5 gallon tanks bursting?

I had them a long time ago when I lived in my own house. I live in an apartment now and would love to have some shrimps. I'm worried about tanks leaking or bursting flooding and causing damage to the lower floors of the apartment building. Is it common for tanks to just burst or leak out all of a sudden? I'm not looking to get a big tank 5-10gallons at most like my previous setup.

 

Welcome to FL


It can happen but its not really common. The one thing I would do is make sure you check the seals for any cracking and or wear.
I would buy brand brand new from a reputable seller. Sometimes when tanks are left too long ( like in a storeroom or warehouse ) in the hot sun or extreme temps, the seals will crack and give away so that's why even if its brand new, to check conditions. If you notice something, usually you can return it right away.
I always caution anyone to buy from a seller ( example such as craigslist ) unless they really know what to look for in terms of damage. You can't get your $$$ back if something goes wrong.

Also, another thing I would do is, when you bring the tank home, set it up and just fill it with water for at least 2 days - place the tank on a piece of newspaper or something to see if there's any wetness or leaks.

Your apartment complex may require you to get renters insurance if they know you have fish tanks. I know around here some require it.

Good luck!

 

Wow, that's a fast response! I guess I'm just imagining the worst but after moving into an apartment there are so many rules compared to living in a house I have to think before doing anything!

Okay so I plan to buy a new tank for sure to avoid surprises like you mentioned. In the 5 gallon range, I can have acrylic or glass. Would acrylic be more durable to leaks and breaks?

I had a 0.5 gallon kettle break and leak all over my counter and floor and I had s of that happening to a tank.... 0.5 gallons wasn't a whole lot of water but it worried me for a bit though.

I do have insurance...

 

I'm not sure if Acrylic is more durable that Glass. Maybe someone else can chime in on that. I have always had glass tanks.

Well water leaks can happen, that's why I would never buy a used tank because you may not have the full history on how it was used, where it was stored etc. The likelihood is probably very slI'm though.........

At least with 5 gallons, its not as bad as say 50 gallons if it does leak and even so, it will probably be a dribble and not a full on burst ( that is really rare! )

 

With a 5 or 10 gal tank, I don't think you need to worry about bad water damage to either your floor or the floors below if they do leak. And since they don't hold much water, there's not a whole lot of stress on the tank compared to larger tanks. And agreed with Juune, tanks usually slowly leak instead of outright burst.

 

Thanks for calming my fears! I'm gonna do it. Probably either the Fluval Spec V, Edge or Chi.

 

Fluval edges are very cool. I had one - its not running right now ( after Betta died a coupled of years ago ) Have fun!