Quote:
Originally Posted by baum89
i would love a 72 but i am going off to college in the fall and i dont think a 72 would fit in my dorm...
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Not to mention there are likely restrictions on how large an aquarium you can have in the dorms... At UWEC, the "rules" state 10gal. I, of course, put a 20gal in my room a few years back since there were two residents and only one fish tank.
I never had it questioned, but I know I could have argued my logic/math on that one.
Understand that keeping a saltwater tank in a dorm is almost impossible to pull off without LOTS of work on your part. You'll have to truck in RO/DI water or you'll get terrible algae problems. You have to make it nearly silent to avoid your roommate wanting to kill you. Most importantly, though, you have to find the time to work on it despite classes and everything else that's bound to make your life really hectic when you move on to higher education.
I say this from personal experience. My 20gal was a disaster... I had huge water quality issues, leading to algae problems that I was never able to get rid of. Also, as time got harder and harder to devote to the tank, it became a losing battle. So, know that you have to keep a reef tank very very VERY simple if you want one in your dorm. Your best bet is to house some easy-to-keep corals that don't need much light. I'd avoid fish entirely, as they'll be your biggest source of water quality issues. In fact, you could avoid needing a skimmer if you didn't keep fish, and were committed to doing some weekly water changes to keep the water quality optimal. But, just do whatever you think you can safely handle. Don't go "overboard" on the tank during college, or you'll end up harming the creatures in it like I did for a couple semesters... It wasn't fun, and I felt like a terrible fish owner...
Whatever you decide upon, let us know. We'll do our best to get you off to a better start than I did when I set up my 20gal in my dorm room. Keeping a small tank has its unique challenges, but it can be done easily in a dorm room if you don't try to make it too complex and plan out exactly what you want the tank to be in the end. Best of luck!
-Joe
