# Does anyone here have a 180 gallon tank on a highrise?



## Tony (Apr 27, 2010)

How does new concrete condo/highrise hold up. Does anyone have 180 gallon tank in their apartment?

I'm just thinking about taking my 180g to 23rd floor and looking for some advice. 


Thanks.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

if your floors and walls are concrete i wouldnt worry about it too much , my 180 gallon stand is comprised of 2x4's im sure concrete is far more tough than that, also my living room floors are concrete aswell, carpeted over top but underneath is concrete, i deliberately placed my tanks over the half of my house that is concrete so i dont have to worry about and issues , im sure your fine, i mean that being said i dunno how keen your building manager would be on the whole issue but asuming you can get it in the building with out getting "busted" then i cant see why it would matter, also im sure insurance would be required just incase you had a flood


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## sunshine_1965 (Aug 16, 2011)

The good thing about this size of tank is that the weight of it is spread out over at least (6 feet length). I would think you would have no issues with the floor supporting this size tank. Getting it into the building and into the unit is a different story. Good luck.


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## BaoBeiZhu (Apr 24, 2010)

I think what you need to worry about is How to get it up there..
unless your elevator is the ones like ikea.. you might be going up 23 level of stairs.. lol


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## Jasonator (Jul 12, 2011)

All High-Rises have concrete floors. This I know - I have built some. Literally nothing to worry about support.
If the movement of such a tall building is a concern - I don't know. 
Probably not as bad as a houseboat....


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

my only concern would be how fast does water fall from the 23'rd floor i do my water changes out the window lol


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Check with your strata rules / strata insurance policy as well. A lot of them have limits on fish tank sizes. If they do, I'm pretty sure 180 would be a teensy bit over the limit


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

well then that strata sounds wack lol...


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

Stratas convinced me to go and buy a detached home. That's how much I like them.


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## Adz1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Most stratas have a 33g size limit unless you are in a townhouse.
that being said you could park cars on most floors in highrises these days...


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

It is to avoid strata councils that I've never even considered living in a strata-controlled complex. 

BTW, I once saw a 210g+ reef tank in an apartment d/t so if its allowed, it can be done safely. You'd have to check on what strata allows and what your building is certified for.


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

Why bother with a tank, just find the water main puncture a hole in it and put a rubber seal under the door, drill out holes at 4ft on the windows, you'll have a constant water exchange and a 800 sq ft by 4ft aquarium that is almost 24000gallons!


Please note above was a joke and not recommended to be done! Just in case someone actually does it and then says I suggested it!

Trust me I've seen what a water main on the 26th floor can do on a highrise, it flooded over 100 suites total.


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## DBam (Aug 9, 2010)

I'm surprised at how little forethought has gone into these replies. 

1) ask an engineer or draftsman if you know one. Maybe there's one poking around the forum. They can tell you the actual load you can put on that floor, distance from load bearing walls, exterior walls, etc. I'm not suggesting going and hiring an engineer, but get a more professional opinion, that way you've done your homework and done your troubleshooting and problem solving beforehand. 

2) there's a potential for water damage, and you might want to waterproof and foolproof things so the strata can't come after you and other tenants can't either. Otherwise an expensive hobby could potentially turn exorbitantly expensive.


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

DBam said:


> I'm surprised at how little forethought has gone into these replies.
> 
> 1) ask an engineer or draftsman if you know one. Maybe there's one poking around the forum. They can tell you the actual load you can put on that floor, distance from load bearing walls, exterior walls, etc. I'm not suggesting going and hiring an engineer, but get a more professional opinion, that way you've done your homework and done your troubleshooting and problem solving beforehand.
> 
> 2) there's a potential for water damage, and you might want to waterproof and foolproof things so the strata can't come after you and other tenants can't either. Otherwise an expensive hobby could potentially turn exorbitantly expensive.


I wouldn't worry about #1, they'd have to ask for structural drawings of the building and lots of $ to figure out that yes the concrete structure can support it fine. We are talking about concrete that is reinforced with rebar, if it was a 2x6 with 1/2 plywood with a span that couldn't meet the live and deadload requirements I would tell you NO. As I said I've said a place with 24000gallons of water evenly distributed over 800sq, if it can withstand that without the building needing engineers to verify that everything is fine after a flood of that size I'd say the live and deadload designs of highrises are withstand much more then that.

As for #2, if for some reason you ever do flood the building, make sure you have insurance that'll cover you because other tenants and the strata WILL come after you to recoup their loses or pass on the deductible to you for their damage at very minimum


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## jkcichlid (Apr 21, 2010)

If you see what type of loads get placed on the floors while the buildings are being built, your 180 is matchsticks compared to that.
Forklifts, huge bunks of lumber and plywood and a whole whack of steel shoring all in a footprint less than your apartment size. No need to worry about the weight issue.

Now the water issue... thats a whole other story for YOU to deal with (if it happens)


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## Tony (Apr 27, 2010)

thanks every one for all the info . Having a fish tank in a condo is way more works then i though.


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## Smiladon (Apr 23, 2010)

As far as the building goes, you should be fine. I currently have a 155G going and I live in a highrise. 

Just make sure your strata rules don't state anything for heavy objects or fish tanks.


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