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I have a question vs heavy tanks and standered flooring. I know that if you put a 55 gallon perpindicular to the main (trusses?) The floor will hold the wight no porblem. What if the area you want the tank to be is parallel to the trusses? This would mean that A. the tank is supported by only one beam and B. Theres a chance it would be balancing only on that beam and stressing the usb underneath.

Oh yes another question. I want to have a 10 gallon by my bed, but our carpet is soft. How difficult would it be to put a section of linoleum down a bit bigger than the tank?

I dont know about the house structure question.

A 10 gal by your bed doesnt need to have lin'm under it. Mine is by my bed in a carpeted bedroom sitting on a heavy wooden night stand. I have had no problems, and as long as it doesnt spring a leak, there wont be. If it would a lil piece of lin'm isnt gonna matter.

If you JUST prefer this- it wouldnt be hard. Cut a piece of carpet and padding out, clean n vaccuum flooring under very very well, glue lin'm down, trim around edge of the 2. But its really not nessasary. Or are you wanting to LAY Lin'm OVER the carpet?? this would be tricky as unless its glues down to a smooth solid surface, it wants to curl.

I think you'd be better off without putting anything down. You shouldn't really get water everywhere if you are careful, and carpet will dry faster if it is open to the air than if you have it covered.

Depending on the house, you could get under the house and put in extra supports under that section of flooring, or you could look into other ways of distributing the weight.
I think most places can handle a 55 though, so it may not be necessary, but it is worth further investigation.

I think Keith has written on this before, maybe a search would help

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

skyeye

Flooring can be a big problem no matter where it is.
Timber flooring unless you have been underneath the floor I assume you are going by where the nails are.
The biggest problem is that unless you know about building construction and a on site investigation it is impossible to say what you can do.
What might look safe above the ground line could be totally different just below the surface.
Not only that is the floor perfectly level and there is no movement in the ground or floor.

It "should" be OK but on the other hand if it is not you could easily have a very expensive repair bill plus a busted tank and water damage and loss of all your fish.
I personally get a qualified person to inspect the area just to be on the safe side.

I also would put a 3/4ins sheet of styrene foam just under the tank. This will take up any slight movement plus it will act as a sound barrier from the floor to the tank.

With the other tank not a problem on the carpet just put some old towels down when you are working on the tank.

If you have any more questions please ask

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info
Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith



Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
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Ehh the problem with the carpeting isnt so much me being worried about the carpet gettint wet, so much as it is the fact that it would cause the stand to be unstable (if it was a standered walmart stand) and shift.

skyeye

Is it posible to have a photo of the stand you are refering to please.


Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info
Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith


Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

Ummm well not relly... I do not have it yet. The thought of makeing a wodden one has crossed my mind though.

If you dont yet have a stand- It sounds like you are looking for sturdy and cheap- correct?? And your worried about the sturdyness of a metal on your carpetting???

ok, not sure about the carpet thing- a 10 gal full will weigh roughly 80-100 pounds- it shouldnt go anywhere unless the stand is bad. but if your worried about it- go with a wood stand.

I prefer wood over metal, but for smaller tanks ( up to 15 gal) I use sturdy second hand end tables/ night stands. Make sure its all wood, not partical board, have tank measurements ready, and make sure table surface is one piece, not inlayed ( weak spots with tank on top). If you can sit on it, and its good- it should hold up tank. Most times you can find great pieces for next to nothing. And if there is damage- its almost always to the top's finish- and my solution to that is going to a doller store and getting a vinyl tablecloth . cut it to fit if you want. Cheap, sturdy wooden stand.

I have a 55gal on a raised foundation. I used some leftover concrete pylon supports(look like pyramids with the top cut off) and a piece of 4 by 4 lumber to help support the floor. I would also use some 3/4 plywood to help distribute the weight evenly. Also make sure floor is level before adding water and check after adding water. My house is really old and I have had no problem for the 4 years I've been here. Hiring someone could be expensive allthough so can floor damage. I had my 20gal on a sturdy wood end table no problem. Good Luck and have fun.