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Lately I've been wondering whether I can handle a large tank. I've been preparing a habitat for my future turtles, and have mostly decided on a 90 Gallon, though I really want a 230-300 Gallon Tank(There are two I've seen so far for under 180 USD). Apart from the size needed to relocate the tank to some part of the house (my house is pretty packed now, wouldn't know where to put the tank at all), and transportation issues, I am wondering, can an average house handle the weight of such a heavy tank?

I currently live in a wood-made house, the floor is made of wood. The home itself is about 30 years old, and I plan to place the tank somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd floor (My house has four floors). So I wonder, is it possible that the floor can't handle so much weight, and may cripple under at any moment? I haven't heard of any sitatuions like this before, but there is a possibility, any thoughts? The 200+ Gallon tank is about 6 feet by 2.5 feet, and stated, when filled, can reach 2400+ pounds.

you have to make sure that the tank is going against the length of the support beams so the load is distributed over multiple ones. The weight isn't a big deal, a waterbed can weigh 1000's of pounds too.

Put it up against a load bearing wall. This way you'll be over a few of the floor joists. Also, you can use 3/4-1" plywood underneath your stand and extend it out 12-18" to spread the load out even more.

Here's some info that might be helpful:

http://www.african-cichlid.com/Structure.htm.

Could you find a place on the first floor if you're worried about weight issues?

CountryGirl68 wrote:Here's some info that might be helpful:

http://www.african-cichlid.com/Structure.htm.

That was extremely informative! Thank you for posting it!