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you all are great.

i love the support you are all giving me on going for this and trying it out.


my backup would be the two ten gallon setups which i would have the filter and heaters for from the 29 gallon tank.


Last edited by phoenix5724 at 16-Aug-2005 22:29

haha thanks for the pre-law suggestion, i'm actually going to be a junior this fall and i'm waist deep in my biology major.


Last edited by phoenix5724 at 18-Aug-2005 22:09

College Bound - I don't think you lose anything by asking - you don't have to give specifics of who you are but it never hurts to ask just so you know what the potential consequences are in the event you knowingly are in violation - it's not a great way to start your college days - anyway good luck - hope you apply yourself in school with the same diligence you've shown in creating this thread - as far as your reading and intepretation of the guidelines - I would suggest pre-law - just keep saying that it is ambiguous and not clearly worded -

Esquire

Of course another way round this is to invite staff to view the proposed setup before you set it up, present them with a range of calculations (error checked of course!) that among other things proves your setup won't compromise building regulatiions vis-a-vis floor stresses, and also put forward a case that the presence of your fish will be an aid to study (which of course will be the case if you're taking biology or related classes!). You can also point to academic papers citing fishkeeping as a therapeutic activity that has a beneficial effect upon the mind (try Google Scholar and see what that throws up!), in short, compile a dissertation as to why your aquarium should be allowed. If you're prepared to go to those lengths, chances are the staff will be impressed. One, because you've made an effort to comply with regulations instead of trying to shaft them, two, because the effort expended will also convince them you'll make a diligent student (and therefore less likely to attract unwelcome attention if any frat parties go haywire for example!) and three, it'll show you've used your brain, which is after all what you are supposedly going into higher education for.

I know that's the approach I'd take. Not least because if there's one thing I've learned about people in authority, it's this. Doing things in a way that convinces them you have some repsect for the command chain gets you a LOT further than trying to buck the system.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

oh i've looked it over and over and i have ways of getting out of it i believe, there is no where stating anything specific, if ten gallons is not written down it's not written down so i can fight it a little, or at least enough to get out of a fine if one arises before i need to remove the tank. If i have to move it i will ask a teacher for use of one of their rooms and go about setting it up in there OR just go with two tens....probably the two tens but the setting it up in a room isn't a bad idea either.

Adam

I don't think that a 29 gallon would be out of the question. I keep looking at mine, and while it can be considered a good sized tank, it is relatively small compared.

Also, the school has no grounds on which to penalize you. It only says that it only allows small aquarium fish. That is not very specific. If they mean physically small fish, then any size tank would be allowed. You would just have to stock a 700 gallon with tetras (that’s a LOT of tetras). If they mean small aquarium, then I would say that a 29 would qualify.

Also, if they were really concerned about this, I think they would be a little more specific about it. If the school had a serious problem with aquariums, I don't think they would be so general about it. I bet if you look under the dress code, I bet the rules are a little more specific.

Anyway, good luck. Hope it works out for ya, college can be a pain.

I say if you are not allowed, ask them if there is a science room that you can leave it in. Tell them you will check up on it all of the time and keep it clean.


I bet you that they will let you do that if you get caught. It's something that the classes can use in return.


This is just a thought seeing how most schools have tanks in a room somewhere.


Good luck!!!
Angel Eel

woops oh yes you are correct.

It will weight another 25 or 30 pounds because of the substrate, then filters and heaters.

still the square inch thing doesn't make it look heavy. lol

"mathmatically a 30 gallon tank full weights 343 pounds. if the stand was only the size of the base of the tank 36x12 then that gives you 28lbs/sq ft. or a little less than 1 lb per square inch"

There are 144 square inches in a square foot, 3 square feet in your measurement, so about 114 lb per square foot, less than 1 lb per square inch again. Sorry, that just didn't look right...

BUT - the tank will weigh more than the water because you'll also have rocks, substrate, the tank glass, the stand, etc. Still not a whole lot...

><>

I ordered the two filters and two heaters so I'll be able to switch setups if needed.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.

Yes, try two 10 gal. tanks &amp; see how it goes.
Good luck with your school &amp; fish keeping.


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already did.

they say one thing but it's not written down in the handbook and regulation is not specific.

mathmatically a 30 gallon tank full weights 343 pounds. if the stand was only the size of the base of the tank 36x12 then that gives you 28lbs/sq ft. or a little less than 1 lb per square inch of flooring which doesn't seem bad. it would be near a wall in the corner of the building.

i think i might try it and if all fails i'll go with two ten gallons, if that is illegal then i hide them.

yah well call the housing and residence life office tomorrow, and ask them about tank limitations.

we've got one cold saltwater tank with some inverts in it but no fish. it's sad.

my college only allows fish tanks up to 20G, simply because then it becomes a weight issue(especially on the upper floors) and also that tanks can get way to large otherwise. besides my school has fish tanks in some of the buildings, nice Sw tanks.

Last edited by Megil Tel'Zeke at 16-Aug-2005 22:52

&lt;span class=&amp;quot;quote&amp;quot;&gt;"No pets other than small aquarium fish may be kept in the residence halls.
Students found with pets not specifically allowed will be initially fined $25, and then fined $25 per day until the pet is removed."&lt;/span&gt;

This is all that is specified, does this mean that i can only have small fish, or only have small aquarium with fish. I think it can be read: small-aquarium-fish, like small fish that live in an aquarium but maybe its small-aquarium fish and if so, there is no distinction of what is a small aquarium.

I really want to take my 29 gallon and i have a large stand for it so it'd be alot of weight but over a large area, the last thing i want to do is get it going and be told i need to take it out.

Last edited by phoenix5724 at 16-Aug-2005 13:26

Get a betta! Just not worth the hassle if you get called on it.

Only way I woul go for t with a bigger tank would be if I had a surefire back up. In other words if I had someone/where I could take the set up if I got a fine of $25. Other than that you will have to get new homes for the fish and dismantle a possibly expensive setup all while $25/day accrues. Then you would have a setup sitting not being used and back to square one with no fish.

&lt;sigh&gt; guess I am just a play by the rules kind of gal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Go for it, under these conditions
1. There is room for it on your side of the dorm room.
2. Your roommate doesn't mind.
3. Your roommate isn't a total snitch.
4. You can easily bribe your roommate.

In all honesty "you" didn't recieve and answerand a 29 gallon is *cough* small, in comparison to uh a 125, 240, etc.

Just make sure you have a back up plan in case they decide that 29 gallons doesn't look like 10 and want to throw a fit I'm willing to bet the dorm people don't know for sure what a 10 gallon actually looks like, so you should be safe but don't blame me if something goes wrongand uh let's pray for no leaks

heidi

EDIT: I'm going to read it as small fish, in an aquarium type readingso uh get some neons, harlequins and other "smallish" fish

Last edited by houston at 16-Aug-2005 22:13

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

So i had a friend write the head of housing and the plant department and pose as a prospective student and ask what the clarification meant. The responce was something to the effect of only ten gallon tanks being allowed. My friend currently has two ten gallon tanks full on the shelf in his closet without any problem. I see it rediculous that i wouldnt be able to have my 29 so now it's just the debate on whether to try it or not....i'de really like to, i think if i buy double filteres and double heaters i can always switch to two tens pretty quick although they won't both be able to fit on my tank stand

Simply ask for clarification.

Does the rule place a limit on aquarium size specifically, or does it place a limit on inmate size (which I consider more likely)?

I remember my old university allowed aquaria provided you didn't try and keep anything ridiculously huge or dangerous (i.e, no piranhas or electric catfish). They also allowed pet budgies and canaries, but not larger parakeets or parrots because of the noise problem. Anyone who has heard Peach Faced Lovebirds in full cry will understand this!

They also had restrictions at the time on creatures such as large spiders and scorpions, but that was because at the time the hazard status hadn't been quantified. I think UK universities are relatively OK with responsible pet ownership, and only start wielding the big stick if someone tries something stupid such as bringing a Mississippi Alligator into a hall of residence ...

Oh, the wording of the ruling was amusing back in the 1980s ... it said:

"Halls of Residence occupants are only allowed to keep as pets a caged bird or fish".

Er, a caged fish??? Hahahahaha ...


Last edited by Calilasseia at 16-Aug-2005 20:49

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002