How big of a fish tank can you put on a second floor of a house without it damaging the floor?

Question

I have a 20 gal tank on the second floor of my house now, I want to get a bigger one, but I am worried about it being too much weight in one small(er) area. Is there guidlines for how big a fish tank you can put on a second floor without worring about the floor and any potential damage? Thanks!

Answer 1

Water weighs about 8.3 pounds per gallon. An average bathtub holds about 40-50 gallons (332-415 pounds).

I would think you'd be ok to do a 50 gallon tank (after all 415 pounds is like two people standing side by side in the same spot, which I'm sure your floor can handle).

A 50 gallon tank is pretty descent size. I think anything better than 50 gallon should go on first floor for others to enjoy.

Waterbeds are what you should think twice about putting on 2nd floor because they can hold up to 400 gallons of water (3320 pounds)

Answer 2

Second floors are not built specifically for aquariums. However, they are built to take the full weight of a 600 pound human standing on one foot in any one spot of the house.

Since fat people would sue if they fell through the cieling, or damaged the roof with their feet, and since most second floor houses also assume heavy furniture will be located around some areas, we can estimate the weight of water a tank can put on the floor.

Actually, we can estimate the pressure the water will exert, and pressure exerted by water depends mainly on how deep it is.

Long story short, any aquarium that has a height of less than 30 inches, and which weighs less than 600 pounds should be OK. How do we know how much it wll weigh? well, water weighs about 10 gallons per pound, so even a 60 gallon tank will be fine. However, some of their stands are a little questionable, because they may distribute this weight to the four corners alone. When putting aquariums up on second stories using metal stands, always place wooden 2X4s under the stand, from one leg to the next, running lengthwise. Also, attempt to stand the legs on floor joists. A stud finder will usually locate the nails or screws, which can give you some idea as to where the floor joists are.

If you want a bigger tank in your upstairs, you should probably speak with a contractor before setting it up. Indeed, most any tank over 50 gallons might be large enough to make speaking with a contractor, if nothing else, a good thing to do for peace of mind. You might also want to make sure your water damage insurance covers aquariums. While the catastrophic failure of an aquarium is now a rare thing, it does still happen sometimes.

Answer 3

It depends on the floor supports. A larger aquarium should be just fine. I've kept a 125 gallon on an old hardwood floor over a crawlspace and not had any problems. I konw people who keep very large aquariums in their apartments which are not on the first floor. Get a tank that is longer, not a tall tank. That will help spread the weight over a larger area.

Answer 4

A 30 gallon tank will weigh around 275 lbs. when all set up. If two average size people can stand on the floor, or it can hold major appliances, you shouldn't have any problems. If possible, locate the floor joists and position the tank over one of them for extra support. I really wouldn't worry, however. 30 gallons is considered "average" in terms of aquarium size. I wouldn't bother with a 20 gallon if you can get a 30. Bigger is almost always better when it comes to tank size.

Answer 5

The most simple solution is keeping your tank near a corner of the house. Here, the wood is stronger and can hold a lot more. I currently live in a 1970's style rancher with three tanks in one room in a corner of the house (combined weight of about 800lbs not including stands furniture). I have a 55 gallon in the corner on a solid wood stand, and I haven't had any problems at all!

Good Luck!

Answer 6

Is the floor level? Do you have one of those things to see just how level it is. The general rule of thunb is not to put anything over twenty gallons on a floor. However, my floor was perfectly level and I got away with putting a 29 gallon on it. If the floor isnt level, the tank could crack or bust, leaving you with water damage.

Also, you can use the top of a table, dresser, etc to place a bigger tank on. Still, it would be safer even this way if the floor is level.

sammie

Answer 7

This depends a lot on the floor support system.

You'd be surprised how much a floor can support, but ideally you'll want the tank to sit perpendicular to the floor joists.

If you can figure out which way they run then you can get pretty much any tank you want.

Answer 8

all the other advice is good but i just wanted to tell you that if you use an aquarium stand you might get some movement when someone walks across the floor, we always like to use concrete blocks for large tanks, it spreads the weight out and will not wobble or shake when the floor moves

Answer 9

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article28.html

It's not a simple answer. This article will help with really large 100+ gallon tanks. If you are planning on something along the lines of a 55 gallon you should have no problem.