Will my apartment hold a 200+ gallon tank?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I have a 55 gallon aquarium on the second floor of my apt, and I was scared to even put it in here. It all depends on who built the building, and how much support they gave it. Many times, apartments are put up so fast they hardly have enough support to hold a full bath, much less a giant fish tank. Keep in mind that water weighs just under 8 pounds per gallon, so just a 200 gallon tank would wieigh 1600 pounds just in water weight. Not to mention the glass and stand and gravel etc. I would advise you to do a lot of research and be very careful, that is a major liability for a lease/contract.
 
Your floor should hold 240 easily... You could even go as far as 500 but then your gettin scary.. How old is the building? Floor support is made in appartments for weight and ware and tare.. Plus weight distribution is playing a huge role.. all your weight is not focussed on one area.. It's going to be spread over 6 to 8 feet of floor... .. If you want you could lay fancy looking 2x4's that would go 2 feet past the stand solid on all sides.. For re enforcement...
 
memphis2008 said:
am fairly new to fish keeping so don't know about galons, but your apartment has a bath doesn't it lol, base it on the size and weight of that
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It is a bad idea to base it on a bath tub because during the building process they acount for the weight being there. I use to have the same opinon until a builder corrected me.
 
Tongue33 said:
Your floor should hold 240 easily... You could even go as far as 500 but then your gettin scary.. How old is the building? Floor support is made in appartments for weight and ware and tare.. Plus weight distribution is playing a huge role.. all your weight is not focussed on one area.. It's going to be spread over 6 to 8 feet of floor... .. If you want you could lay fancy looking 2x4's that would go 2 feet past the stand solid on all sides.. For re enforcement...
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This info came from a framer...
 
joeytoe said:
get in touch with the building super an or the building owner. they may know an or may not want a fish tank in the building.
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:iagree:
the apt. i was in didnot allow tanks
 
Being a landlord myself,as well as a fish lover,i would say NO to a 240 gal tank on anything higher than the 1st floor.I have a guy who lives on the second floor apartment in my rental property,he has a 55 gal tank,i made him get special renters insurance so that just in case(God forbid!!!)Anything ever happens i will get compensated!!! :WHOA:
 
look at it this way when it falls in to the bottom apt ..and you get sued.. just buy the whloe complex then you can be the landlord..... really i would not do it



most tubs only hold about 80 gal
 
Do it. Unless American floors are vastly inferior to European, it would be fine.

I've seen up to 360 gallon tanks on the first or second floor of apartments and town houses, I have a 180 on the first floor now.

I've never seen or heard of a big tank falling through or even bowing floorboards etc.
 
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