[KingPopzy]

Got in a huge fight with my mother over this ( I live on my own ) I want to move my betta from a 10 gal to a 36 gal. My mom thinks that I am gonna burn down the building because there is too much plugged in. She also thinks It's gonna fall through the floor because I have a 55 gal in the same room ( not even near each other though ). And she thinks the electricity bill will sky rocket. I really want to put an end to this fight so please tell me

Will the floor give out

Will the electricity usage cause a fire

Also, What do land lords think of fish tanks in your experiance?

 

[Dalloway]

You may want to speak with your landlord if you haven't yet, they usually have a weight limit and a policy in place. This holds especially true if you're on the 2nd+ floors instead of the first. I know in one place a friend of mine lived he could not keep anything larger than 10 gallons (though he went and got like 8 5-10 gallons instead since there were no limits to the number of tanks in the lease which really defeated the purpose of having that on the lease to begin with...). I'm on the first floor but like every building in the Boston area my apartment is ancient and even I have a limit of 30 gallons I believe. A 36 gallon is probably not going to make a floor give out unless it already is structurally unsound but if you're that worried you can always relocate the tank to a structural/load-bearing wall.

Electricity isn't too bad with aquariums I find. The filter and maybe a bubbler/aerator if you have those are the only things that really stay on 24/7. The heater turns on intermittently and the electricity pulled from it being plugged in and dormant is rather minimal even in higher wattage heaters I find. Light electricity usage are dependent on what you have to light the tank. LED are efficient while some lighting options are just energy sinks.

Honestly, many appliances still consume electricity when turned off but plugged in and you could probably offset the electricity bill by plugging off microwaves, TVs, monitors, etc. when not in use.

 

[KingPopzy]

You may want to speak with your landlord if you haven't yet, they usually have a weight limit and a policy in place. This holds especially true if you're on the 2nd+ floors instead of the first. I know in one place a friend of mine lived he could not keep anything larger than 10 gallons (though he went and got like 8 5-10 gallons instead since there were no limits to the number of tanks in the lease which really defeated the purpose of having that on the lease to begin with...). I'm on the first floor but like every building in the Boston area my apartment is ancient and even I have a limit of 30 gallons I believe. A 36 gallon is probably not going to make a floor give out unless it already is structurally unsound but if you're that worried you can always relocate the tank to a structural/load-bearing wall.

Electricity isn't too bad with aquariums I find. The filter and maybe a bubbler/aerator if you have those are the only things that really stay on 24/7. The heater turns on intermittently and the electricity pulled from it being plugged in and dormant is rather minimal even in higher wattage heaters I find. Light electricity usage are dependent on what you have to light the tank. LED are efficient while some lighting options are just energy sinks.

Honestly, many appliances still consume electricity when turned off but plugged in and you could probably offset the electricity bill by plugging off microwaves, TVs, monitors, etc. when not in use.

Oooooh okay. Thank you for the detailed answer !

 

[wildmountainthyme]

I have 3 10g tanks & 1 2.5g tank.

I run the lights in all tanks (2 bulbs each) 8-10hrs a day;

I run the filters (each 10g has 2 filters, 2.5 has 1) 24/7;

I run 2 air bubblers 24/7;

4 heaters 24/7;

I would say the increase in my electric bill (NYC) has been a max of maybe 3-5 bucks a month? If that much.

 

[VivianKJean]

+1 to talking to your landlord. I live in NYC and for a while I was thinking of getting a 40 gallon tank so I could start keeping puffer fish (its a crazy unrealistic dream of mine). I spoke to my landlord and she told me that she does not allow tanks over 20 gallons. She said that any tank over 10 had to have a proper aquarium stand to hold the weight of the tank. She also said that the weight wasn't so much of a concern (like the floor collapsing) but if the tank broke and the water spilled out. 20 gallons of water is still enough to flood a ceiling and cause it to collapse ruining the tenant's stuff in the apartment below. She also told me that if I do have any fish tanks over 5 gallons I needed to have renter's insurance (so the damages get taken care of, etc).

In my experience (and my landlord is really awful), if you talk to your landlord ahead of time then they will be more likely to let you do what you want. Personally I probably could have convinced her to let me to get a 40 gallon tank. She likes me and knows I'm responsible (ie pay my rent on time, don't cause problems, etc). So even if your landlord seems hesitate just talk to them about it more.

 

[KingPopzy]

oh my. See the thing is I already have a 55 gal my mom told me to just not mention at all. I would be afraid that if I asked her about the 36 she would say "thats to much" and I would just never speak of the 55. I thought it was a bad Idea to not tell her but too late now aaah

 

[VivianKJean]

you don't own the apartment, you rent it. Which means you actually do not have the right to put anything in your apartment without your landlord's permission. This means that say your 55 gallon tank breaks 5 minutes from now and floods your apartment, collapses the ceiling and flood the apartment below you, not only do you have to cover all of the damages but your landlord can sue you for just having the tank in your apartment. Meaning if your landlord walked in tomorrow and saw the tank, they can fine you or sue you.

 

[RNHime]

Ah, the joys of renting. Yes, with renting it usually more about concerns of water damage - what happens when those big tanks break. And I've seen it while house hunting, too. Idiot teens sent a weight bar through the front of their aquarium on the 2nd floor = biiig sagging spot in the ceiling below. Not pretty! Also, some things should not be kept in the same room together. ;P

Anyway, as for "safety" of a 10g vs 36g, they probably aren't much different in power consumption. But it's a little odd that your Mom would be concerned over weight when a 55g is nearly twice as much.

I would definitely hold off on getting another big tank, though. 10g is really nice for a betta, not really any reason to upgrade unless you want more community fish with him. (And not all bettas are cool with that.) In the mean time I'd be worried about what the overloard, er, landlord had to say about my 55g. You may want to pull out the paperwork for the lease and see if you can find any info. =)

 

[bubbles4ever]

+1 to everyone who said to talk to your landlord. I just wanted to add that if your landlord says no to tanks or large tanks, you may want to mention getting renters insurance. My friend was moving into a place that didn't allow any tanks, but he said he would be willing to purchase renters insurance which would essentially cover the cost of water damage if something happened. Once he showed them proof of insurance they signed off to him having a tank. It is an extra monthly cost, but just a thought, especially since you may already be breaking your lease with the 55 gallon.