I have my tank/stand sitting on top of a sheet of 1" plywood on top of
the flooring to help distribute the weight around a bit, and it's only a
55g. I'll be adding 6x6 landscaping timber joists underneath the
existing joists (in large crawl space) when I get my 125.
I plan to get a glass tank rather than acrylic - I like being able to
use a razor scraper on the inside.
pete
Dustin wrote:
I agree with Leigh here.
I put in 3 *24,000 lb* floor joysts before puttin in the tank. since I have
a full basement.
Its the strongest point in the house now 
"LeighMo" wrote in message
...
would this be a problem at all if you put it on the first floor?
Yes, it can be.
I've read
that all homes have to be spec'd to 1.5lbs/in^2 min, on EVERY floor
Even if that's true...that means a 6' by 18" "footprint" will hold less
than
2,000 pounds:
72" x 18" = 1296 square inches
1.5 x 1296 = 1944 pounds
So, in water alone: 1944 pounds /8.3 pounds per gallon = 234 gallons
But...it's not just water alone you have to worry about. There's also the
weight of the tank and stand, the gravel, rocks, driftwood, filter, hood,
etc.
Plus the weight of anyone standing by the tank to watch it. :-)
And the real-life situation can be a lot more complicated. The weight
won't be
distributed evenly over the "footprint." Depending on the stand you get,
it
will distributed over four or six or eight small feet, or around the edges
of
the stand. You definitely want the feet to be on the joists, if you have
a
stand with feet.
In sum, I would really save the upstairs for smaller tanks. For the first
floor, if you have a slab, you'll probably be okay as long as you don't go
crazy. If you have a basement, shore up the first floor from the basement
(you
can get "instant footings" from Home Depot). And do it *before* you set
up the
tank. Once the tank is set up and filled, it's too late -- the beams are
already deformed.
Leigh
http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/
--
--
pete
"It is unwise to insult a doughnut be refusing to eat it."