Second floor apt, what size tank?

C

ck1

[Will be moving to a second floor apt and cannot take my tank with me. I will be downgrading and am looking for recommendations and ACTUAL experience from members that have tanks on the 2nd floor.

What is max size I should get?? I am leaning towards 120-135g but not much bigger. Just do not want to take the chance.

Any ideas or ways to displace the weight?

Thanks ahead of time!]
 
[Well a 120 w 100lbs of rock and 100 lbs of sand is going to weigh roughly 1200 pounds, that is just a rough estimate not including stand, weight of glass tank or any equipment etc, etc.
I know it is important to place the tank perpendicular to the floor joists so that the weight is distributed evenly across several of them. How to figure out which way the joists run I have no idea.
Sorry I have no actual experience with an upstairs tank but hopefully that info will help. Im sure some others here will have some usefull info.]
 
[Chris, if you haven't yet, I would suggest you contact your apt manager and also read your lease agreement closely.

There may also be a pet deposit involved.(This would cover the leaks, spills, and ooops.)

Better to know before instead of after you purchase the perfect tank.

Retired Realtor and Property Manager]
 
[A lot of apartments don't want you to have aquariums :( The one I lived in before I got my house would not allow an aquarium over like 30 gallons unless you were on the bottom floor :(]
 
[Definitely check with the apartment office. One I lived in several years ago also would require a large pet deposit for tanks over 30 gallons because of possible water damage. They would also make anyone with a water bed make a deposit for the same possible "flood" damage.]
 
[I have a dog so already had a pet deposit due, also when I asked the same question (Im on second floor also) they kind of gave me blank looks. I have a 90 situated against my living room wall, I have had leaks, but not for a while. Granted and knock on wood im still living here....]
 
[Here's my two cents....for what's its worth.

Faith and I lived in a townhome. The living room was on the second floor. After doing my investigations...I found that you have to put your tank the opposite way your beams are running and spread the weight over several beams instead of one or two.

We had a 100 gallon ocean and we did fine. BUT! our townhomes were recently built within the last few years. So they aren't like 30 years old. You might want to ask about that also...how old they are?

You can purchase a beam finder from HD and try it. Make sure you get the expensive one. The cheap ones don't work on second floors.

Thanks,
James]
 
[Chris,

Like we discussed before, we had a 135 on the second floor of our townhome years ago. They were older ones, so I am not sure if they made them better then or made the newer ones better but it all worked out fine.

We did purchase renters insurance through a local agent. It was not very expensive (maybe $250 a year or so, that was 9 years ago though) and covers damages in the case of major leaks. Also covers your property if you get broken into etc. We gave a copy of it to the apartment complex to avoid a pet deposit as at the time we had a 135 upstairs and a 115 down.]
 
[My girlfriend lives in a pretty old apartment complex. When she moved in the wanted a saltwater tank, so i got her a 75 gallon oceanic. The tank sits at a 45 degree angle in a corner in her appartment. She's lived there for more than a year and the tank hasn't fallen through yet. I wouldn't go any bigger than a 75. One reason is that, when it is time to move out, anything bigger would be a pain, esp. if it's a reef. Second, you have to take that tank up stairs before you can even get started. It was a pain moving that 75 up some stairs. Imagine trying to direct a tank longer than 5 feet and weighing over 150 pounds up some stairs. Not worth all the trouble if you're just gunna move within a year.]
 
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