where they are, and would have to take up a couple of boards to check. That said, I think any new tank would have to be limited to 80L max to be on the safe side, and with a built-in cabinet to support it. I think I would also go for a long narrow tank so that the weight of it is distributed over as much space as possible. 

I've been looking for some inspiration online and like the look of those tanks you can hang on the wall like a picture, but have a nasty feeling our walls wouldn't support 80Kgs of water even with the special braces. Might just have to wait until we move to our own house. : victory:


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

I did have a 180l upstairs and that was fine but it was across 2 joists and against a load bearing wall.

Ask your landlord, he/she should be able to let you know the joist layout/ or show you any results of a structural survey


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## Big D (Oct 23, 2008)

if there are floor boards and not sheets the joists should run the oppersite direction (as long as it hasn't been overboarded and that doesn't include any laminate or finished flooring)

another idea would be to place any tank on a larger sheet of wood at least a 1/2 inch thick to spread the point loads and place the tank near a main structural wall to which the joists are assumed to intersect.

the bounce in a floor can be from numerous reasons.... from the joist centers to if enough cross bracing has been used,

hope it helps.


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## htf666 (Jun 23, 2007)

I used to live in a house that had solid floors in the back and wooden floors in the front room.If I put a tank in the front room the fish would not thrive.I put this down to the fact that when someone entered the room the tank would vibrate slightly. This used to stress the fish so much that I moved all tanks onto the solid floor where I had no problems.Harry


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