question about my tank please help!!!...

[turbotone]

I have a 75 gallon tank I inherited... it's not an expensive one bc it looks like the ones they have in petland etc.. Anyways the middle brace on the top of the tank was cracked since I got it and the crack look like it has gotten worst... so I decided (the genius that I am) to put a lil pressure on it to see how strong it was and "snap!" IT BROKE smh so the other side was bad as well so I just completely snapped it off..

Heres the situation ive been planning on going to a bigger tank haven't decided exactly how big (120-150) but I wanted to do everything the right way and learn from my mistakes with this tank.. But few things play factors..
1. the integrity of my floor (i live in a 2 story house wooden floors)

2. i was planning to have all the money put to the side by january 2013 and then decide how i was going to build it what to buy and where to put it

3.then cycle the tank and transfer over all my rocks to the next tank

but with this happening i dont know if i can wait or not?

will my tank hold?


a friend of mines said itll hold but id rather hear more peoples opinion... please help!!!!

 

[thirty6]

do you own the house or rent?
i would have someone, with experience, check that issue out for you before doing anything with another tank.
im not sure i understand fully the swap over rock portion: do you have an existing tank that you were going to transfer to the 75 for an upgrade? if so this isnt awful, keep what you have and wait for upgrade to happen
if not, get brute containers and power head and heater and keep it going until you upgrade. This isnt sightly or fun, but will serve your purpose well.

 

[masterswimmer]

I would NOT, under any circumstance use that 75g with a broken brace. You can purchase a new top frame and 'revive' the tank if you want to go that route. But as it stands, the 75g is not stable and if it is filled with water/rock/livestock, you run the SERIOUS risk of a total tank failure.

As for upgrading to a 120-150 and the integrity of your subfloor, I would absolutely try to determine the orientation of your floor beams. You want to position your tank perpendicular to the floor beams and as close to an exterior wall as possible. This will offer you the best structural integrity your home can offer. Exterior walls are bearing walls, and perpendicular joists pick up the load across multiple supports.

Hope this helps,
Russ

 

[thirty5]

I agree with Russ 100% get a new top frame for the tank. Don't trust it the way that it is. Even if it was just cracked it should have been replaced.

Placement of a large tank is tough on a 2nd floor. It may be hard to determine the way the floor joists run unless you know what you are looking at. Like Russ said, either on exterior wall or over a bearing wall that if you see will be supported fromt the 2nd floor all the way to the basement.

 

[turbotone]

do you own the house or rent?
i would have someone, with experience, check that issue out for you before doing anything with another tank.
im not sure i understand fully the swap over rock portion: do you have an existing tank that you were going to transfer to the 75 for an upgrade? if so this isnt awful, keep what you have and wait for upgrade to happen
if not, get brute containers and power head and heater and keep it going until you upgrade. This isnt sightly or fun, but will serve your purpose well.

i rent... its a 2 family house with a basement and i rent the top floor.. i was thinking of getting a professional to check bc i can do alot but i have no experience with inspecting at all..lol

as of now i have a 75 gallon setup ive been running come this june for a year now with no top brace... i was planning on upgrading to 120-150 come january.. i want to get better rocks and finer san for my next set up and just do everything correct the first time out and take my cleanup crew and good pieces out to put in my dt and the rest in my fuge... 120-150 with this 75 gallon as my fuge...

got a few variables that play a role in ifs and hows

 

[turbotone]

I would NOT, under any circumstance use that 75g with a broken brace. You can purchase a new top frame and 'revive' the tank if you want to go that route. But as it stands, the 75g is not stable and if it is filled with water/rock/livestock, you run the SERIOUS risk of a total tank failure.

As for upgrading to a 120-150 and the integrity of your subfloor, I would absolutely try to determine the orientation of your floor beams. You want to position your tank perpendicular to the floor beams and as close to an exterior wall as possible. This will offer you the best structural integrity your home can offer. Exterior walls are bearing walls, and perpendicular joists pick up the load across multiple supports.

Hope this helps,
Russ

thanks russ on this info.. i didnt know i can buy a new top frame and ''revive"it.. is that a big process? do i have to empty my tank to do so? how much would this piece cost me? and do you sell it? if not where can i get it?

is there anyway to tell which way the beams go? i have access to my attic would it run perpendicular to my attic?

 

[KathyC]

Considering you told us the following:

Anyways the middle brace on the top of the tank was cracked since I got it and the crack look like it has gotten worst... so I decided (the genius that I am) to put a lil pressure on it to see how strong it was and "snap!" IT BROKE smh so the other side was bad as well so I just completely snapped it off..

then this:

as of now i have a 75 gallon setup ive been running come this june for a year now with no top brace...

A partially cracked brace is not good news. They are there for a very good reason. A center brace that is totally disconnected is REALLY bad news.

The tank IS going to fall apart long before early next year.

A new top brace is an expensive fix and will guarantee that the folks downstairs aren't going to end up with 75g of water in their apartment.

Do you have insurance against flooding? :theyareon

 

[KathyC]

If you don't empty it - then you are taking a chance because you need to scrape ALL of the old silicone off of the tank to switch the top frame, and in doing so you will be putting additional stress on the tank and could cause it to fall apart.

The top frame is easily ordered and inexpensive compared to a new tank and don't forget to order aquarium silicone to put the new one in place.

The beams in attics don't always run in the same direction or perpendicular as the floors beneath do

Sometimes if you get down on the floor and look across it at eye level you can see the direction of the joists..especially in an older home.

 

[turbotone]

I agree with Russ 100% get a new top frame for the tank. Don't trust it the way that it is. Even if it was just cracked it should have been replaced.

Placement of a large tank is tough on a 2nd floor. It may be hard to determine the way the floor joists run unless you know what you are looking at. Like Russ said, either on exterior wall or over a bearing wall that if you see will be supported fromt the 2nd floor all the way to the basement.

thanks you guys are great.. im glad i asked i was doubtful on the brace situation.. as far as the wall bearing and such i would of never thought of that bc im not to familiar with structural configurations of a house.. i did think of lining it with studs on the floor but again i didnt know which way they went (vertical or horizontal) and how far are each of them separated from each other... i think wall studs are 16" or 18" apart are floor studs similar?

 

[thirty5]

thanks russ on this info.. i didnt know i can buy a new top frame and ''revive"it.. is that a big process? do i have to empty my tank to do so? how much would this piece cost me? and do you sell it? if not where can i get it?

is there anyway to tell which way the beams go? i have access to my attic would it run perpendicular to my attic?

It depends on the type of house and construction that is used. Hard to say if they will run the same direction or not. Sometimes they are even different directions on the same floor depending on the layout.

 

[turbotone]

It depends on the type of house and construction that is used. Hard to say if they will run the same direction or not. Sometimes they are even different directions on the same floor depending on the layout.

ok gotcha... i have to figure this.. i want the tank in my living room which is at the beginning of the house... i didnt want it in the corner though lol but it looks like its either going to be that or nothing... now to fiqure out an estimate of the weight and which wall to put it on thats running perpendicular to the beams... i got to hire a professional to be certain if can be done and what are my choices of location..

 

[thirty5]

thanks you guys are great.. im glad i asked i was doubtful on the brace situation.. as far as the wall bearing and such i would of never thought of that bc im not to familiar with structural configurations of a house.. i did think of lining it with studs on the floor but again i didnt know which way they went (vertical or horizontal) and how far are each of them separated from each other... i think wall studs are 16" or 18" apart are floor studs similar?

Wall construction is 16" on center and so are floor joists. Never further apart but can be closer. For example, the floor under my 2nd floor bathroom were built at 12" on center because the joists are 17 feet long.....

Just remember also when you are figuring the weight of the tank, you need to calculate TOTAL water volume and then the tank, stand, other equipement and rock/sand.

 

[turbotone]

Considering you told us the following:



then this:



A partially cracked brace is not good news. They are there for a very good reason. A center brace that is totally disconnected is REALLY bad news.

The tank IS going to fall apart long before early next year.

A new top brace is an expensive fix and will guarantee that the folks downstairs aren't going to end up with 75g of water in their apartment.

Do you have insurance against flooding? :theyareon

so im just better off just buying a new 75 gallon if its cheaper correct... and no i dont have flood insurance lol i dont even have renters insurance! i should just get that just to be safe... would be the smart adult thing to do..

 

[turbotone]

Wall construction is 16" on center and so are floor joists. Never further apart but can be closer. For example, the floor under my 2nd floor bathroom were built at 12" on center because the joists are 17 feet long.....

Just remember also when you are figuring the weight of the tank, you need to calculate TOTAL water volume and then the tank, stand, other equipement and rock/sand.

gotcha on the weight.. the sand and rocks im going to over estimate only bc i got the tank with sand and added a few bags of live sand to it.. i dont know the exacts of it.. the rocks same thing but i know i have alot of it... water i know is about 9lbs per gallon but like i said ill over estimate till i can get an exact when i break it down and divide it all into tubs for the move...the sand on the new set up will be all bought due to the fact i didnt know any better in buying sand it was sold finer then what i bought my sand in my 75.. but all that sand will stay and be apart of my refugium when i set up the new tank.. hopefully ill be able to..

 

[dannyny]

find out what kind of tank it is. i had a 90 i purchased from a member here with a cracked trim top and bottom but called aqueon and they sent me a new frame for free

 

[turbotone]

find out what kind of tank it is. i had a 90 i purchased from a member here with a cracked trim top and bottom but called aqueon and they sent me a new frame for free

how would i find out? is it stamped? it has a wood plastic frame.. was it difficult to swap out the frame? it looks pretty stuck on

 

[turbotone]

heres the tank... if you can tell what it is your nice bc i cant.. with my luck the back where i painted it black would say its brand lol

 

[Imbarrie]

When you calculate the weight of the system often the most overlooked part is the weight of the people you will have looking at the tank. Depending on who is looking this could be between 200-1000 extra pounds.

Joists can run parallel to the staircase. Get a stud finder and try to get a reading through the floor. If you can access the downstairs part you can run it over the ceiling.

DO NOT MESS AROUND WITH THAT 75. Get some Rubbermaid containers and transfer it ASAP. If it was me I would have done it right after that brace snapped.
Some large pet retailers have a dollar per gallon sale a couple times per year. Call around.

 

[NewfiDog]

Most likley your floor joists are running in the right direction from your picture because 99% the hardwood floor would run in the oppisite direction, this is the correct way, but sometimes you will run into it installed in the same direction but this is not very common. If you can somehow locate your floor joists would be good, in the city it is very common for older construction to be further than 16 centers, because they used alot of 3x construction instead of 1.5x. I worked in alot of buildings in queens that were not 16 centers and my sisters house is not 16 centers but its 3x joists. You can have up to 24 inch centers.

 

[dannyny]

View attachment 113420

heres the tank... if you can tell what it is your nice bc i cant.. with my luck the back where i painted it black would say its brand lol

i dont see a pic of your tank but if you empty the tank there is a white sticker on the bottom with someone's name on it. call aqueon or perfecto and tell them the name they will check their builder database and determine if it is one of theirs if it is they will tell you the next steps.