How to deal with the hardwood floor and saltwater tank?

[smilodon]

I just bought the new house and it's hardwood floor, and my wife is afraid of that the saltwater will demage the hardwood floor. But I don't want to put my tank on the carpet either because carpet will be more difficult to clean when I spill the saltwater on it compare with the hardwood floor.

 

So what you guys put you tank in your home? Is't on the carpet or hardwood floor?

How to clean them when you spill the water on them?

 

thanks

[Aquanist]

Hardwood. Just dry it with clean cloth and you're fine. Better yet - don't spill.

[kidaround]

I have mine set up on my wood floors, and love how easy it is to clean up any messes! Haven't had an issue yet!

[Degener8]

Hardwood. Just dry it with clean cloth and you're fine. Better yet - don't spill.

+100

 

gottsa get in better siphoning practive..

 

or lay out some towels and make a pump/waterchange setup. lifting buckets is so 1980..

[PIPS]

Not that I use to have a fish tank in my old place with hardwood flooring. However we used to use a "shamwow" and it was THE best at soakinging up a spills..

Might want to invest in a few of those.

[jm82792]

It will warp the floor if you get water on it.

If you get it wet,

dry it off really well.

If you spill a ton of water,

dry it up asap and get out a blow dryer to get any water that's underneath your stand.

My Dad is a hardwood flooring contractor(he works in high end houses like Dell's (computers) place on occasions) that does high end work,

lets just say I've had my share of nagging, issues and warped floors

[Dasani]

we have had a 75g on hardwood for 2 1/2 years, no problems. I you spill, just dry it up quickly

[smilodon]

thank you guys for your opinions.

[jeepdude]

I lay hardwood, carpet, tile, etc... Every day. I am a certified contractor in flooring installation and work for two different Lowe's stores. If the wood is real wood Then just soak it up as quickly as you can. The hardwood wont swell unless it has time to soak into the cracks between each plank. Each plank should be put together with a special tool that drives each nail in at an angle creating a very good seal, so water shouldn't be able to just get into the floor and swell it up.

 

Also it is not as much the hardwood you should be worried about but more importantly the subfloor. If you have concrete floors and hardwood you are pretty safe just soak it up as quickly as possible.

 

If you have hardwood on wood subfloor just soak it up as quickly as you can.

 

If you have hardwood and particle board subfloor, any moisture that does get under the wood will never evaporate. Particle board swells and will not release the water it holds. This will cause the hardwood to buckle. Not only will it look like hell but the strength of the subfloor will be sufficiently lessened enough that I would not trust a tank on it.

 

Now if the wood is laminate and it gets in between the cracks which occurs much quicker with laminate than hardwood The laminate itself will swell at the joints and make them peak. The laminate will hold water as will the subfloor.

 

I would put it on the hardwood and just be careful and soak up your messes fairly quickly. If you put it on the carpet you will never get all the water out of the wood as contact happens almost immediately after spill.

 

If you do put it on the carpet and suffer a major spill. Hit it with a wet/dry shop vac and soak up as much of the water as you can. Then put a decent size fan on it over night.

 

Good luck!

[knoxvegas]

I use a disposable paint drop cloth from lowes/HD. The ones that are plastic on one side and paper on the other. Lightweight and soaks up small spills, drips and splashes. When I'm done fold and put away. Dries up and reuse over and over.

[jm82792]

Yep that sums it up.

I lay hardwood, carpet, tile, etc... Every day. I am a certified contractor in flooring installation and work for two different Lowe's stores. If the wood is real wood Then just soak it up as quickly as you can. The hardwood wont swell unless it has time to soak into the cracks between each plank. Each plank should be put together with a special tool that drives each nail in at an angle creating a very good seal, so water shouldn't be able to just get into the floor and swell it up.

 

Also it is not as much the hardwood you should be worried about but more importantly the subfloor. If you have concrete floors and hardwood you are pretty safe just soak it up as quickly as possible.

 

If you have hardwood on wood subfloor just soak it up as quickly as you can.

 

If you have hardwood and particle board subfloor, any moisture that does get under the wood will never evaporate. Particle board swells and will not release the water it holds. This will cause the hardwood to buckle. Not only will it look like hell but the strength of the subfloor will be sufficiently lessened enough that I would not trust a tank on it.

 

Now if the wood is laminate and it gets in between the cracks which occurs much quicker with laminate than hardwood The laminate itself will swell at the joints and make them peak. The laminate will hold water as will the subfloor.

 

I would put it on the hardwood and just be careful and soak up your messes fairly quickly. If you put it on the carpet you will never get all the water out of the wood as contact happens almost immediately after spill.

 

If you do put it on the carpet and suffer a major spill. Hit it with a wet/dry shop vac and soak up as much of the water as you can. Then put a decent size fan on it over night.

 

Good luck!

[pismo_reefer]

Umm....

 

PUT TOWELS DOWN FIRST.

thats it.

[seabass]

If water creeps under the stand (and there is a decent chance that it will over time), it can ruin the finish. Think about a water ring from a glass of water. However, you won't know it until you take the tank down. You might consider placing it on a waterproof mat of some kind (then you have to make sure that water doesn't get under the mat).

[nor_cal_nano]

Just tell your wife to go paint her nails or something..

[Grendel0501]

20g Shop vac ftw.

[fallenlordz]

Get some plastic clear shower curtain - and cut to shape - lay under fish tank.

 

They sell some nice real thick shower curtains for 99 cents at some dollar stores around here

[19jeffro83]

Sham wow's are great for reefing. Get some.

[Kovac]

Not that I use to have a fish tank in my old place with hardwood flooring. However we used to use a "shamwow" and it was THE best at soakinging up a spills..

Might want to invest in a few of those.

 

+1 Shamwow.

 

I wouldnt use it on my car or anything, but it works really well with the small spills here and there. It doesnt work so well in cleaning the glass though, it leave a small film that clouds the display.

[jeepdude]

If water creeps under the stand (and there is a decent chance that it will over time), it can ruin the finish. Think about a water ring from a glass of water. However, you won't know it until you take the tank down. You might consider placing it on a waterproof mat of some kind (then you have to make sure that water doesn't get under the mat).

 

My guess would be by the time you take the tank and stand down, your floor will probably be ready for a good sand and refinish job anyway. Your not going to be able to completely waterproof the floor from salt creep and water. Just set it up.

 

By the way it sounds like your tank plans are identical to the tank I just set up! Good luck!

[Luwanie]

Go to office max and get one of those hard plastic roller mats that go under desks to make the chairs move easier- they come in all sizes and there are some made just for hardwood floors. They work great! I have one under my Tank and so far my carpet hasn't been damaged.

[ajmckay]

[moto826]

i install flooring and do you know what kind of wood it is if it is pergo it will mess it up if it is solid it will be ok the reason pergo will fail is because it is wood sticker on particle wood and will expand when it gets wet

[jeepdude]

i install flooring and do you know what kind of wood it is if it is pergo it will mess it up if it is solid it will be ok the reason pergo will fail is because it is wood sticker on particle wood and will expand when it gets wet

 

Any type of laminate not just pergo is particle board with a picture under an aluminum oxide finish. Pergo is merely a name brand.

[jaynkeel]

When I spill water on my hardwood floor I usually call the wifey over to look at the tank and in the process she steps in the water with her socks and soaks it up, then slaps me in the back and yells at me. So far it works every time although I think shes catching on to my humor. P.S. when shes not around I hit it with the towel I'm using for my hands and haven't had a problem with warping yet.

[jm82792]

Solid totally will warp,

engineered will but not as easily.

Particle board is another story,

I've only dealt with Engineered and solid.

i install flooring and do you know what kind of wood it is if it is pergo it will mess it up if it is solid it will be ok the reason pergo will fail is because it is wood sticker on particle wood and will expand when it gets wet