Mixing home theatre system and aquascapes?

ShadowMac

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This may be a bit of a dumb question, but I still have an itch for a large aquascape and need this question answered.

Is there any issues/considerations with having an aquascape in a room that is also the media room where a fairly impressive home theatre system resides? It is the one room I have a good spot for a large tank, however I am concerned that thumping from the system could prove harmful to the residents of the tank.

I should say I do watch movies and play video games (battlefield 4 and titanfall lately) quite a bit so it isn't exactly the Philharmonic down there. Anyways, I thought it should be addressed when bouncing around the idea of putting a 120 cm or 180 cm aquarium in the room.

Thanks for your thoughts.
 

lapiana29

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Jan 22, 2014
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I think I would be more concerned with the moisture tbe tank may be giving off?

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Gerryd

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I would be concerned mostly about bass/vibrations disturbing the fish....

Plus, a large tank may increase humidity so you may need to wipe your equip more often..

What if the fish don't like your music :)

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I would be concerned mostly about bass/vibrations disturbing the fish....

Plus, a large tank may increase humidity so you may need to wipe your equip more often..

What if the fish don't like your music :)
 

Christophe

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I'm sure it disturbs the fish to some extent. How big a difference it makes in their health is probably somewhat hard to quantify. My tank on a cabinet on a hardwood floor (not concrete slab) probably gets the same effect or worse every time I walk by.
 

Gerryd

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Christophe;124115 said:
I'm sure it disturbs the fish to some extent. How big a difference it makes in their health is probably somewhat hard to quantify. My tank on a cabinet on a hardwood floor (not concrete slab) probably gets the same effect or worse every time I walk by.

Hmmmm, not sure you walking by your tank has the same effect as a nice subwoofer turned up :)

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Christophe;124115 said:
I'm sure it disturbs the fish to some extent. How big a difference it makes in their health is probably somewhat hard to quantify. My tank on a cabinet on a hardwood floor (not concrete slab) probably gets the same effect or worse every time I walk by.

Hmmmm, not sure you walking by your tank has the same effect as a nice subwoofer turned up :)
 

GR1KTR

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They'll be okay I reckon. It's not great for them, but I've never heard of a fish dying from semi-regular loud noises/vibration.

Sensitive, super anxious fish might suffer the most but still shouldn't perish as a result. Any fish dying would be very strange.

I think chronic vibration from a malfunctioning filter or air pump might do more harm, especially to something like elephant fish (Gnathonemus petersii, thanks Google).

Okay, now the confession.. I used to have a 5x2x2 tank with Australian Natives, pretty hard fish. I used to have a lot of house parties with music pumping and people around. I left the lights on so people could enjoy the fish. I didn't notice any effect on them. They were a little more skittish because of the noise, but returned to normal the next day. No ill effects really. It wasn't great for them but they'd settle down pretty quickly. :)
 

angus

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The biggest issue will be with bass frequencies. You might want to consider building/buying some bass traps, if you have room for them to reduce the amount of stray waves and tighten up the bass some. I have a fairly elaborate home theater system with four - 18" subs built into the ceiling as an "infinite baffle subwoofer". I wouldn't put an aquarium in the same room as my home theater. I know what my IB can do to me, my house, my dog, as well as my nearest neighbors who live about a hundred yards away. I'll bet any fish would enjoy the effects of my IB on them even less.
 

ShadowMac

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sounds like your system out does mine..very nice. My dog doesn't like to watch movies with us down there either. I know I can rumble the bedroom on the second floor from the basement. I am leaning towards skipping putting a tank in the room. It was my original plan, but I'm not sure it would be kind to the fish. I may have to swap out my 90 cm tank for one larger if I decide to upgrade. With the recent news of a baby on the way...I don't think I will be able to take on any new projects anyways. The plus side of putting a larger tank in that location is I actually might be able to plumb auto water change, etc into it since it is directly above my utility room with all the plumbing.