Apts&Aquariums

[erikharrison]

As some of you know I live in an Apt.
My question is, how big can you really go in an apt before your tank is so big that it will fall through the floor? I know waterbeds are disallowed in some apts because of the fear of going through the floor. I want to do a 75-100 gallon setup, but I fear that wuth a big sump, I may be asking for trouble. Am I right, or way off base?

Oh yeah, bottom floor is not an option. (wiseguys)

[brewercm]

The waterbed thing was usually do more to liability problems if it springs a leak. I've been in some of the worst built mobile homes that had large water beds and they were fine.
Not really an answer to your question but we have some folks here that work in contracting that can probably answer.
Easiest answer would be until it becomes the downstairs apartment dwellers tank. :lol

[erikharrison]

haha yeah I think someone will provide a good idea for me. I keep my fingers crossed.

[jc]

I think some people here would be happy to have a surprise tank appear in their living room.

[alton]

A 100 gal tank should weigh around 11oo lbs. 5 of your friends who where football players in high school and now weigh over 250lbs each, are sitting in your living room on your couch or are standing around in a small circle BSing. Are they going to collapse your upper floor? People always worry about upper floors and weight, so what happens when you have a party do you only invite so many or do you invite 10 at a time and when ten more show up you ask the first ten to leave or do you have them all wear snow shoes to spread the load? The worry might be if a 100 gal tank leaks and floods the lower floor? If your land is worried about the weight I would worry about the building holding up in a storm?

[thesponge]

You may have already checked this but you do want to check your lease because a lot of apt's don't allow aquariums. OR they only allow them up to a certain size. And like Cliff mentioned that is usually because they are worried about leaks not size. http://www.deck-lok.com/deckworld.htm That website says for the international building code that a balcony would have to support 60 lbs per sq ft. I would think an apt would be more than that but if you think about it a 100 gallon tank sits on about 12 sq ft. so that would mean it can't exceed approx 720 lbs. And just the water ways approx 830 lbs. I would think that an apt would require more in the realm of 100lbs per sq ft but I am not an engineer so don't take my word for it. I hope this help! :D

[mathias]

It depends how the appt is built lets say its by by beams.... you would want to put the tank oposite way of the beams are running... but it would be pretty hard to see how those are running. Alton gave a good example but one big difference is that wieght of the tank never moves so after time it may affect the floor...


but I think a 100gal of total water won't be a problem but then again your going to add rock wieght and such to it.


personaly save the money by not doing a tank and then let me sell you a home :)

[msn711]

Along similar lines, I keep thinking that at some point a giant aquarium and a small apartment just looks silly. If the original poster doens't mind my tagging along, what's the biggest size you would put in say a 1br apartment? Personally, I just keep thinking that when the tank gets to be bigger than the tv or sofa...well, let's just say it seems out of proportion.

[prof]

The 100-200g range is no big deal. My biggest concern is moving the tank. You have to get that large, heavy tank to a second or third floor and back down when your lease is up. I would consider a smaller tank (<100g) or a couple of smaller tanks and plan that great big tank for your permanent residence in a few years.

I have moved too many tanks from upstairs apartments. A 50g tank full of livestock is an all day chore to move but a 180g fully stocked is a weekend project that requires lots of help.

Rock and sand will add weight to the overall tank but it is negligible. Figure 8lbs. per gallon of water. Add 10% to be safe. But like alton said, 5 or 6 big guys standing together will create the same weight and the apt. complex won't prevent you from having a bunch of large friends.

[captexas]

Yeah, apartment/lease rules are there due to the flooding issue, especially with how much damage a flood can cause and now due to the mold problems.

Theoretically, the weight shouldn't be a problem, but unless you can find the architect who designed your aparment and the contractor that built it and they give you the exact load limit, there is no guarantee, I don't care what international building code you site. Watch the history or discovery channel and they have shows all the time about engineering disasters. I remember one years back that had to do with too many people standing on a balcony at a hotel and the balcony collapsed, killing many people. Fish tanks put a lot of weight in a small space and while the tank most likely won't fall through the floor, the floor may give just enough to make the tank unlevel and cause the seams to fail.

If I were you, I'd move to a first floor apartment, just for the flood factor alone. All it takes is one small flood and you would be held liable for any damages to your apartment and the one below you.

[loans_n_fishes]

Erik,

I'm not sure what to say about the size of the tank, but perhaps you could reduce the possibility of flooding by not using a sump while you are in an apartment (plus it reduces the amount of weight). You don't HAVE to have a sump to have a successful tank.

[jc]

Does anyone know what the weight limit on a concrete home foundation is?

[loans_n_fishes]

I don't know that there is one?? It is rock directly on the ground, so should be pretty stable for anything us "lay folk" can afford.

I seriously recommend tile or stained concrete flooring. I REALLY hate my carpet absorbing all of the water when something happens....and at some point it probably will...

[captexas]

Depends on how the slab was built - what type of concrete, rebar, how thick the slab is, and what is underneath the slab. There is no set answer and not all homes are built the same. For the size aquariums most of us have, the concrete slab is fine. But you see some of these guys with tanks in the 1000's of gallons, then they usually have a special slab built just to support the weight of the tank.

[erikharrison]

Well mostly my concern is if I have a 100 gallon tank with a 75 gallon s/r directly underneath, that is alot of weight, and it's not distributed but only across a small footprint. I am wanting to do a large s/r with less water, while in operation, and excess space to accomodate for the excess water so there won't be any wet floors. The main concern is the weight. I would like to think that the interior walls cross the support beams, being that they are interior, but upstairs walls.

[captexas]

My guess would be that the beams run across the shortest distance. That is, if your apartment building is longer from side to side than it is from front to back, I would think the beams would run from front to back. But that is just my educated guess and I could be wrong.

[villjr]

In all honesty it can be done if you plan it out. I know ansonluna had a 125 in his old second floor apt., but if you have any doubts and are not really sure you should probably just wait until you move. Better safe than sorry.

[caferacermike]

The discovery channel show about the balcony collapsing was not an engineering mistake but a building oversite. The contractor neglected following the plans.

The beams will run with the roof pitch. If the roof slants to the balcony side (which they do 90% of the time) then your beams follow the same path below. Beams get weaker the farther they run.

Putting the tank near a wall will add substantial strength to the floor capacity, especially a corner.

[KyleV]

I used to have a 115 gallon on the thrid floor. It held fine but sure was a pain moving out.

[captexas]

Engineering mistake, general contractor mistake, sub-contractor mistake, or whoever you want to blame, it was still a failure. If the contractor failed to follow the plans, it was also the engineers/architects failure to make sure their plans were followed properly.

Either way, the floor should hold the tank, it's just a matter of keeping all the water in the tank where it belongs. Anyone who has ever set up a tank knows that spills/leaks/accidents happen.

[mathias]

Does anyone know what the weight limit on a concrete home foundation is?

usually about 2000lbs per sq inch

[Ram_Puppy]

erik, I had a 12o gallon cube w/ a 40 gallon sump and a heavy frickin stand in my apartment... no problems w/ it falling through the floor.

but here is something to think on.

one bad day.

2800$ in repairs to my downstairs neighbor later... no more tank and a heck of a lot of OT to pay for it.

my advice?

while your in an apartment, reign in your cravings and do something more along the lines of maybe a 50 or less. I went from a 120 cube to a 30 cube.

the 120 was totally overpowering the room it was in anyway.

that's just my two cents... a leak in your hose sucks, a leak into your neighbors home sucks more.