First Timer - Tank Location

retmaze

Non-member
Hello New Friends,

My name is Matt and I'm from the Boston metro area. Long time reader, first time poster. I'm writing with a variety of questions and am hoping you all can: #1 convince me this is a good idea :) and #2 calm my anxiety.

I've been interested in a salt water setup for a long time now. Ever since keeping freshwater fish with my dad as a kid, I've always wanted to pursue saltwater. I was never allowed back then, but finally after years of being ready to "pull the trigger" I'm back to reading posts, watching videos, and trying to learn as much as I can. (In my old apartment I even hired a structural engineer to make sure the floor could support a big tank - it could! - and I still wussed out.

First things first - regarding tank location, do you all have an opinion on the following 3 spots (see pics attached). These are all on a concrete slab floor.

#1 - interior wall with no baseboard heat - 9.5' long
#2 - interior wall with baseboard heat - 6" long
#3 - inside a defunct fireplace - 28" long x 18" deep (probably not recommended for a newbie)

Next, regarding money, I know this is an expensive hobby. I do have some extra, but am I crazy to not sock it away for kids college?

Finally (for now), regarding time and lifestyle. Is it possible to go away for a weekend? Are there services where someone would come and feed/perform maintenance if away for an extended period of time.

Thank you in advance for your advice
 

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I would say location 1 is the best in my opinion. As for kids college my parents did not pay for any of mine haha.. and going away for the weekend is possible depending on what you plan on keeping. I have left for a week before without any ill effects on my tank, but again it depends on your equipment and what you're keeping. I keep pretty low maintenance things
 
I vote for option 1. I would think the heaters could be an issue in the winter. Unless you are VERY short, I would think that in the fire place would be too low. In front of the fireplace might work though. You could use the fireplace itself for a sump.

Even though I can be an expensive hobby, you can be frugal, especially when you are just starting out. There are a lot of people who get out of the hobby and sell their good equipment and there are always people upgrading to larger or fancier tanks that sell their old stuff.

Regarding going away, there are a number of small businesses that do rank maintenance and such, they could probably take care of you for a longer trip. Weekends are not so bad. You can have a friend come by to feed the tank. There is also an ever growing number of pet sitting services that will do almost any pet care from walking the dog to bathing your alligator.

Either way, welcome to the hobby and the club.


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I also like the first location - but also consider where you will be sitting and enjoying the tank. A nice wall in a room that you are hardly ever in is not going to be as enjoyable as a smaller location that you will spend a lot of time near.
 
Agree with caps on the room
Out of your options #1 is the best for wall space. Kids fund will depend on what you want in the tank lol
For a weekend I doubt you’ll have a issue but for a week you can teach a family member/friend to feed the tank and verify some perimeters a couple times a week
 
I have mine in my living room so I can enjoy it more.

So if number 1 is the dining room or living room then go for that! If number 2 is your entry way/living room that could work. Just monitory temperature and turn off the base board of you can.

As for kids college fund... friends of mine said they went to a seminar and people get more money for assistance. My friends told me don’t save for college, buy vacation homes. Be cash poor and you will get more assistance. Then sell the home to pay off the (smaller) loans. So buy a boat, get a vacation home in St. Lucia, Costa Rica, and get some nice fish [emoji847]


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LOL here’s to Costa Rica! #1 is a living room that gets plenty of use and is seen right when entering the house, so I think that’s where it’ll go.
 
LOL here’s to Costa Rica! #1 is a living room that gets plenty of use and is seen right when entering the house, so I think that’s where it’ll go.

I just noticed you have two usernames? Assuming one is logged in on the phone and one on the computer... but maybe consolidate [emoji16]


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Very observant! Yes, I created one back in 2011 and forgot about it until now. It wasn’t until I was signing up again that I figured out my old password. I’m happy to delete retmaze5 and consolidate to retmaze (or an admin can?)
 
Location 1 looks best from my house as well. That baseboard heater is just going to get in the way...plus you probably don't want your tank next to an exterior door due to the fact that it might be in the way if you go to move something in or out of the house.

Might want to move slow and try a smaller tank first and upgrade later? There's always plenty of tanks for sale around here and would be much cheaper than getting in over your head to start.
 
Only issue with location 1 I see is glare on the TV, otherwise it's the best of the 3.

I've leave my tank alone for a week+ fairly often, an auto-feeder and apex are key to having some sanity while away.
 
As penguin6 said glare can be an issue with the wife. It was for mine so I built a canopy to keep the lights only pointing down.

So if glare is the factor, build/buy a canopy.


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also...i just left my tank for 2.5 weeks...and other than my light crapping out on me, the Apex and Automatic Feed System did its job and kept everything alive! It's hard to imagine this hobby without controllers/automation of some type, but a lot of us here have been in the hobby since before those things were even a thought...so it CAN be done without it.

just don't end up a slave to your tank...that's absolutely the worst. nothing like taking a really interesting hobby and making it the greatest source of stress in your life.
 
What is the concern about TV glare? That the tank lights could intefere with watching TV or vice versa?
 
What is the concern about TV glare? That the tank lights could intefere with watching TV or vice versa?

Yeah you get nice blue glare on the tv while you are trying to watch it.

Canopy will remove that. With a standard rectangle tank they are super easy to build. I did a bow front which was a little more interesting to do [emoji16].


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My TV is right next to my tank and none of my family members have ever complained.


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Same here but I do have it semi shielded because of my daughter not looking into the lights
 
Mine too. I think mine is close enough to even with the TV that there is no glare, with no canopy (same wall but perpendicular, about 6' away). Across from the TV would be worse than along the same wall, same as windows with the TV, or lights, etc.
 
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