Will my floor cave in with my 300gallon build?

Reefkeepr1986

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So I got this 300g Acrilyc tank that I really want in my house but will my floor hold this beast with water,300lb stand,rock and so on. I must have it inside so I'm asking for help or ideas on what steps I should take to be sure my floor will hold?? Any Information is Greatly appreciated.
 

NanaReefer

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Really depends where you put it. Knowing where the floor joists are is a big help. Some will then put braces under the joists holding the tank for extra support.
 

Scubafrog

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Do you know what size your floor joists are and what they are spaced at (on center)? Also, what is the span of the joists? Can you get to the joists to add bracing/blocking? Most houses can support a minimum of 40 psf.

It also depends on the placement of the tank. Is it running parallel or perpendicular to the floor joists? Is in near a load bearing wall or out in the middle of the floor?
 
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YodaHart

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Like mentioned, it depends on the house.

Is this the first floor or second floor?

If the first floor, do you have a crawlspace or basement?
Is it a slab foundation?

If you don't have a slab foundation then you'll want to position the tank so it is perpendicular with the floor joists. The tank should span as many floor joists as possible to spread the weight.
 

Mike&Terry

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In 2010, we suffered a catastrophic tank failure (bottom seam rupture) on a 300g DD less than 6 months after install. The LFS who installed the tank and custom stand told us repeatedly that we did not need additional floor support. After that nightmare and nearly 20k worth of damage, a structural engineer (and fellow hobbyist) gave us advise on additional floor support and beefing up our replacement tank stand. He also shared the following links which we found helpful:
http://www.african-cichlid.com/Structure.htm
Raise A Sagging Or Sloping Floor With A Hydraulic Jack
 

JMSKI333

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I am a framer by trade. I might be able to help. Will the tank be on the first floor or second floor? Do you have a basement? What size are your floor joists? What center are they? (I.e. 16" OC, 24 OC... Etc.)

Is the tank against a load bearing wall? Ideally you want the tank perpendicular to the floor joists and against a foundation wall or a load bearing wall. You will know if you are against a load bearing wall if there is something supporting it in your basement.
 
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