Day 1of 180 gallon build.

OK I made the leap from my 60 to a 180 this weekend. This is going to be fun but I still new to the hobby want to take my time and do it right. My house is pier and beam so I guess my first project is to see if my house can handle the weight or do I need to reinforce the floor before I start. Has anyone on here had any experience with this? I'm going to try and make the tank tour to look at some of the more experienced guys setups. Ill need help along the way!!! Wish me luck guys!!

Trailer house jacks! They are around $20 each, depending on location.. I had to use two on my 150g years ago. You'll pour a 2' x 2' x 6" deep concrete pad to set the jacks on.

There's a lot of info regarding pier and beam. The most important thing is to place the tank perpindicular to your floor joists. If running parallel all of the weight will be on 1 or two joists. Then you'll want to make sure it's on a load baring wall. If unable to put it in a location like that you'll need to brace it for sure... and it's really never a bad idea!

Looking forward to the progress!

I've been looking up some articles on the internet. Maybe I should at least have a foundation Guy look at it for me. The last thing I want to do is damage my house.

I agree that it's better to do it and not need it than need it and not do it. Minimal investment for a sense of security on your house and what will eventually become a $6k or $7k tank.

Trailer jacks or cinderblocks will work. Keeping it on an outside wall will also help due to the joyst (pretty sure that's mis spelled) along the perimeter walls.

Take it from a 40 year construction veteran, if you don't go under and reinforce your floor you will end up with the tank on the ground or busted. A 180 gallon tank is roughly 1500 pounds of just water not to mention the tank and rock. You should determine where you want the tank to sit and get a good carpenter or foundation man to do the bracing for you. Even if you run the tank crossway on the joist and against the outside wall it is still going to give on you. It may be fine for a week or a month but it WILL sag your floor joists and the sills on the house. If I were doing it I would pour six 18"x 18" x 8" deep piers below the tank. One at each corner and one in the middle and use solid not hollow cinder blocks to brace up to the floor. It gets complicated on wheather you are sitting across multiple joists or just one or two long ways, thats why you need a pro or at least someone with experience to do it for you.

Back years ago there was a guy that sold fish out of his house here in Marshall and he was on pier and beam. He had a 150 gallon tank in the middle of his living room that ended up sagging his floor about three inches and finally busted the tank at the seams.

That's what I am afraid of. I'm figuring the tank full with all equipment and everything at between 2200 and 2800 lbs.

I agree and a good man that knows what he is doing will measure the distance from floor to top of his 6 concrete pads so that when the concrete pads are set he can take a hydrolic jack and raise your joist just enough to fit solid cinder blocks in between joist and pad and then let the jack down so the joists are sitting tight on the blocks. If you are running the tank the same direction the joists are running it will take an entirely different type of bracing but a good carpenter or foundation man will know how to take care of it. This is where the old adidge that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" comes in.

OK called a foundation man and he came the other day. He said I need three new supports sitting a concrete slap. He is jacking up the beams to put the new supports in. Gave me what I think is a good price as I don't think I would do it for the money he wants. When he can fit me in I'll. Be on my way to my build.