Metalion Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Hi guys, Due to home relocation (or moving to a new place), I have to sell out my beloved 48x20x16... Instead of a 4 footer, I am thinking of a 24Lx24Wx24H or 24Lx24Wx30H. My wife told me that size would be acceptable. So here are my Qs... How about glass thickness? Is 7mm OK, or should go for 10mm? Is it heavy for 3rd floor? (the tank with full of water, rocks, gravel, and fish) I know it would be lighter than a piano, but I am concerned... I want to have experts advice... I mean your opinions please. Cheers, Mike Oh, BTW, my mate took all my tank & fish already. (sigh...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlakeyBoyR Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 If you plan on having the tank 2' high I would really recommend 10mm glass. You might be able to get away with 8mm but 7mm sounds a little too thin. Any tank that is 2' or over, regardless of length, will more than likely need thicker glass as the pressure placed on the tank is greater the higher the tank itself is. As for the weight, only an engineer can really be sure of that one. That being said, I kept a 250l tank upstairs on floor boards without any problems. Only you know how old the house is and whether it is wise to attempt it. If you have doubts you could always get an engineer to take a look but I'd think it'd be ok. I can't see the tank plummeting through your floor, but then again ... I'm no engineer. It's your call, this is just my 2 cents (and that was my disclaimer ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosco Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Hi, Am not no guru but for a 2" high tank you need to go 10mm glass IMO and I think if you go 30" high I think that you have to increase the thickness to 12mm or maybe 15mm glass I am not sure. As for weight it will have the similar amount of water as a standard 4' tank (approx 216 litres calculated by 60x60x60/1000). It should be OK but as Blakey said I am not structural engineer and I have no idea if it will be too heavy. I would check to see if it is timber floor or floating timber floor on concrete. It is really your call if you are worried about it I would think that it is worth contacting a structural engineer. cheers Rosco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r.d.m Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 mike ,the capacity of a 2x2x2 is 226 lts (226 kg) with the weight of the tank stand and rocks(they will displace some water so calculate them at half weight)your looking around 275kg, so if 2 big men can stand side by side on your floor its safe. i did a bit of research on this subject a while back, theres a guy on the internet (the site adress ive forgotten) who is a structural engineer and specialises in monster tank floor failiures, the upshot is that domestic sheet and timber floors are incredibly strong (boards are stronger than sheet) tanks never punch through floors rather they subside over a period of time, for this reason its absolutely critical that the floor is level ,the tank is level and the legs are located as near to joists(the timber the boards or sheet is nailed to)as possible. the next thing to look at is , that it doesnt matter if you have a stand or cabinet this size tank will be supported by 4 legs (the sides front and back of commercially produced cabinets support no weight) so get yourself a sheet of 20mm ply slightly bigger than the stand and put this under the unit, this spreads the weight nicelyand finally if you want to be super safe bolt the stand to the wall . any 2 foot high tank MUST be made of 10mm glass so good luck and i hope this has been of some help , a google search on floor strength should yield results and yes , my tank and floor are still standing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalion Posted February 18, 2005 Author Share Posted February 18, 2005 Gee thanks guys!! Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyme Posted February 19, 2005 Share Posted February 19, 2005 24x24x30 high would be OK in 10mm glass. Any tank *x24x24 weighs just under 400 kgs per square metre. Domestic bearer and joist, particle board style floor construction is ususally rated at 350 kgs per square metre. As these things are usually under rated you are pretty safe. 30" high though, you really have to start to wonder. Craig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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