Best tank size for a 3rd Floor apartment (Severums/Uaru)

[Cich-G-68W]

Hi all!

New to the site here, and keeping big fish in general and want some opinions. I’m going to be moving soon and will be capitalizing on it to do a necessary upgrade from a 55 gallon to hopefully a 90-125 gallon tank. Issue is I’m moving to a 3rd floor apartment. The fish I have right now are 2 Severums, 1 Uaru, 1 Geophagus Brasiliensis, 3 Guinacara Stregrosi (with young fry will sell all but 2 or 3), 2 rainbow cichlids (I plan to sell) 1 Altum angel(might sell), 2 bristlenose plecos and a royal pleco. All these fish are under 5” and I do 2 25-40% water changes a week an havent had any issues in the 6 month I’ve had them. I plan on keeping the decor to a minimum, a good piece of drift wood, some stones, and a XL Brazilian sword. My main question is what size would you recommend that is 1: Structurally speaking safe for an apartment and 2: meets the needs of my big fellas. Thanks for your help!

 

[Jexnell]

The problem your going to run into in most apts nowadays only allows 55gal tanks or smaller, due to weight issues. A 55gal is around the same weight as your bath tub full of water with an adult in it. And also standard apt water heaters are around the 55gal range, so again same weight range.

You may get away with bigger tanks like me if you live in a older, owner managed complex. But again I am in a single floor unit. Being on the third floor changes things a lot. Imagine blowing a seam on a 200gal plus tank and all that water running thru both apts below you....

 

[Cich-G-68W]

Yeah the whole 3rd floor thing has caught me by surprise a bit. Was looking for a first floor but this place has the best rent ect so my wife has swayed me into it. When I asked the manager about it she said she wasnt sure what the policy was and she’d look around for anything so ultimately I’m waiting on that call back. From what I’ve been reading in other places 100 gallons is like the safe max if I have it on a load bearing wall on a good stand positioned perpendicular to the joists. My overall goal is getting the smallest tank that I can comfortably keep them in for the next 2-3 years.

 

[Gourami Swami]

It really depends on the house/building, no way to tell you what load your floor will bear through the internet. May need to have an engineer/architect take a look. I've kept a 125gallon on second floor of a 100 year old wooden house with no problem, against a load bearing wall. Also had a 90 gallon and 70 gallon side by side on 3rd floor of a different old house. But this doesn't mean your floor will support it. I would assume it would, but no way to tell you for sure.

As far as the tank size and fish stock you have, your stock will be quite a lot for even a 125 gallon. The severums, uaru, and brasilliensis can all reach 10-12" and will be bulky fish. The Geo tend to get mean when large. And the royal pleco, not sure how big it is not, but they can become large bulky poop machines. Then you have an assortment of medium size fish as well. In all honesty, to keep all of those, I think you would need more like a 180 gallon. You could try it in a 125 and remove some if issues arise. Bioload would be heavy when mature. I wouldn't even try with that stock in a 90 gallon or lower personally. May work for a bit if they are small now, but not 2-3 years most likely.

 

[Raka]

Is this in the US?

I never heard of an apartment even allowing a fish tank larger than 5 or 10 off the ground floor. Very interested in your outcome!

 

[neutrino]

Owner policy is one thing, but in terms of construction, it very much depends on the your particular building and might include building age and condition, contractor who built it (and their particular methods and materials), building codes when and where it was constructed... for example, some multi-apartment buildings have concrete floors-- even with wood floor joists, there are different types.

 

[Ash02]

Unless you have a structural engineer come look at it, you should limit yourself to 55 gallons. Anything larger and you risk gradual sagging which could result in an unbalanced load, which could result in a really pissed off landlord and downstairs neighbor.

 

[darth pike]

Also would get renter's insurance in case of a leak causing damage to multiple floors below you, if available where you are.

 

[tlindsey]

Hi all!

New to the site here, and keeping big fish in general and want some opinions. I’m going to be moving soon and will be capitalizing on it to do a necessary upgrade from a 55 gallon to hopefully a 90-125 gallon tank. Issue is I’m moving to a 3rd floor apartment. The fish I have right now are 2 Severums, 1 Uaru, 1 Geophagus Brasiliensis, 3 Guinacara Stregrosi (with young fry will sell all but 2 or 3), 2 rainbow cichlids (I plan to sell) 1 Altum angel(might sell), 2 bristlenose plecos and a royal pleco. All these fish are under 5” and I do 2 25-40% water changes a week an havent had any issues in the 6 month I’ve had them. I plan on keeping the decor to a minimum, a good piece of drift wood, some stones, and a XL Brazilian sword. My main question is what size would you recommend that is 1: Structurally speaking safe for an apartment and 2: meets the needs of my big fellas. Thanks for your help!

Welcome aboard

I agree with all the above.

 

[phreeflow]

I’m no expert by any means but back when I looked into this, the consensus I got from most people is that 60 gallons and below is probably safe. So that’s what I did but I made sure it was against a load bearing wall and sitting perpendicular to the joists. That being said, no one would be able to give you an answer over the internet.