Waterbox 150 Floor Support Question

F

Fizbo96

I am planning on ordering a Waterbox 150. For my space it's the best fit without spending quite a bit more on custom. I am concerned about my floors though. I have hardwood floors on pier and beam foundation. House was built in 1954. Anyone know of any engineering firms in town that would come out and take a look for something like this? And have an idea of the cost of doing so? I've tried a few and either heard nothing back or was told that was not a service they provide.

Beyond the subfloor and foundation, would the actual hardwood on top be of concern? The waterbox has six legs rather than a flat base which concerns me as well, that's a lot of weight on each foot.
 
Definitely can’t speak on behalf of your engineering question. But I think your hardwood will be ok. We did a 310 gallon about a year ago with 8 legs on our hardwood and have not noticed any issues like splitting wood, indents, etc. Unless the wood is really soft wood it should be ok. We checked with the flooring company and also with the fish store that supplied the tank and they all said it would be fine as well. I think those stands are engineered to distribute the weight evenly and safely on floors. Good luck with everything!
 
Just a thought but maybe cut a 3/4" piece of plywood to rest on the floor and put the stand on that to help distribute weight?
 
For any coming back to this with the same question, I got it all figured. First, don't bother calling an engineering firm, none of the several I talked to come out for this kind of thing. I lucked out, my foundation company sent someone who just happened to be a big freshwater guy, has several large tanks and builds his own stands. Message me and I'll share his contact. They used a ton of large concrete blocks, 2x4's, and steel shims to reinforce the foundation, as he said they basically built a stand under the floor such that the area under the tank has it's own foundation, also said it's important to have them come back just to check on things and adjust if needed once the tank is full and cycling. Turned out to be a lot cheaper than I was expecting too.

Lessons learned, use a foundation company who has someone familiar with aquaria, plywood on the floor will not redistribute the weight sufficiently, hardwood will be fine.
 
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