Third floor: How big can I go?

[PseudotropheusKenobi]

I’m moving into the third floor of our home. I have an 8.5ft wall that has plenty of space for an aquarium and I’m considering my options.

I don’t want to go too big as I have my large aquarium in the kitchen. I’m thinking something between 40-80G (US), roughly 160-300Ls. Unfortunately, I cannot lift the carpet up & investigate the joists, but the third floor of our home was built in ‘06. I’ve been told the joists run left-to-right.

This leads me to a few questions:

What’s the largest aquarium you can put anywhere?

Would a shallow aquarium be less risky as it spreads the weight across more joists and has less vertical pressure on the glass?

 

[A201]

Might be a good idea to use a quality stud finder on the ceiling of the second story to determine which direction the joist run under the third floor.
Probably not important to do so for a small tank, but 300+ lbs. might cause the floor to sag if not properly supported.

 

[jpm995]

If your running the tank across multiple floor joists 50-80 gallons is nothing. Just make sure the stand is sturdy and level.

 

[PseudotropheusKenobi]

Might be a good idea to use a quality stud finder on the ceiling of the second story to determine which direction the joist run under the third floor.
Probably not important to do so for a small tank, but 300+ lbs. might cause the floor to sag if not properly supported.

The joists run left to right, so length ways. Unfortunately, I’m terrible when it comes to knowing building structures, but I’ve been asking my dad’s friend (he helped build the house). I’m more concerned about an aquarium failure than the floor not holding, water on the floor is my worst nightmare.

If your running the tank across multiple floor joists 50-80 gallons is nothing. Just make sure the stand is sturdy and level.

Is there any way to know how many joists the aquarium would run across without damaging the carpet? I’ll likely use a steel stand.

 

[FishDin]

Is there any way to know how many joists the aquarium would run across without damaging the carpet? I’ll likely use a steel stand.

Might be a good idea to use a quality stud finder on the ceiling of the second story to determine which direction the joist run under the third floor.

It will be 2-4 joists, depending on how they framed it and where you place the tank. To figure it out, do as A201 suggested. Ask your dad's friend what the joist spacing is.

 

[jpm995]

The joists run left to right, so length ways. Unfortunately, I’m terrible when it comes to knowing building structures, but I’ve been asking my dad’s friend (he helped build the house). I’m more concerned about an aquarium failure than the floor not holding, water on the floor is my worst nightmare.

Is there any way to know how many joists the aquarium would run across without damaging the carpet? I’ll likely use a steel stand.

Floor joists are almost always spaced 16" on center. Probably depends on the type of rug but a tank will flatten the carpet over time.

 

[KimberlyG]

Agree with jpm, 16 on center is standard for floor joists.