will a tank above this corner be safe? I dont think its a load bearing wall but would like second opinions.

[xxoczukxx]

First and foremost, please excuse the mess of wires and tools that is my basement. It is an old house and my family hasnt renovated the basement since moving in like 20 years ago.

The first pic is directly below the corner where my tank whose total water volume is around 55-60 gallons sits. Seeing as the joists are horizontal to that wall, it makes me think it is not load bearing. However, as you can see in the second pic, all the way up the wall of the basement is made of I believe cinderblocks and the floor of the basement is cement. Would this corner be safe enough to place roughly a 100g tank with a 25-30g sump underneath?

I should add this is technically an external wall I think, the other side of the wall is the outside.

 

[LeftyReefer]

have an electrician on speed-dial incase that sucker ever leaks! (your panel is right under it)

 

[MEPAWN35]

Personally i would say you are fine. If those are outside walls then they are load bearing. With the joists running horizontal they meet a header beam that then loads the wall. Where you plan on placing the tank is a perfect spot as the loaded joists are almost right on top of their supports from what i can see.

 

[Soren]

It is hard to tell from those pictures. Can you circle the exact area on the picture you are considering for the tank?
Running a tank parallel to the joists is not ideal, but you may be able to reinforce the primary support points to not need as much joist strength.

You would probably need to add beams and support columns for a tank the size you are considering/planning. If you make an I-beam out of construction lumber (I used 2x6 for top and bottom and doubled 2x4 for web) and run support columns at 4 corners, you would safely have enough support for your tank regardless of the floor joists. Make sure the flooring itself is not the only thing under the stand feet (align beams/columns directly under flooring where stand feet will be).

have an electrician on speed-dial incase that sucker ever leaks! (your panel is right under it)

+1 Shield that electrical panel to prevent major damage if you ever have leaks. Placing a saltwater tank directly over the main electrical panel is not ideal but workable with the right safety precautions.

 

[xxoczukxx]

have an electrician on speed-dial incase that sucker ever leaks! (your panel is right under it)

haha that is true. I never even thought about that and ive had my tanks in that corner for like 11 years now

 

[xxoczukxx]

It is hard to tell from those pictures. Can you circle the exact area on the picture you are considering for the tank?
Running a tank parallel to the joists is not ideal, but you may be able to reinforce the primary support points to not need as much joist strength.

You would probably need to add beams and support columns for a tank the size you are considering/planning. If you make an I-beam out of construction lumber (I used 2x6 for top and bottom and doubled 2x4 for web) and run support columns at 4 corners, you would safely have enough support for your tank regardless of the floor joists. Make sure the flooring itself is not the only thing under the stand feet (align beams/columns directly under flooring where stand feet will be).

+1 Shield that electrical panel to prevent major damage if you ever have leaks. Placing a saltwater tank directly over the main electrical panel is not ideal but workable with the right safety precautions.

something like this. the tank is straight above the bench in this corner basically

 

[Dburr1014]

have an electrician on speed-dial incase that sucker ever leaks! (your panel is right under it)

More like a fireman

 

[Ashish Patel]

Probably be fine but i wouldnt feel comfortable with those joist going the same way as the display.
You may get squeeking on the floor and adding few sister joist would help. Find out exactly where the tank is going so you know you wont be relying on only 1 or 2 joist to hold maybe 1400 LB.

 

[Ashish Patel]

I had a similar setup so add 4 joist and later went back in and added 4X4 support so all the tank is covered without any plywood being used to transfer load from the stand to the concrete.

 

[Soren]

something like this. the tank is straight above the bench in this corner basically

Would the tank span 2 or 3 joists?

I still would recommend adding support of some sort, either with beams and columns or sister joists and perpendicular joists like shown by @Ashish Patel above. The block walls are good support points to stabilize back and left of tank, but I don't think the front right corner has enough support from this framing.

If you use perpendicular beams like shown above with the 4x4's, you could add just 2 columns (or, possibly only 1 if you can rely on the other block wall perpendicular to the joists for supporting front left corner facing your tank location) on the cantilevered end of the perpendicular beams with the other end anchored to the block wall.

Considering that a ~140-gallon system is a lot of weight with a high cost in money and life at risk and a major failure mode if joists are not strong enough, I personally would reinforce the floor before upgrading the tank.

I did the same in my house in preparation for my 125g display and 125g sump (more weight than yours).
1) My joists run perpendicular to length of tank, which provides better support for the tank.
2) I ran a construction lumber I-beam under what will be the front edge of the tank and supported the beam with 2 columns to the floor of the basement.
3) I added short sister joists that run from the foundation wall out to the added I-beam and are spaced to be directly under the feet of my stand, preventing chances of the feet punching through the floor boards.
This is a cheap security to significantly ensure against failure, in my opinion, and is well worth it before adding expensive tanks, equipment, and life forms.

(P.S. I'm no expert, but I am an engineer who works with basic structural design)