"Shane Kennedy" wrote in message
om...
you can use a little common sense calculations w/o the need of a
structual engineer
a gallon of water equals about 8 pounds
i have a 75 gallon aquarium w/ a 5'x1' footprint
75gals = ~600 lbs
i figure 3 200 pound men in stand next to one another in a 5'x1' area
w/o the floor caving in
so i'm safe

Not to nit pick (but I can so I will), but water is closer to 9 lbs per
gallon, the weight of the tank was omitted, gravel & rocks are heavier
than water (or they would float ;~), and this is only a static load
calculation. If a floor can't hold 600 lbs, then the house should be
condemned. The bigger problem is the dynamic load. A tank installed in
the centre of a room will behave very differently from one against a
structural wall perpendicular to the floor joists. If you ever see a top
heavy 750 lb aquarium rock back & forth from foot traffic, you will have
a better sense of what kind of structural integrity I'm talking about.

cheers
NetMax