# Apartment people: what is the largest tank you have not on the first floor?



## boink (Nov 27, 2006)

The apt we own is a two story. The second story is supported by concrete slabs with tile. Ive got a 75 gallon aquarium set up


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## evercl92 (Aug 15, 2006)

I'm on the first, with a 120. I have a friend on the 2nd with a 55. I also have a friend on the 3rd with a 55 and 45.


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## Ryzilla (Oct 29, 2005)

a 38g. but I also have a 30g and a 10g next to each other.


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## styxnpicks (Dec 8, 2006)

I know a guy that has a 210 on the 2nd story. dunno if its concreete or not but he said the lady downstairs got pissed when the sump backed up and he had to have an inspection done for a permit or some bullcrap


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## Anthony (Jan 11, 2005)

I have a 40 gallon in a 3rd floor apartment.


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## Creuzerm (Dec 9, 2006)

*110 Gallon*

I had a 110 gallon tank on a 2nd story apartment. I made sure the long side was spanning across the wooden floor joists and not running with them so the weight was spread out over more floor joists. It was also placed along a load bearing wall that went all the way down through the basement.

If I remember correctly, you can run 14 inches of water however "big" you want to (I did the math once, too lazy to look everything up again). This means you can have a waterbed that is no thicker then 14 inches of water without worry of it falling through the floor. 

4 foot 55 gallon tanks shouldn't be a problem as long as you don't stack 2 of them on top of each other in a double stand. My four foot 110 gallon tank was 30 inches tall, much too heavy really.

Just make sure you run a tank (or a stack of tanks) taller then 14 inches of water across the floor beams, not along them so the weight is being held by more beams.


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## AnneRiceBowl (May 18, 2006)

I'm not sure what kind of floors are in my apartment, but this is an old building from around the 70's. In the living room, against a load-bearing wall, I have a 30 gallon long and two 10 gallons. In the dining room, I have a 20, 29, and two 10 gallons on another load-bearing wall. I'm on the 2nd floor.


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## JenThePlantGeek (Mar 27, 2006)

I used to have a 150 gallon pond on my apartment balcony and I swore everyday that it was going to collapse


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

> posters really need to distinguish between;
> reinforced concrete & steal beam floor,
> and a wood panel and wood beam floor.


Sorry. 

I wouldn't expect people to know the intimate structural details of the building they are _renting_ in. :icon_roll Perhaps they should petition the owners for blue prints? :hihi: 

However, there is a bit of sage advice in the assumption we all know the construction techniques of our apartments. I would suggest getting the low down on how the building is constructed when considering a larger aquarium (75G and up). I'd hate to have an aquarium come crashing through my ceiling! :icon_eek: 

P.S. You'll want to be sure it is OK with the landlord/management/super before you even make the purchase.

Mike


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## TWood (Nov 1, 2005)

More than you might want to know:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/aquarium_weight.php


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

TWood, awesome link, thanks for sharing that


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## emoore3 (Oct 18, 2003)

I have a 75 gallon on the second floor. I did talk to the management before hand and they gave me the direction the joists are so I would be able to put the tank perpendicular to the joists.


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## MYTY1705 (Nov 30, 2006)

Working for a structural engineer. I would definately ask the landlord, but if your not up to that. Try looking in your ceiling space (if accessible) to see which direction the joists are running, then span the tank to run across the joists. Most appartment are giong to be able to stand 125 plf of live load and 50 plf of dead load. So unless you are placing a huge tank running parallel with the joists, you are more than likely giong to be ok, as long as the building is up to code. Now if youy landlord is slum king I would be wary!


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## fusQer (Jan 23, 2006)

Creuzerm said:


> I had a 110 gallon tank on a 2nd story apartment. I made sure the long side was spanning across the wooden floor joists and not running with them so the weight was spread out over more floor joists. It was also placed along a load bearing wall that went all the way down through the basement.


how did you make sure that it was not running with them, and perpendicular to them? did you ask someone or check yourself, etc.?




> If I remember correctly, you can run 14 inches of water however "big" you want to (I did the math once, too lazy to look everything up again). This means you can have a waterbed that is no thicker then 14 inches of water without worry of it falling through the floor.


you're talking about the height of the water right?
how long was/is your 110 gallon setup for? have you hit the 1 year mark yet?


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## fusQer (Jan 23, 2006)

Well I got a 90g tank practically for free and I was so excited setting it up I never thought about checking for anything  stupid me. But now at least it has caught my attention while I can do something about it. I set my tank up against a wall where the other side of the wall is outside of the apartment, it is the outer edge wall of my apartment. Do these walls have the most or least or in between load bearing capacity? I guess I should mention I am on the third floor  The apts I live in were built in the early-mid 90s. 

I want to find out which way the joists run. Meanwhile I have drained the water of my tank to make it an equivalent of a ~65 gallon tank. 

I don't want to ask my apartment office for any info because they'll just freak out, I'd rather find out through an engineering or structural company. How do I go about doing this? how much do they charge? 

thanks in advance.


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## TWood (Nov 1, 2005)

fusQer said:


> I set my tank up against a wall where the other side of the wall is outside of the apartment, it is the outer edge wall of my apartment. Do these walls have the most or least or in between load bearing capacity? ...
> 
> I want to find out which way the joists run.


Exterior walls will have a high load-bearing capacity because they go all the way down to the ground. Where else will the loads go? I wouldn't worry about a 90 gallon there.

IF, and I reinforce the IF, the building was designed by someone with a little smarts, the joists will span the shortest distance between any two bearing walls of a rectangular room because it is cheaper to span the smaller distance. Either way, if the tank is against the exterior wall, it's probably safe.

EDIT: Many apartment floors are actually supported by trussjoists that are deeper in order to accomodate the ductwork for the rooms below. It is sometimes cheaper to ignore wall spacing and just run all the trussjoists in one direction.


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## fusQer (Jan 23, 2006)

Thanks for the response TWood. (btw where in central texas are you?)

OK here is a floorplan of my apartment. my tank is setup in the "dining" against the wall opposite the patio, closest to the patio. Which way would you guess the joists are running? Again, it is a 90 gallon tank.


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## MYTY1705 (Nov 30, 2006)

Actually it is easier if you know the building layout to decide which way the joists run. They are not build like individual houses. They will take the block layout especially if there are appartment back to back. Say flipping the plan along the bath wall and recreating the floor plan on the opposite side of the building. It would be safe to assume that the exterior walls are the load bearing. If that is where you plan to put the 90 gallon tank, it would more than likely be ok. Always try to place the tank as far to the end of the joists as possible, instead of the middle of the span. So I would stay away from placing the tank near the kitchen/living divider wall, especially if that wall has openings in it or is just a pony wall.


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## fusQer (Jan 23, 2006)

As far as the building layout- this building is basically a block with 1 apartment in each corner, 4 apartments per floor. i have 1 next door neighbor, and no other apartments adjacent. then, i have an apartment across the hall from me, and that apt has 1 next door neighbor. i hope that make sense. 

My next door neighbors floorplan is identical to mine, but mirrored. the bathrooms are sharing a wall. does that make sense?


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## oblongshrimp (Jul 26, 2006)

I have a 120gal tank on a 2nd floor. The other side of the wall is my patio. I have lived there since march and it hasn't broken through yet. But it does slant away from the wall. You can see the water level in the front is .5-1 inch higher then the back. I also had a leak that dropped my water level about 2-3 inches all out against the back of the tank. I havn't heard anything from the guy below yet (about 4 days later) so hopefully it didn't cause any water damage.


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## MYTY1705 (Nov 30, 2006)

With that layout I myself would assume that the joists run horizontal to the plan that you show. Just an educated guess, but by no means difinitive. 

Oblong,
you may not have a problem immediately, but structural failure is a slow process. Most of the time the wood just gets weaker and weaker (starts bowing) before the failure occurs. If your tank started level and now is leaning foreward, I would make plans to move it immediately. Any damage to the building from overloading with stuff is most of the time your responsibity. The lease you signed may have something in it about waterbeds, or fish tanks. Make sure you read it and immediately contact the landlord if this is the case.


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## aquanut415 (Jan 21, 2006)

i live on the fourth floor of an apartment built in 1912 in San Francisco... the largest tank i will try is a 20gallon... i can already see the wood floor bowing under the weight of the tanks...


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## Mori (Jul 23, 2003)

I think Aquanut has reason to be paranoid, but I suspect most postwar apartments are built at least as well as houses aren't they? Can anyone verify that? I put 150 gallons on the second floor of my 1928 house (with wood structure) and didn't have any issues. 

I'd worry about the landlord first, then the floor. But then I guess I'm just a crazy risktaker!


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## oblongshrimp (Jul 26, 2006)

Well in the lease it says no tanks over 100 gallons...mine is a bit over that . I dont know if its getting worse though or it was just light that from the start. Some of it could be the way the carpet is, I assume it has a wooden boarder around the wall like most carpet does.


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## Canoe2Can (Oct 31, 2004)

oblongshrimp said:


> I have a 120gal tank on a 2nd floor. The other side of the wall is my patio. I have lived there since march and it hasn't broken through yet. But it does slant away from the wall. You can see the water level in the front is .5-1 inch higher then the back. I also had a leak that dropped my water level about 2-3 inches all out against the back of the tank. I havn't heard anything from the guy below yet (about 4 days later) so hopefully it didn't cause any water damage.


That does not sound good. I don't think it's a problem if you have a small difference (less than 1/8") from front to back or end to end, but 1/2 to 1 inch sounds like a real problem in the making. I would seriously reconsider having a tank that size if you're not able to brace under it. Does water slosh around when you walk past the tank?


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## oblongshrimp (Jul 26, 2006)

no water doesnt slosh out or move around when i walk past. I will have to measure the difference again I am probably way overexagerating. It did the same thing at my parents house on a first floor tile floor though too


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## AnneRiceBowl (May 18, 2006)

I had my 30, 29, and 20 on the opposite side of the living room of where it is now, and when either my daughter went bouncing by or if someone walked past the tanks, the water would slosh in all 3 tanks, and the 29 looked like it was going to fall forward.


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## number1sixerfan (Nov 10, 2006)

I have a 72g bowfront. I am on the second floor. There is less than a .5in difference between front to back. It is more like .25in. However, if I make a real fast movement, the water will slosh about. If I walk past it, it is fine. It is on the side of the wall that divides the kitchen and living room. I am wandering if I should move it or not. My landlord has seen the tank so I am ok there. I am worried about the weight. Should I move it? Or should a 72g be ok. This is a small tank compared to the 90s and 120s people are talking about here. Thanks.


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## fusQer (Jan 23, 2006)

its not _that_ much smaller than a 90. just cuz ur landlord has seen it doesnt mean you wont be in trouble if it crashes through the floor and kills someone underneath. lol thats my fear with my 90, at least. but why not be safe and move it to another wall.


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## number1sixerfan (Nov 10, 2006)

fusQer said:


> its not _that_ much smaller than a 90. just cuz ur landlord has seen it doesnt mean you wont be in trouble if it crashes through the floor and kills someone underneath. lol thats my fear with my 90, at least. but why not be safe and move it to another wall.


I know I'll be in trouble if it falls through the floor, thats why I am asking. lol It cracks me up when ppl say that it has not fallen through the floor yet! Like it's not big deal if it does. lol


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## conduct (Mar 25, 2005)

I had a 150 gallon in my apartment. When I signed the lease I asked the landlord if I can have my aquarium in there. He said not a problem then one day he stopped by to ask a question and seen the 150 gallon. He went on saying that he is not responsible if that tank went threw the floor also he added that when I asked him he was thinking 20 gallon or less not something 6' long and taking up a large wall. It was funny watching people walking by because they could see the tank from the window there mouth would drop and stand there for 5 mins looking and pointing at the tank. I even had a older couple knock and wanted to see a closer view. How I so much miss that tank.


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## attack11 (May 5, 2006)

5th floor concrete, i've had 1x47, 1x40 and 1x33 in the same room. no issues.


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## oblongshrimp (Jul 26, 2006)

Ok so i measured the difference and its a little less then half an inch from the front to the back on my 120gal


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## boink (Nov 27, 2006)

1/2 inch isnt that bad on a 6 ft span. But id check to see if you have wood or concrete as ur floor...1200lbs on like a 12 sq ft footprint is kinda scary....


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## oblongshrimp (Jul 26, 2006)

its only a 5 foot span. its got to be a wood floor the building isn't that old


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## TWood (Nov 1, 2005)

fusQer said:


> Thanks for the response TWood. (btw where in central texas are you?)
> 
> Which way would you guess the joists are running?


We recently moved from Austin to Kerrville.

I'd guess the joists are running left-right in that drawing, but anything could actually happen.


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## timr (Mar 23, 2005)

oblongshrimp said:


> Ok so i measured the difference and its a little less then half an inch from the front to the back on my 120gal


Correct me if I'm wrong but I think if your tank leans like that you are compromising the seal of the tank itself. You really should get it level regardless if it's the floor or the stand that is causing it to lean. 


I had a 100 gal (6 ft long) on the 2nd story of a 100+ year old house turned into apts with 11ft ceilings. I just made sure it was running perpendicular to the floor joists. It was there for 18 months. No trouble.


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## sfcallen (Dec 13, 2006)

I have a 125, 75, 2x20 gal all in the 2nd floor living room in an older apartment. Also have a 55 and 30 gal in the hallway. The 125gal has several hundred pounds of sand and rocks, also has a 50 gallon sump; it is along an exterior wall. Having a large tank level, on a quality stand, on an exterior wall, and perpendicular to the floor joist should be no problem on the second floor in a modern construction dwelling. JMHO, dd.


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## AnneRiceBowl (May 18, 2006)

I asked the head maintenance guy today on what the floors were constructed of in my 2nd floor apartment. He said that they are concrete. He then told me to call the manager to ask about the lsargest tank that I could have in the apartment. She told me that I could only have a 20-25 gallon tank. Sounds like they don't want a big mess if there were a tank leak. What do you guys think? I already have about 69 gallons on one wall in the dining room, and about 50 gallons on one wall in the living room with no problems. I just had to level the tanks in the living room a bit.


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## AnneRiceBowl (May 18, 2006)

is a little water movement okay?


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## timr (Mar 23, 2005)

AnneRiceBowl said:


> is a little water movement okay?


I think so, just about every tank not on concrete slab will move a little. 

You should also get renters insurance if you don't already and make sure they know that you have aquariums on the 2nd floor.


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## AnneRiceBowl (May 18, 2006)

I already have renter's insurance; just have to let them know that I have tanks on the 2nd floor.

So I guess, it's safe to setip a 55 gallon SW tank then?


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## attack11 (May 5, 2006)

you'd be fine as long as your insurance covers any mess. i need to update mine to cover all of mine.

your tank would weigh between 500-800lbs when it's full so it's like 4-6 adults standing side by side.


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## AnneRiceBowl (May 18, 2006)

So, then it would be like having a typical refrigerator: big, heavy, and rarely moved?


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## attack11 (May 5, 2006)

yeah. water damage is what owners fear, and renters insurance isn't as common as it should be


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## oblongshrimp (Jul 26, 2006)

ya at least my apartment complex requires that we have renters insurance


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## ringram (Jan 19, 2005)

I lived on a 2nd floor apartment a few years ago and had a ~40g tank (36x12x16). That's the biggest tank I had ever had until last year.


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## johnalexter (Oct 21, 2010)

Many tenants are wary of paying fees, and you can always choose to look at the apartments free of charge, and you can even continue to use a realtor, as many would have a list that did not have a right to them attached.


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