Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone know how much a typical 150 Gal. tank weighs EMPTY? Im trying to figure out if the floor in my apartment will hold a tank of that size.

I know that if I put 110 gal in it weighs aprox. 920lbs for the water(8.345 x 110 = 917.95) I estimate about 50lbs of rock or large stones. And about 100lbs for the stand. That works out to be around 1100lbs give or take.
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Stupidity should be Painful!

n/p
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Stupidity should be Painful!

I wouldn't know how much a tank that size would weigh but don't forget to add the weight of the stand.

My 55 gallon tank weighed about 80 pounds empty
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Most apartments are designed to hold quite a bit more weight than most houses. However long term weight on the floor will eventually cause some bowing in the floor. Things you can do to make it safer:

find out which way the support beams in the floor run, I found out by going in the basement of my apartment and looking at the unfinished ceiling. You want your tank to cross as many of these as possible for weight distribution. Also, look where the load bearing walls are, the ones that have steel beams holding them up. Place the tank as close to one of these beams as possible. Your 150 gal tank will probly weigh 2-300 pounds. If your apartment doesnt allow waterbeds, I wouldnt consider it. You probly dont have to worry about the tank falling through the floor. Just get about 10 or 15 of your biggest friends and have them all huddle really close together where you want to put your tank, that will be about the same weight as your tank. An apartment would be quite unsafe if it couldnt hold that much weight.
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One other thing, use a stand that evenly distributes weight across the floor. A stand with a flat bottom is better than one with 4 legs. If you only have a stand with legs, set it up on top of a piece of 3/4" plywood, or put the legs on some sturdy 2x4 or 6.

Heres the stand I built for my 120 gal. I always overdesign, so it could probly hold a quite heavier load. If you look at the 55 gal in the back, you will see that the legs of its stand are on a piece of 2x10.

another thing, you will find out how level your floor is when you fill up the tank. Just fill up to the top of the bottom plastic ring of the tank and see how level the water is. If when you fill the tank to the top, the level changes much, you may want to consider placing it somewhere else.

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