210 Reef in a condo
 

Hi Guys.

I've spent the last 9 months constructing my dream 210g reef tank with 55g sump, custom stand and hood, auto topup RO unit as well as drainage plumbed into the house's system etc. A couple of weeks ago I'm just about done with the build and filling her up with RO for the first time! My excitement abated slightly when circumstances in my life changed and I now have to sell my house, and buy a condo closer to town in the coming months.

This being said, is there any way I could keep a system this size going in a 700sqft apartment? I'll go for a place on the ground floor for weight concerns but I'm just worried about humidity levels, noise and life in general.

Any input will be most welcome!

I can't comment on noise, but a 210g tank and 55g sump with live rock, equipment, etc. is probably going to tip scales at about 3000 lbs and I'm not sure - without sufficient bracing - if it can be done.

I was going to make a mother-in-law joke here, but given the circumstances humour should probably wait.

weight
 

On the contrary, humour is all I have left! haha. I hear you on the weight concerns however, it has me slightly concerned too. I've been doing some research, and as long as you place the tank next to a load bearing wall and have a concrete floor it should work, in theory...

Noise can be easily eliminated with the right equipment so as long as you don't mind spending a little you'll be perfectly fine on that end. A condo building that is concrete structure and not just wood framing (anything above 3 stories must be concrete) will probably be OK if you can position it on or against a load bearing structure. You'll have a difficult time however getting actual permission form a condo board so best keep it on the down low. Humidity will require some work, you can go with lids with low heat lighting which will fix that or a dehumidifier which are noisy and not ideal but work.

Two of the people I know that live in condos, have a humidity sensor in the living room that will turn a fan on when the humidity raises above the setting you have adjusted it to.

what are the dimensions of the tank?

and yes I agree with sphelps about keeping the tank off the radar of the condo board. Most condos will allow a tank up to 75gal and make sure you get insurance, otherwise any damage to the building will hurt your pocket

+1 on insurance - the first thing I did before pulling the trigger on my 100 was call the insurance agent and find out what the policy was.

As for humidity, you probably won't have a problem. Most condos have a decent amount of circulation of air from the outside of the unit to the inside (unless you've sealed the unit real good), so you won't get much of a build up. In our unit (~600 sqft), the humidity is just fine with the tanks all going.

Thanks for the good advice guys.

It's a 72" x 24" x 29"tall on a 40" white stand, with the hood going all the way up to the ceiling. For lighting I'm running eight T5HO's so that should help cut down on the heat factor slightly as opposed to MH. I was thinking of running a dehumidifier during the day when I'm at work or something...

Just not sure if I'm being realistic in thinking I can pull it off with the move and the Strata guys.

IMO I wouldn't do it. I am in a 685 sq ft place right now with about 120 gallons of total water in my various tanks and the humitity is so high I need fans blowing on the windows to keep them from puddling.

If you were to do it I would strongly consider venting outside if possible, led lighting and a dehumidifier. As far as space concerns downsizing might be a better option for you... I hate to be the guy that throws a wrench in, but I certainly don't want to mislead you. :sad:

i know its not ideal because you want to keep your tank but when you sell the house just put a little for sale sticker on it some idiot who thinks COOL I LOVE THE FISH TANK! might pay more for it than what it cost you to get it in the first place, that way maybe you can rebuild a newer tank for the condo that better suits where you want it dimensions wise... i hope that made sense...