Apartment Tank Sizes

[nyknicks4412]

What size tanks does everyone run in apartments? I will be graduating in May and can finally step into a tank with some size.

I was thinking a standard 90 gallon but what is everyone else's take on this? I definitely want something that can handle one or two of the smaller tangs.

[davidadelp]

Depending if your apartment don't have any size restrictions, are you on the bottom floor or higher up? I wouldn't go over 100g maybe a 120 if your on a higher floor. If your on the bottom floor it's really up to you and your budget.

[Allmost]

I live on the 26th floor, 1 bedroom apartment, really small ... its a new condo, so flooring is concrete.

in living room I have a 200 G connected to a 55G sump and a 30 G frag tank.[SPS]
in my room I have a 60 G and a 75 G sump [ NPS]
in kitchen I have a seahorse tank. 30G

problems are [and things Id change soon] .....
1. my room is small, so the humidity can get high, also some smell is involved ... from the skimmer .... but I have covered it now, and unless the skimmer cup is full, no smell now ....
2. which is the biggest Issue, is the water changes ! weekly I need about 50-60 G salt water, and with the tanks, and couch and TV .... there is kinda no room for buckets ... so on weekends my place looks like a war zone ... lol 2 brute containers, salt, RO/DI water, siphons and .... lol [ and I even recycle my SPS water for my NPS tank and the soft coral tanks I have at my parents. ! ]

lastly, the heater /AC gets clogged FAST ! have to change the filter very often.

improvements :
I have replaced my washroom fans to stronger version as they take air outside.
leave some windows open during the day.
leave the stoves fan on, on humid days.


so my advice, would be to plan it out ! and plan it out well ! Im thinking of giving up a closet for water changes, install some shelves and put the brutes in there, so I can mix water in there and have a large pump and some pipes so I can pull to each tank and fill up.... and many other plans which can make your life easier.
good air circulation is needed as well..... saunas are fun, but not easy to sleep in.

HTH,

[indyjaco]

I have a 75 in mine. If you are on a bottom floor I think your budget will be the restrictor. I am on the 5th floor. I wouldn't want to go above a 75G.

[whiteshark]

I wouldn't go with a standard 90 because, well, I don't like them lol. They really are hard to aquascape in an aesthetically pleasing manner IMO. If I were in your situation I'd consider something like a 60 or 120ish gal cube, depending on the floor you're located on.

[ACBlinky]

We're on the third floor of a three-floor building with concrete floors. We have a 150g (48"L x 24"W x 30"H).

I had a standard 90g, quite liked it, but in essentially the same footprint we now have something 60g larger. We can keep more fish, but it was tougher to aquascape because of the height, and humidity is a bit of an issue.

[superrmario]

Currently my wife and I are on the ground floor in a 1 bedroom apartment. We have hardwood floors with a crawlspace below.

I currently have a 72g Bowfront reef with 75-80lbs of rock, 29g Biocube with 20-25lbs of rock, 45g freshwater community tank and a 2.5g Betta tank.

Someone mentioned before, humidity is high in the house due to evaporation. But its do-able.

I also have a 110lb Lab and 70lb Golden Retreiver as well as a small cat.

Since the tanks are put in places that are not really in the way its kinda nice. A little tight, yes.... But we would have it no other way.

[BetterMetalReef]

You're going to pretty much have two restrictions. 1) Does your landlord / HOA have a restriction on tank sizes allowed, some do and will. 2) How much of a load can your floor and building support. You'll notice a number of people mentioned the concrete floors their tanks are on. I have my tanks on the third floor of my house, I found this very informative when I was trying to decide my tank size: http://www.african-cichlid.com/Structure.htm. Good luck!

[maroun.c]

I'm on floor level, but as we have one basement level below and another parking level below it it is on the 3rd floor in reality...
Tank location happened to be over some beam so I had no issue going as big as I wanted. Went with a 400g tank.
Humidity can be an issue and I planned some in wall ventilation during the building process which helps a lot except on colder days where it leads to a huge heating requirment .

[Biocubehqi]

I live on the 11 floor of my building and you should have no problems, assuming you u live ny, most buildings are concrete or steel. Our building were not built on a whim or a short budget, they are made to withstand movement from wind or the ground. They are built to last.

[Biocubehqi]

Lol I'm sure building in MA are built with the same integrity... I looked at the name and to location.

[aandfsoccr04]

I'm on the bottom floor in my apartment and have a 120 gallon dt with a 40 gallon sump, 30 gallon qt, and 125 gallon freshwater.

[Misled]

You're going to pretty much have two restrictions. Does your landlord / HOA have a restriction on tank sizes allowed, some do and will.

This. Ask first. Then go with a 92 corner.

[Saltydrip]

Look at your lease agreement. If its not in there then just do it!! It's way Easter to ask forgiveness than permission!!! ��

[Misled]

If its not in there then just do it!! It's way Easter to ask forgiveness than permission!!! ��

Not if 90 gallons of water floods two apartments below you.


And WTH does Easter have to do with this???

[fishsuse29]

I've got an 100g acrylic and am on the second floor with no issue. However with this large of a tank in a small apartment water changes room for supplies etc are a serious pia.

Not sure what size tank you have now but I had a 40br before which was a great size for aqua scraping and was easy to do maintenance since water changes could be done with two buckets

[benjc]

+1 on the 40 breeder. If you can and do go larger, and you are not on the ground floor, I highly recommend renters insurance to cover any damages to the apartments below you.

[d-man]

I had a 200 for a lil while upstairs. Then I moved.

[nyknicks4412]

Thanks for all the help! Work got busy these past few days.

I haven't signed any leases yet as I won't rent an apartment that doesn't allow large tanks! Haha.

I want something large. Had nano tanks in college and I am ready for more fish/corals. Sick of having tank space issues. I don't want to go too large or have anything too permanent. That's is for the house down the road!

I see a common theme of issues with water changes. If the layout allows I am thinking of putting the tank close the the kitchen and mounting the RO/DI unit on the wall. Then having a quick disconnect to the kitchen sink and full up two containers next to the tank. One for top off one for salt water for water changes. Hope it is as easy as it sounds in my head.

As for the tank size. I agree that the 90 gallon dimensions aren't ideal they are just very readily available. At first I was going to push for getting the tank setup before my first paycheck. After realizing the long list of things I want I have decided to do the build right and get things over the first few months of the move in. I want to soak the dry marco rock to prevent leaching po4 for a while anyways. So where I am going with this is a custom built tank is possible. Want to keep it under 4' long as wall space in most places seems to be limited. What width and depth do you guys think goes well with a 4' tank?

4'x2'x18" would be a good size? Lit with an 8 bulb sunpower?

[Allmost]

This. Ask first. Then go with a 92 corner.

naaa, its all about getting it in at 3 am after paying the security to look the other way lol

my condo didnt allow me to take my tank, they said its not good for the condo LOL saying salt water humidity can destroy the building's internal blah blah.... LOL we all know salt doesnt evaporate so .. .... instead, I just took it up at the middle of the night, filled it up, and said ahh too bad, its already here !
lol

but a tank that size with a large foot print, just cant fail ... its like a condo saying no fat ppl above 10th floor ! the floor is made to withstand ppl standing side by side ... different story in a house made of wood though of course.

[blackthunda77]

Ive had a standard 55 gal, a 54 corner and a 75 gal in this same 2 bedroom condo over the course of 5 years. My new 80 gal shallow rimless by deep blue is my favorite BY FAR. water changes are easier, aquascaping is easier, etc. http://img.tapatalk.com/a6937b21-d41a-7d7a.jpg

[nyknicks4412]

Ive had a standard 55 gal, a 54 corner and a 75 gal in this same 2 bedroom condo over the course of 5 years. My new 80 gal shallow rimless by deep blue is my favorite BY FAR. water changes are easier, aquascaping is easier, etc. http://img.tapatalk.com/a6937b21-d41a-7d7a.jpg

Yea I was looking at that! Seems like an awesome tank. What do you light it with? Plenty of swimming room for fish? The 12" height just turns me off to it cause I'm afraid corals can't grow out well.

[blackthunda77]

60 gal is the 12 in. I have the 80 which is 16 inch. Im lighting it with dual 250 radiums and a strip of blue reefbrites.

[nyknicks4412]

60 gal is the 12 in. I have the 80 which is 16 inch. Im lighting it with dual 250 radiums and a strip of blue reefbrites.

Oh nice! Did you find it easier to Aquascape? Loving those dimensions. I'd probably light with an 8x54 watt ati. I'll have to check out your build thread f you have one.

[blackthunda77]

Yes i LOVE the dimensions, 48x24x16. And it was really easy to aquascape, more so because i was looking to do the shallow reef/bommie look anyways. the 8x54watt fixture was exactly what i was looking at, and i would have looked sleek. I just decided to use what i had on hand since i really couldnt afford an 8x54 watt fixture at that time.

And yes, i do have a build thread. I actually "downgraded" from a standard 90 to this 80. However, i think it was an "upgrade". This tank looks 10x better. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2168479

[Misled]

but a tank that size with a large foot print, just cant fail

Have you ever seen what happens when a seam fails? How bout when something in the plumbing screws up?? I never said anything about a tank of any size falling through the floor. But if your tank splits, it doesn't make any difference. 55 gallons of water on the floor has to go somewhere. If it does, even if you have insurance, if it says you can't have a tank in the apartment, you're getting sued for any and all damages. Your insurance company will be included in the suit. When you loose you'll be responsible for the court costs and my lawyers costs, (even though he's on my payroll). You'll also have to cover my time.

Signed,
Landlord of a 100 unit apartment building.

Also, you're evicted.

[nyknicks4412]

Yes i LOVE the dimensions, 48x24x16. And it was really easy to aquascape, more so because i was looking to do the shallow reef/bommie look anyways. the 8x54watt fixture was exactly what i was looking at, and i would have looked sleek. I just decided to use what i had on hand since i really couldnt afford an 8x54 watt fixture at that time.

And yes, i do have a build thread. I actually "downgraded" from a standard 90 to this 80. However, i think it was an "upgrade". This tank looks 10x better. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2168479

That is awesome. Read through your build thread. Sweet trigger you have. I will be following along to watch your tank progress.

With the amount of horizontal swimming space that may be the perfect size tank for a smaller apartment that is still able to house some tangs! Deep blue build quality good?

[Allmost]

Have you ever seen what happens when a seam fails? How bout when something in the plumbing screws up?? I never said anything about a tank of any size falling through the floor. But if your tank splits, it doesn't make any difference. 55 gallons of water on the floor has to go somewhere. If it does, even if you have insurance, if it says you can't have a tank in the apartment, you're getting sued for any and all damages. Your insurance company will be included in the suit. When you loose you'll be responsible for the court costs and my lawyers costs, (even though he's on my payroll). You'll also have to cover my time.

Signed,
Landlord of a 100 unit apartment building.

Also, you're evicted.

oh yea, your totally right about that. an old 25 Gallon tank broke in this place about a year ago lol that was a nightmare for itself, I cant imagine what Id do if my large tank broke .... lol but lets not imagine that for now lol at least have to change the hardwood floor, and all the dry walls [mold at the bottom if it gets wet] and alot more ... yea a true disaster ... I own my unit, but still ....

good weekend ya'all and be carful :D

[ace_92101]

My 135 acrylic is on the 2nd floor. The condo has concrete floors. I agree thats it's best to be safe.

[Crazy_Beaver]

220 gallons on the 5th floor with concrete floors!Locations plays a big role!

For example I have placed the tank near the elevator channel which structurally works as a big supporting column!