Good morning! I'm new to EVERYTHING!

[Civicdemon]

Yeah AWD would be good for the canyons, to bad I don't live by GMR any more it would be even better up that way. But yeah you have any question on the tank this forum will defenetly help you out, My 125 gl has come a long way thanks to this place right here and hopefully it will progress even more.

 

[istrahd]

Haha! Yes! I have a 2002 Subaru WRX. I'm pretty sure it has made me a Subaru loyalist. She's very fun and the awd is worth the lesser gas mileage.

I was definitely planning on getting an RODI system (especially since I just found out Las Vegas is #3 on the top 10 cities with the worst water). The fellow I bought the tank from recommended I go with 6 stage. I saw some pretty good prices on eBay, but I am wary. Has anyone purchased a system on eBay?

Also, my tank didn't come with a stand. :grumble: Can anyone recommend where to purchase one or get one made?

Don't buy a used RODI. You will probably wind up getting one that needs a new membrane in the RO portion and end up spending more than buying a brand new RODI. When you buy a new one, it will come with a new membrane & new filters with it, at least it will if you order the one below.

This is the RODI I have BRS 5 Stage PLUS RO/DI System - 75GPD - Bulk Reef Supply Chichi recommended it to me as the one she has. I ordered an extra filter pack to go with it and paid $231, shipping included. It actually puts out a little more than 75 gallons per day, but 75 gpd is what its rated for. I am very happy with mine. I filled my tank, sump & a 40 gallon container in less than 2 days time.

I use well water, so I was glad I ordered the extra filter pack. The Filters were visibly dirty and the color changing media in the 5th stage looked almost exhausted by the time I had produced around 200-225 gallons. If Las Vegas Water is that bad, you will probably want the extra filter pack as well. I will need to change my filters before I refill my 40 gal container for water changes. I am only getting about 2ppm TDS, even with the filter media looking exhausted, so it is still practically completely pure water. 2 parts per million of impurities is still pretty pure.

It has a dual TDS Total Dissolved Solids Meter built into it. Plus it comes with all sorts of connectors so you can do a permanent installation under a sink or just connect it to your water hose or a washing machine connection.

With the Dual TDS meter, you can see how pure the water output is AND you can see just how dirty that Las Vegas Water is. Don't Drink the water after it has been through the final stage. There is debate about it being so PURE that it is actually unhealthy to drink. It removes ALL impurities, including vitamins, minerals & other things that our bodies require. Better safe than sorry.

You can try PetsMart for a stand. They sell tanks & stands as combos, I don't know if they sell them separately.


Do you know anyone good at carpentry? It will need to be a sturdy construction, 125 gallons times 8.5 pounds per gallon = 1062.5 pounds in Saltwater alone! Saltwater is heavier than tap water.

Then you have to add the weight of 120 pounds of sand (1 pound of sand per gallon of tank), plus 125-250 pounds of Dry Rock or Live Rock, so now you are at about 1,432.5 pounds. Your tank is going to weigh around 75-100 pounds, so...


Now you're talking about 1,500 pounds or more.

What type of Floor do you have? Do you have a concrete slab? Do you have a raised wooden floor? If you are not on a concrete slab, you may need to have some extra support under your floor where your tank will sit!

Imagine your floor buckling under the weight and your tank crashing through to the ground below. Not a pretty thought. Loads of destroyed equipment & dead critters and a rather expensive loss, not to mention having your floor repaired.

I had my brother add a few 2x6 supports to the joists under my Living Room floor. It only cost me a few dollars in wood for peace of mind worth thousands of dollars!

 

[Tyrannosaurus_WRX]

The room I'm planning on setting up in is carpeted. The rest of the bottom floor is tile. The only concrete I have is in the garage (naturally). I rent my house so I don't think I can make any structural modifications to the place. How would I find out if the structure is suitable?

 

[Civicdemon]

So is it raised foundation. Meaning under the carpet and tyle its actuakky wood ?? And then a space between and the dirt? If its a raised foundation i would not risk puting that size tankon tjere with out having someone go down into the craw space and brasing the floor joints.

 

[istrahd]

Is your carpet/tile over a wood floor or over a concrete slab? If your house has a concrete slab then you are fine.

Can you feel the vibrations through the floor as someone stomps through the room? Can you feel any "Soft" spots in your floor? Can you get under the house? If yes to one or more of those questions, you probably have a raised wood floor.

A raised wooden floor is typically raised off the ground and is just sheets of plywood screwed or nailed into floor joists that sit across concrete "piers" or supports at the outer edge and in spots under the house. You will almost always have a "CrawlSpace" under your house if you have this type of flooring.

Someone with a knowledge of construction should be able to tell by a simple visual inspection if your floor is structurally sound enough to hold the weight. The newer the house and the thicker the floor joists, the more likely that you will not need any extra support.

An employee at my LFS pointed this problem out to me when I was talking to him about setting up my tank. He has a raised wooden floor like I do and his floor sagged enough to put cracks in his wall. My house has 9-12" thick Rock Concrete walls at the base of the house buried several feet into the ground. Old Farmhouse out in the country... Somebody built it to last. I have 2X6 floor joists that are doubled up making them 4X6 joists... Expensive but sturdy. I still had extra supports added just because... It was overkill but I have piece of mind.

 

[istrahd]

Even if you have a raised wooden floor, you will probably be okay. Probably being the operative word... If the house is not very old and you can't feel any vibrations as people walk, it is probably going to hold up the weight.

The larger the base of the stand that you buy or have built, the lower the pounds per square inch on your flooring. The weight will be spread out over a larger area and less likely to buckle your flooring but it still could stress your walls (cause cracks).

I don't want to scare you out of setting up your tank. I just want to point out that if it is an older house or cheaply built by a contractor who threw up 500 houses in a hurry to build a "Subdivision" that you may need to consider adding a few supports under the house.

It could be as simple as adding a few 4x4" posts or 2X6" boards with a 12X12" piece of treated plywood as a footing screwed into the floor joists. It is unlikely that your Landlord would object to something that will improve the structural integrity of the home. Then again, your Landlord would never have to know if a friend of yours were to slide under the house and add a few supports. A few pieces of scrap lumber could save you a lot of money and heartache! Especially if the property owner sued you for damages...

It is unlikely that you will have problems, but if you know anyone who has a knowledge of construction, it wouldn't hurt to have them check out your flooring. A beer or a meal will convince most men to do something like this for you :Cheers:.

 

[Aquarian]

Does your house have a basement, or a crawl space?

 

[Aquarian]

Ok quick google search tells me you have a raised foundation "crawl space" or slab on grade concrete under the carpet. Is your floor close to ground level or is it raised above ground level a few feet?

If your floor is raised, wood framed and 1970's or newer your floor is rated for 60 lbs live load /40 lbs dead load ponuds per sq. foot. The tank is dead load you need to know the footprint of your tank ie (6 feet x 2 feet) = 12 sq feet, then take your estimated tank weight (1500 lbs) 1500 devide by number of sq feet (12) = 125 lbs per sq foot. At 40 lbs per sq foot. 6 feet x 2 feet will only support 480 lbs of dead load.

I'm using a random size of 6' x 2' the larger the footprint the more dispersed the weight. I would also recommend making sure the floor joist are NOT running parallel withe the length of the tank. I can tell you from experience repairing a collapsed floor is not easy or cheep. Also if you rent you may want to look into renters insurance.

 

[Tyrannosaurus_WRX]

You guys really are a wealth of knowledge! :bowdown:

On the ground floor, I cannot feel any vibrations if someone is stomping or even jumping. I do not think I have a crawlspace. At least, I haven't seen one. There are two steps up to the front door, but they are concrete. I'll see if I can find a picture of my house and perhaps you can tell me by sight. It's definitely not an older home. I am sure it was built after 2000 and it's possible it was built after 2010.

The dimensions of my tank are as follows:

L - 48"
H - 31"
D - 17 3/4"

This seems pretty tall to me, but I've never owned a tank before so I wouldn't really know. Either way, a tall tank doesn't seem to help my footprint. :grumble:

 

[Tyrannosaurus_WRX]

Yeah this probably doesn't help, but it's the only picture I have at the moment. I can get more tomorrow.

 

[Civicdemon]

Here a simple way to figure it out, Even do to me it does not look like you have a raised foundation, usually your front steps would be higher like 4 steps or so. Plus the house looks a bit newer. But its simple take a long thin nail and put it thru the carpet and hit it with a hammer a couple times and see if it goes in or bends .

Other simple way would be do you see any access to underneath the house maybe some pull out grate around the house where you would be able to get underneath the house ??

 

[istrahd]

If you can get a picture(s) of the entire side of the house where it meets the ground and of the back of the house as well, we can probably tell you for sure. Make sure you get a pic of any openings, vents, access holes, windows, etc in the foundation/side/back of the house. It will help us identify your construction type.

If it is a concrete slab, you won't have any problems.

Sorry about my double post above, I was trying to format the message and must have hit Submit instead of Preview once...

You are very welcome for the help & suggestions! I am glad Aquarian chimed in with the equations for dead load. It has been way too long since I did any real construction.

I miss the construction style of houses out west... I used to live in CA as a kid and I loved those red tile/clay roofs on stucco walls especially when there is an enclosed courtyard...

 

[Tyrannosaurus_WRX]

Hey thanks for the suggestion Civicdemon! I'll definitely try that!

More pics to come tomorrow just to be sure!

Thanks everyone!!! :Cheers:

 

[ErinCahir]

If you run your tank/stand perpendicular (opposite) of the joists in the floor you'll be fine.

 

[Tyrannosaurus_WRX]

I don't have a crawlspace so I'm not sure how I'd find out which way the joists run.

Here are the pictures as promised. Sorry if they're huge, I'm doing this from my phone.

 

[2XAl]

looks like a slab to me, you should have no problems.

 

[Tyrannosaurus_WRX]

Woohoo!!! :mrgreen:

 

[Civicdemon]

I would defenitly say slab also. You should be good to go.

 

[Aquarian]

Yes slab on grade. You will be fine.

 

[istrahd]

Sorry, I have been out of town and not checked the forums except to make a post since I've been back. I'm 98% certain that your house is on a slab and you should have no problems with your tank.

Cute dog in the pics, BTW. I am glad to know you're safe to set up your tank! Sorry if I made you worry, but if you weren't on a slab and set the tank in the wrong place/orientation it could have caused a LOT of heartache and damage!

Have you started cycling your tank yet? Looking forward to seeing it.

I SO MISS the architecture of homes out West...

Being in LV, NV you will probably have a lot of evaporation from your tank, so make sure you find an Auto Top-Off system or just keep an eye on your water level. As water evaporates, the salt stays in the tank, so as water evaporates, your salinity will increase. Top it off with RODI Water, not Salt-Water!

My tank FINALLY finished it's cycle and I am going to be adding my first fish & CUC tonight or in the morning. Planning on heading out o the LFS in 2 hours or so. They get their new stock in on Tuesdays...