new house new tank

[e46er]

So I just bought my first home and obviously need a tank.
my first reef tank was a 120 now I currently have a 250 DD in my shop but I need something for home.

strata says "a reasonable size with a reasonable number of fish" not quite sure they would see the 250 as reasonable.

Im not home a lot, Im home every night but usually only for 2-3 hours before I go to bed so Im leaning towards a small tank thinking 60 ish gal max. whats everyone preference for a small tank? it will be going in the den which is open to the entryway with a 1/2 height wall and large walk in entrance without a door. room is roughly 10x10 and will just have a small desk in it for any work I need to do from home.

Ive never had a cube which i think they look cool but not sure how easy they are to scape and for flow?? tank will be visible from 3 sides and will be an SPS tank. Im super happy with my evergrow lights over my 250 and my colors have never been better so Ill probably go with them again. I will probably get an apex jr dont think a small tank will require the full unit, which I have on the 250 so if I ever set up a bigger tank than that I already have the full version.

open to suggestions and not against the RSM and JBJ all in 1 tanks either........
any thoughts on optimum size/shape for small tank?

[intarsiabox]

40G Breeder has great dimensions for a smallish tank.

[Coasting]

65 gal was a really nice size. 36x18x24h. Gives you more height then a 40b and the added gallonage allows more flexability.
I really liked my 65.

[kyl]

So I just bought my first home and obviously need a tank.
my first reef tank was a 120 now I currently have a 250 DD in my shop but I need something for home.

strata says "a reasonable size with a reasonable number of fish" not quite sure they would see the 250 as reasonable.

Congratulations on the new place!

You're going to need to check with your insurance provider / broker and make sure that potential water damage via fish tank flood is accounted for. It's something people tend to overlook, my cousin (a broker) gave me the same lecture when I started.

As for the sizing, I would seek clarification from the strata as that is far too loose a definition and open to wide interpretation depending on the leadership.

[e46er]

Congratulations on the new place!

You're going to need to check with your insurance provider / broker and make sure that potential water damage via fish tank flood is accounted for. It's something people tend to overlook, my cousin (a broker) gave me the same lecture when I started.

As for the sizing, I would seek clarification from the strata as that is far too loose a definition and open to wide interpretation depending on the leadership.
Thanks!
I haven't got insurance yet so I will definitely look into that.

That's the exact wording in the strata bylaws "reasonable size aquarium with a reasonable number or fish" so I'd rather set up a 40-60 gal and deal with it later if they ever found out since like you said it's very vague and that's not a tank size people not in the hobby walk in and go "holy crap!" Like they do when they see anything over like 100 gal.

[Myka]

Congratulations on the new place!

You're going to need to check with your insurance provider / broker and make sure that potential water damage via fish tank flood is accounted for. It's something people tend to overlook, my cousin (a broker) gave me the same lecture when I started.

As for the sizing, I would seek clarification from the strata as that is far too loose a definition and open to wide interpretation depending on the leadership.

Agreed! I would make sure that once you get approval for your fish tank that you get it in writing too since with the wording they've left it open for themselves to be discretionary whenever they see fit.

[jhj0112]

Thanks!
I haven't got insurance yet so I will definitely look into that.

That's the exact wording in the strata bylaws "reasonable size aquarium with a reasonable number or fish" so I'd rather set up a 40-60 gal and deal with it later if they ever found out since like you said it's very vague and that's not a tank size people not in the hobby walk in and go "holy crap!" Like they do when they see anything over like 100 gal.

congrats on your new home! I just purchased a townhouse few months ago as well. If your place is a brand new place like mine, the strata is probably not fully functional yet. you may not get the answer from them now.

I have seen the strata that allows the tenant to have over 100G reef tank. I also have seen the strata that does not allow tenants to own anything over 30G. so it really depends on the strata.

However, it is important to have an insurance that covers water damage.
that's the first thing I did when I purchased my townhouse.

As for me, I have a RSM 130(34G) and I love it. I'm a big fan of RSM so I recommend RSM. I bought the used one and upgraded pretty much everything ( skimmer, pumps, lights, etc). I upgrade one by one to keep my interest on the tank.

[Animal-Chin]

I live in a townhouse with the exact same wording in the bi laws. I was on strata for years too. When saying "reasonable" its totally subjective so you're actually pretty safe if you just set up a tank. I have a 125 gallon with 8 fish currently, both are reasonable. What they don't want is you to turn your garage into a fish breeding operation with 27 40 gallon tanks and 1000's of guppies or whatever. That's not "reasonable". They also don't want you turning your livingroom into a 20,000 gallon shark tank, that's not reasonable. A regular saltwater aquarium that you can purchase at the store is reasonable. If you put in a 250 gallon and someone on strata questioned it, you'd win, the bi law is to vague.

I myself thought 125 was probably the limit. I don't need to reinforce the floor or anything like that, sounds reasonable. If I was adding to the sub floor to support the weight of my tank, I may have crossed the reasonable threshold but would still probably win if I fought it.

[Allpointswest]

I have a 60 gallon 33" wide x 18" Deep x 24" high tank and am moving to a 90 gallon. I find that the 33" - 36" tanks are not wide enough for my liking. if I was trying to stay with in the 60 -75 gallon tank range I would be looking at a 4 foot by 18 inch and 16 or 20 inch high tank (depending on your over all water volume you want.) the 90 gallon tank with sump is right at the 120 - 130 gallon total water volume and why I stopped there. I would have liked to have gone with a 48"x24"x18" high tank for more swimming space for the yellow tang. but just my 2 cents.

[e46er]

Agreed! I would make sure that once you get approval for your fish tank that you get it in writing too since with the wording they've left it open for themselves to be discretionary whenever they see fit.

Im going to get it in writing from the insurance for sure..... I wasnt going to even ask strata they set the "rules" not my fault they were vague.

the other thing Im going to do is buy a manufactured tank and stand as well even tho I build a much stronger stand its alot easier if something ever goes wrong its a matching manufactured tank nothing "homemade"


it will also be on the ground floor. I dont want a 75 plus either the 250 SPS takes most of my $$$

cheers for the insight guys