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Tanks for College Dorms?

1K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  wallywestisthebest333 
#1 ·
This upcoming year will be my senior year in high school so I'm thinking what tank I would take with me to college. I know most colleges have a limit on how many gallons is allowed. Is there a general requirement? The website for the college I'm going to says a fish is allowed but no gallon specificity, my sister went there and had a betta for both years she was in the dorms but only had him in a 1 gallon... What has been your experiences? I would like at least to take my 5 gal, better yet my 10.
 
#3 ·
What has been your experiences? I would like at least to take my 5 gal, better yet my 10.
I didn't know anyone in college who had an aquarium...but someone in my dorm actually had a cat and nobody said anything....I guess nobody was allergic, luckily for her.

If your college website says fish are allowed but didn't mention a limit, I would take that to mean anything within reason (like, a dorm room would be a good place for a 100-gallon). You could always phone the housing department to get express permission to keep a 10-gallon.

IMO a 5 to 10 gallon is not a threat as long as you don't drip water for people to slip on while doing water changes.
 
#4 ·
I dunno, I've always been really put off by people who sneak mammals into dorms--it's very selfish. What kind of life can a cat lead in a tiny room with people at class all day? Or hamsters in the closet or a rabbit under the bed? The truth is these animals should be left at home for their own good--as you can tell I have been shocked by what people have calmly told me about how they kept animals in their dorms--not understanding at all that keeping a hamster in a tiny cage under the bed is terribly inhumane. Anyway, sorry about that--this issue makes me rage.

Anyway, the biggest problem a lot of people have with keeping fish or other animals in dorms is that almost all dorms do not allow you to use power strips or extension cords--and when you need an outlet for the light, heater, filter, and all the other stuff in your room that can be a problem. As for size, I remember ours had a ten gallon limit--you should definitely call and be 100% sure before you decide on a tank setup though.
 
#5 ·
Not sure whether she brought her cat because she was selfish or because she couldn't find someone to take care of it.

Most dorms don't allow power strips?! How do they expect students to set up their PC's, desk lamps, alarm clocks with limited outlets? Thank goodness the two dorms I lived in permitted power strips.
 
#6 ·
A lot of colleges will allow surge protectors. At least a lot in VA do. As long as it's a surge protector it's usually not against firecode because it just stops accepting power if there's a surge.
I'd say you should ask about having power strips and surge protectors when you call residence life about the gallon limit. =]
 
#7 ·
Thanks guys, I would most likely just take the 5 since it would be the easiest to handle. I will definetly double check before setting a tank up. I didn't know about the power strip thing either, guess I better ask about that too. Thanks :)
 
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