i remember reading a article on this forum about tank weights, but i looked through the helpful articles and i couldn't find that same thread.. i guess my question is: i am having a large barn built with an apartment on top (it will be pretty big, about 1700 sq ft living space) and i was wondering if i will be able to have my fish tank up stairs??... (i think i probably will) because i know ppl who live in apts have fish tanks right?? so i was wondering the weights of my fish tanks. i have a 55g, 65g, and a 45g (plus two 10g, that i don't think i'll be taking with me) i will probably only be able to bring one :( and it will most likely be my 55g sw tank. NOW, the other problem i will have is the move!! which i'm not really looking forward to moving my big gimoungous fish tank up a flight of stairs!! but if someone could help me find that article that would be great!!
Tank Weight
- Thread starter ErYn
- Start date
sailfin
What reef tank?
I do not know where the article may be, but I can tell you that seawater weighs 8.56 lb/gal. Therefore, in your case, the 55g tank, at maximum water capacity, would weigh approximately 470.8 lbs. To that you would need to add the weight of your sand and rock. Of course the rock and sand will displace water, but at the same time they will also weigh more than the water they displace and therefore the water displacement is negligible. I hope that helps.
was that in spanish?? LOL i'm just joking! :) i understood the first part about the tank weight with water... but the rest about the rocks and all that.... ya lost me. hehe i'm not sure how much rock in lbs i have because i bought the tank already set up, and the girl i bought it from didnt know anything about the tank, it belonged to her parents... soo hum... i'm pretty sure that the floor would be able to support that weight. ? .
tank weights
HELPFUL ARTICLES-How to calculate tank volumes also contains the weights. page-1 about the 4th 0r 5th post down. also I would recommend for the upper floor you decide where the tank will sit several locations, and double up the floor joists and block between. if you do this you will be able to upgrade with no problem. at least your joist should be at least 16" o.c.
HELPFUL ARTICLES-How to calculate tank volumes also contains the weights. page-1 about the 4th 0r 5th post down. also I would recommend for the upper floor you decide where the tank will sit several locations, and double up the floor joists and block between. if you do this you will be able to upgrade with no problem. at least your joist should be at least 16" o.c.
You should have no problem with a 55 but should make sure that the floor joists run perpendicular to the tank.
Many people do not check the way the joists are positioned and will run parallel with the joist which means the tank sits on one or two pieces of lumber. If this is the case, the floor will not relocate one floor lower but will begin to sag and can cause the AQ to tilt or become unlevel.
If the AQ is placed correctly on the wall that has perp. joists, the tank's weight will be spread across 3-4 joists and will not be of concern.
Hope this helps.
Chris
Many people do not check the way the joists are positioned and will run parallel with the joist which means the tank sits on one or two pieces of lumber. If this is the case, the floor will not relocate one floor lower but will begin to sag and can cause the AQ to tilt or become unlevel.
If the AQ is placed correctly on the wall that has perp. joists, the tank's weight will be spread across 3-4 joists and will not be of concern.
Hope this helps.
Chris
