do i need to brace the floor??

im wanting to get a 55 or 75 gallon aquarium but my dad says we might have to brace the floor because of all the weight thats gonna be in it. is this true? will i really have to do this? we found a deal on craigslist. 55 gallon tank stand adn hood for $100. i hope i get it for christmas! lol

 

you shouldnt have to brace the floor as long as you put it across the floor joists and against a load bearing wall.

 

i think water is about 8 lbs a gallon or so? plus the tank stand etc...
if it's setup as blumoon said it "should" be fine,but iwouldn't risk it if the floor is sketchy, this is one of those "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" situations, also if the floor sucks the tank may settle unlevel witch is a serious problem,and all the vibration from folks walking across the floor will keep your fish skiddish.

 

I would agree w/bluemoon on this. a rough estimate is that it will weigh around 800 lbs with water 8.55 x 55 = 470,tank = 100 (pure guess), rock 100#, sand 100#, stand = 50# (another pure guess). grant it that the rock, sand,will displace some of the water I would always figure like this to be on the safe side JMPO. also take into consideration the age of the house. get 4 200# friends to stand where you would put the tank. If they dont fall through the floor go for it LOL JK.

 

Good points Liege....A lot would depend on how well constructed the floor was. My suggestion assumes a well built house and a level floor.

 

Is there an area below where you want to put the tank that is unfinished? Can you see if the floor joists are 2x8, 2x10, etc. and also the spacing of the joists. I would say you are okay with a 55, but depending on what the joists are you may start thinking about bracing if you are gonna go with the 75 or bigger.

 

it will prob be a 55 if i get a bigger tank. i would love a 75 but thats so wide that it wouldnt really fit in my room.

 

how old is the house 10,20,50yrs I would imagine that a newer house would certinly be fine as for the older homes they can be a bit schechy evenstill a 55 would be fine.

If your dad is realy worried suggest to him that you could put down a plywood sheet (3/4 would do the trick) cut to the size of the stands base to disperse the weight of the tank more evenly across the floor

 

The plywood is a good idea to disperse the weight, I did just order a piece of stainless steel 1/8" sheet to go under my tank.

 

the house is 30 years old.