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/