Breaking Down.

I may have to break down my 55. I live in a 2nd floor apt. and the floors by the tank have started creaking consistently for the past 3 nights. Loud creaks, no pops. I have about 30lbs sand, and 25lbs LR. (with that displacement i don't have a clue what the tank weighs.) I'm worried it's gonna go straight through the floor! It's on a good (not great) quality stand, in what i was told the most stable and weight baring part of the structure. The inside corner. I'm TERRIFIED :-[ I can't sleep. Just the thought of tearing it down; now that it's past 6 months is horrible. If i do have to take it down (which is most likely tomorrow or Saturday) I'll end up with a JBJ 29 cube. I'll have to sell the eels, but that's a small consequence compared to killing my lower neighboors!! I'm so scared!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Wow. That really sucks. At least you will still have the 29.

 

sorry to hear it. I have a 90 on the third floor. So far it's been ok, but it worries me too. good luck.

 

Thanks guys, any comfort is highly appreciated. i really am terribly anxious. Let's hope my paycheck is big enough to cover my new purchase; and that my floor holds up!:-/

 

Odds are that creaking is the building settling. I would not worry about it to be honest. The floor joists are made to hold a large amount of weight. Then, if your floors are cement you are in even better shape with not falling through, but that means it is your stand creaking. I would put everything in rubbermaid containers and see if the creaking is continuing.

 

X- my floors are not cement, and my apt. is pretty shoddily built. I've wondered about my stand creaking too, but I'm still horrified at the thought of it falling through.

The floor isn't noticeably bending or bowing. It almost sounds like the wall next to the tank. I've moved all items off the walls on both sides. And moved most all furniture off the area as well. Anxiety attack here i come

 

You have roughly 550lbs there give or take not counting sump. First you want the setup the tank on a weight bearing wall aka load-bearing wall. To know for sure it would be the walls that the windows would be on. These walls support the roof, but most important it is where your floor joists fasten to and would have the most strength.

So, you might be about to just move the tank vs getting rid of it.

 

+1
Houses/apartments and such can hold up a lot...People even put waterbeds on a 2nd floor (not a good idea in my book if it springs a leak and such).

I have an old house 60 yrs old or so and has a crawlspace foundation (no cement slab, just wood and was worried about the 113g I'm putting up but my dad (an ex construction contractor, who built everything from single family homes to apartment buildings) said it'd be fine as long as it's along a load bearing wall.
So your 55 should be just fine.

 

agreed here, 550lbs really isn't that much. That's really only 4 or 5 average people. If you can see 4 people standing in the same spot and not falling though the floor at your place, you should be ok. I would be more concerned about the stand, because if that's what's making the creaking....

 

I have a 155 with a 55 sump on the second floor. My floor also makes creeking noises but in the summer. The wood under the floor in the heat and humidity expands, and in the winter, it contracts. (i used to do wood flooring). The sounds your hearing is the wood rubbing together from expansion.
Although, you might want to check to see which was the floor joists are running. you want to run across the joists for better weight distribution. I have mine across the joists and right next to the main beam of the house. I won't lie, it still worries me, but like someone said, there are waterbeds on a second floor that weight more and is just fine.
Think about relocating the tank if its not across the joists. Hope this helps and good luck!