Size of Aquariums in Condos? - Page 2

darb · #11 11-12-2010, 01:58 AM

If that is all that the bylaw states is "reasonable" then I would say that the door is pretty much wide open to personal interpretation.

So personally, I would say that any production tank on the market is reasonable since they are commonly available through any LFS and mass produced .... sounds reasonable doesn't it?

I would also keep away from the strata if you are bent on getting as large of a tank as possible. Undoubtedly their interpretation of reasonable will come into play and may be considerably less that your interpretation. Maybe if you wan't to do some due diligence, start a poll in a thread and ask the question to your fellow peers: "what size aquarium do you think is reasonable?"

I am certainly not a structural engineer, but I can say that floors in a concrete mid/high rise are going to be a minimum of six inches of concrete and rebar; go into the stairwell of the building and you will be able to see how thick they are in the buildings that you are looking at. Again IMHO there is no way that 2 X 8/10s on 16 inch centres with a sheet of 1/2 inch ply on top are anywhere near as strong as 6 inches plus of concrete and steel.

So as long as you buy a production tank and stand combo and ensure that your insurance will cover you in event of catastrophic failure, you are within the realm of reasonable .....

steve fedyk · #12 11-12-2010, 03:16 AM

I had 120g tank with sump on the ground floor in a 7' stand, with no problems.
I did check to see how thick the foor was. When I pulled up the floor I saw tire tracks from a crane-all.
It was one of the polygon biuldings by pine tree and david.
I would look for a ground floor condo with the parkade under you. then get you can get your 300 g reef.

e46er · #13 11-12-2010, 03:22 AM

check with strata thats the smartest thing you can do reasonable to me is around 120G which i have but all my friends not in the hobby tell everyone "he has a f**king huge saltwater fishtank"

shrimpchips · #14 11-12-2010, 03:29 AM

I checked with our condo management office and insurance companies about restrictions and didn't find any. Mind you, a 130g system is plenty for me. I figured it's less volume than a queen size waterbed (albeit a smaller footprint), and the condo was totally ok with the idea of one of those.

mycat99 · #15 11-12-2010, 03:31 AM

when i moved into my condo was told a 120gallon was ok on 15th floor 4years later new condor board said no pet aloud at all they even when into my place to check was told to get rid of at pet or sell and move

Jeff000 · #16 11-12-2010, 04:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mycat99

when i moved into my condo was told a 120gallon was ok on 15th floor 4years later new condor board said no pet aloud at all they even when into my place to check was told to get rid of at pet or sell and move

They can't do that, against the law. Just an FYI.

I have a 90g with a 30g sump in my condo. Being on the ground level with a 12" slab I was told 300 gallon max.

ultreef · #17 11-12-2010, 06:39 AM

My strata says the exact thing, reasonable number of fish.

I have a 120g 4x2 footprint on the 12th floor. Building is a year old. However, they don't know about it and I don't plan to let them know.

I believe that if there is no by-law stating the exact gallon, then you be the judge. But don't over do it with a 300g. They might put in new by-law later but until then, I'm good. And as someone said already, I don't think they can make a new by-law and convict you of it afterward.

Do get insurance if you want a tank in your condo. Accidents do happen and water does quite a bit of damage.

sphelps · #18 11-12-2010, 01:20 PM

Typically 120 is as large as you want to go in condos and apartments, especially with sump. You can larger without issues most of the time but 300 gallons would be too much, not only for structure but liabilities due to any water damage. There's no way a typical condo would allow it.

KPG007 · #19 11-12-2010, 06:53 PM

Many times stratas say 'reasonable' just to cover their butts in case something bad happens. You can buy a 60g and if it goes through the floor they can say it was 'unreasonable' size and make you liable for damages.

Usually, if there is no noise, smell, leaks, complaint issues, you can keep pretty much anything you want - as long as it's legal. As soon as you get one complaint, any size can be too big. That's why they're being vague.

NanoHuman · #20 11-12-2010, 11:55 PM

My building limits to 30 gallons. I have a 28 gallon that I drilled and a hidden 30 gallon sump that I have hidden. It passes inspection when the yearly fire alarm inspection takes place