Tank location - If I have a big entertainment system...

[Lostmind]

Will the bass and such have a really negative effect on the quality of life for my tank?

I think the tank would look amazing in my living room, it fits perfectly into a nook in the wall.

But I am worried that when I watch my movies (about 2x per week) the bass from my sub could cause too much vibration for the tank.

Should I keep the tank in my home office, where I do have space for it, but where the tank doesnt look as good?

Opinions on sound systems and tanks? Any experiences anyone can share with me? Advice is MUCH appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[NKT]

Good question...since I consider myself an audio enthusiast I don't think I would ever put a tank of any size in the same room as my audio equipment. First of all noise from the tank will definitely be a distraction to any music that might be playing. Secondly, tank lights draw a ton of current...add that to some loud passages in a movie or song, and you'll definitely trip the circuit unless you have some heavy-duty electrical wiring.
As far as home theater, imagine watching a movie with the bright MH bulbs in the same room...just wouldn't work for me. Plus the heat from the tank in addition to the heat from audio equipment...yeow! Just my 2 cents... Good luck!

 

[NKT]

One other thing to keep in mind is that sound travels much more efficiently in water than in air...so they are probably getting the sound you hear magnified a couple times. I can't imagine that being healthy for some of the more sensitive tank inhabitants.

 

[Anonymous]

I would have to agree. If there were some way to dampen the sound for the inhabitants (I'm less worried about the power draw) then I would think it would be more humane. Remember, sound is used to kill by many aquatic creatures.

 

[Len]

Hmmmm. My tank is actually located very close to the big home theater system and it works out fine for me. My tank's inhabitants don't seem to mind the noise (completely nonresponsive to it). I'm not sure if it's the best idea to be constantly blaring loud soundtracks or stereo by my tank, but the occasional listening has no observable affect on my tank.

I'm using a 1200W Sunfire True Sub MK2, BTW. If that doesn't rattle my livestock, I'm not sure what will

 

[Anonymous]

I have the Sony Dream theatre in the same room as my tank. The noise from the tank is a little distracting if I am trying to listen to a movie with lots of whispering and loud noises(any horror movie) Other than that, And I think that is just me not wanting to turn it up loud enough, I think it is just fine.

SeaMaiden, I have heard of killing with sound.

I know just the music to completely decimate my tank

Kenny G, No, Boys to Men, No, Oh heck, Anything my wife likes to listen to.

That almost kills me, I can't imagine what is happening to the poor wittle snails

Bryan

 

[Lostmind]

NKT - you are voicing the same worries in my head. Exactly the same.

I have a nice enough system - toshiba 50' hdx82, denon avr3803, denon dvd900, Paradigm studio reference series <towers up front, bookshelf in rear, center channel>, Paradigm ps1000 sub, excellent wiring, UPS power backup, etc... BUT I barely ever push it (except during lotr II or somesuch).

My biz partner has a much nicer setup in his media room and he has had his tank in that room for 10 years. but he is also running FW.

Len echoes my biz partner exactly.

 

[Anonymous]

We bump some pretty loud sounds at my bar, live bands and such, and the fish don't seem to care at all. The power draw is a valid concern, though.

 

[Lostmind]

NKT - nice avatar btw.

if I am watching a movie, I could turn off the lights a bit early, right? How detrimental is that? The tank woud be situated 12' from the sub and 7' from the left tower speaker....

Also, my other option for location is in a room shared with 6 pc's, 3 monitors, printer, networking equip and a ceiling fan (recently installed to combat excess heat from the PC's). This is my home office.

IMO, the media room is bigger so heat isnt as much of a problem. Also, the media room is better wired (bigger circuits, two circuits for the room whereas the office has only 1 circuit for the whole room)... plus it looks good.

hmmmm. why everything has to be such a tough decision? sucks...

 

[Anonymous]

I think you could turn the lights off once in a while, There are cloudy days you now, and you could just tell your fish there is an eclipse!

BRyan

 

[Anonymous]

My five foot tank is in my living room, where the TV and home theater are. I literally blow the roof off the house whenever I watch films that demand it (LOTR, Star Wars, Gladiator) so much that I've walked down to the far end of the street (about 15 houses on one side) and I can still hear Gandalf's voice.

None of the fish paid any attention to the noise, save for the 10" annularis angel I had...he would always watch whenever he heard Yoda's voice...

Peace,

Chip

 

[Lostmind]

ahahha, I may just go with the living room because it has more pro's then cons so far in my mind... now I just have to ensure the floor can handle 120 gallon tank plus 70 gallon sump... :|

anyone know how much that would weigh full of rock and water?

 

[tkhawaja]

Sounds originating within a body of water travel far and faster than air. Sound does not transfer well when it has to cross over different media. ie air to water. I would mostly worry about the vibration caused by the bass / lfe vs the actual sound. Unless you're like marillion, you wouldn't want to explode the poor fishes swim baldders, now would you? :lol: Some fish, especially clown fish, get pissed off at you if you mess with their photoperiod. Do some research and make sure it's not going to cause undue stress. Having something like a screen to block the light from the tank might be a better idea. Better make sure about the weight before you put a tank there. I'm estimating my 100G w/ equipment to be around 1500lbs. Don't want your home theatre to end up in the basement unintentionally. I'm putting the tank in my living room on the main floor, except it's going parallel to the joists. This is what I did in the basement to make myself feel calm about all that weight. Support Beams at the 2' and 4' mark for a 6' tank.

 

[Lostmind]

Tahir, what you have done there is awesome.

But, I cant do that in my house - I have renters living in the basement suite of my house... I am sure they would be pissed if I put up a couple of pillars in their living room

However, that being said, my house is 60 years old. It is overbuilt according to the building inspector (a man *I* paid to look at the house, thus he should be telling me stuff closer to the truth then a realtor would be). I believe my floor joists are 2x10's and they run perpendicular to the base of my tank stand.

The one thing that may pose a problem is the area in the living room I will be sitting the tank in is a bay window type setup hanging 18 inches out from the side of the house. However, since my stand base is 28 inches wide and I will be be leaving 10 inches of space between the wall and the stand, I think I should be okay... as I will be putting the bulk of the weight directly on top of the frame from the basement wall... if that made any sense.

Or, my bay window area could just fall off my house and my tank goes splash in my yard... hmmm :|

 

[Anonymous]

If you can, inspect the actual sil and joists under where your tank is going to be sitting. My house is a hundred and there were some broken ones.

Bryan

 

[Mogo]

If I had the option I would not put a tank beside a sound system. If no choice I would devise a way to baffle the sound/vibration with foam or accoustic tiles. Then I would have a look at the electrical system and make darn sure the outlets, wires and speakers are out of the way when water inevitably gets on the floor.