large aquariums in apartments - safe?

[tetrin]

i want to keep a 75g tank in my apartment on the 5th floor. i wanted to know if its safe.
i went to talk to the management about this, but the lady in the office was absolutely horrified with the idea. she even wanted me to get rid of all my tanks because the damage the water can cause to the carpets :x . but i'm planning on getting a renter's insurance soon, so i will be keeping them.

so i wanted to know if any of you guys have 75g+ tanks in your apartments and if it was structurally safe. the total weight estimated (with rocks for a malawi biotope) is going to be close to 1000lb. and i'm planning on getting an iron stand for the tank (the cheapest).

 

[Jchillin]

I just happen to live on the 5th floor and also have a 75 gal tank (plus a 30 gal). How ironic. The building itself was constructed in the late 1950's with solid concrete floors, so the weight isn't an issue.

The management couldn't care less as I am covered by insurance.

 

[rich311k]

I have one in my apartment. I have a rider on my insurance.

 

[tetrin]

thanks JC and rich. i have no idea how the floors are constructed. as i said before, the management is totally uncooperative.

and i blame AA for this bad bad disease, MTS . i'm always thinking of getting more and bigger tanks now.
this is my 29g which was supposed to be a ps. saulosi species tank. but turned out to be a mixed tank with 9 juvi yellow labs and an aulonocara koningsi crammed together (the peacock was a stupid impulse buy). don't i need a bigger tank (*makes those big watery eyes*)?

 

[Toirtis]

You may want to wait a few days...thanks to your trip to the managment office, you may be getting a visit from your landlord....depending on the fine print in your lease, you may not be permitted no matter what sort of insurance you have.

 

[dr_girlfriend]

I have probably roughly 4-5000 lbs of tank and waterbed weight in my apartment with no problem. But I also have liability insurance coverage. And I've never asked or told my apartment management in both the places I lived.
To late now, but I wouldnt have said a word to them. What they dont know, wont hurt them
If your building is managed by a company I would talk to them directly and ask them about any policies they have and insurance requirements. If its run by the landlord personally, you may be screwed if shes dead set against it. Because even if it wasnt in your lease, she could require you not to have any tanks and if you did and she found out, she could kick you out or not renew your lease.
Hopefully it will work out for you!

 

[tetrin]

Toirtis, the maintenance guys have visited our apartment a number of times during last year (when the number of tanks increased from 1 to 4) and the tanks didn't receive any special attention other than 'wow'. but i'll do as you said and wait for a while.

dr_girlfriend, i don't know what came over me when i went to talk to her. but fortunately, the complex is run by a company.

as a sidenote, i have seen numerous people in the complex keeping aquariums. infact, my first 10g was collected from the dump as i was passing by.

 

[Jchillin]

It would be ironic if that 10 gal was the remains of a previous "discussion" with a neighbor about keeping a tank. :winK:

IMHO, if there is nothing in the existing lease forbidding keeping enclosed water containers (ie: aquariums) and the building is fairly modern (post WWII), you shouldn't have any problems at all.

 

[tetrin]

JC...you scare me and give me hope, all at the same time...
i'll give the lease a closer look when i get back home today. my friends are all very excited at the possibility of the biiig tank.

 

[m249saw]

My lease says specifically no tanks larger than 30gal. It does not say how many though

 

[Jchillin]

JC...you scare me and give me hope, all at the same time...

I can understand why...I didn't format that wink smiley correctly.

 

[tetrin]

just kidding JC...

anyway, i found this great article... http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article28.html

still didn't answer all my questions as i have no idea how the floor joists are laid. but interesting reading.

 

[QTOFFER]

If the lease is silent on the issue, then you are OK. My lease, for example prohibits waterbeds, but says nothing about aquariums. It also prohibits pets, but everyone (including the super) has a dog. My advice is to avoid management at all costs - they are almost always a pack of vicious weasels. Become good friends with your super and his staff - a very generous tip at Xmas goes a long way!

I would get renters insurance whether or not you have an aquarium. It's dirt cheap - I pay about $160 per year for over $50K of coverage. Suppose yopur upstairs neighbor's toilet overflows. Your landlord will repair all structural damage to your apartment, but your carpets and personal belongings are not legally his liability. If neither you nor your upstairs neighbor have renter's insurance, you're out of luck.

 

[tetrin]

thanks for the tip QTOFFER.
i read my lease for the first time and it does mention no waterbeds or pets. but the clause on pets states that i have to pay $2500 for extermination in case a pet is found in the apartment. i don't know if fish falls in the category of pets with fleas .
it's silent on aquariums too.
so i'm still debating on what to do. its definitely a sizable investment that has very little resale value (and i don't want to give up the african cichlids i'd buy).