Big tanks growing in popularity

[TroyPham]

I was watching the Today Show this morning and they had a spot on about fish tanks and the growing populartiy of them. They were showing hug tanks 750gall and up in the price range of 1mill. they showes a acrylic tub tank that was 1350 gallons. fish only with fake reef. the house was in atlanta and said the tank cost 125k. it was nice. one other house they showed was in cali. and the owner said she spent over 200k on the tank and it cost her 1k a month to keep it up. they showed a guy diving in it to keep it clean. i'm guessing it to be in the 1000g range. they also showed a house and a custome tank builder that built a tank into the wet bar. i've seen pics of this tank before on the net. i'll see if i can dig them up... but he said the house sold in 10days on the market because the buy loved the tank.

guess we need to start putting bigger tanks in our house to make them sell faster!!

pretty good little spot.

[GaryP]

Actually having a big built in can be a problem when it comes time to sell. Sure, you may come across someone that like tha tank, but there are probably a lot more buyers that won't like it then will. Of course in the price range that you are talking about they will be more likely to hire a service guy to take care of it, just like they do for the lawn and the pool. Those aren't really hobbyists. The tank is just like another piece of furniture.

[Euclid]

a **** fine piece of furniture thank you very much =)

[GaryP]

You and I would think so. A non-hobbyist wouldn't necessarily think of it that way. Imagine yourself as a rooky hobbyist and your first tank being a 500 gal. built in reef tank. Can you say intimidating boys and girls? Can you say clueless?

Most people's response would simply be, "that looks like a lot of work. OK, let's go look at the next house."

[falcondob]

You and I would think so. A non-hobbyist wouldn't necessarily think of it that way. Imagine yourself as a rooky hobbyist and your first tank being a 500 gal. built in reef tank. Can you say intimidating boys and girls? Can you say clueless?

Most people's response would simply be, "that looks like a lot of work. OK, let's go look at the next house."

Yeah, just wait until they get the first water and electric bill. They will storing lawn furniture in it.....

[GaryP]

The same sort of thing happens with a pool. People that otherwise may be interested in your home will not make an offer simply because of the pool.

In case you are wondering, the tank will not increase the sales price of the house. You're basically giving it away. So, between that and making the home less saleable, its a lose/lose situation. However, I am talking about an average home here. If you are selling a million $ home, I suppose it becomes a non-issue. I somehow don't think the guy with a $125,000 tank lives in a 3 bedroom starter house. That sounds like the tank that Paletta designed in Chicago that he described at his talk at Sea World.

[TroyPham]

your right Gary. most of the houses were million+.

[caferacermike]

Wow a 3 bedroom starter house? I wish I could afford a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 900sqft house in Central Austin. I'd pack it with 3 240g tanks. 'Cept those "starter" houses start around $300,000.

[TroyPham]

here's the link to the spot

http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=4ADD5546-D4F7-455F-9349-213159073B84&f=06/64&fg=copy

[TexasTodd]

Cool link, gotta love newer computers!

Someone ought to tell them all those bubbles are going to get salt spray all over heck!

Todd

[GaryP]

Wow a 3 bedroom starter house? I wish I could afford a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 900sqft house in Central Austin. I'd pack it with 3 240g tanks. 'Cept those "starter" houses start around $300,000.
That's what you get for living in Austin. :) You need to look into some other neighborhoods.

[GaryP]

here's the link to the spot
And not a live coral in sight. These folks have more money then taste.

[caferacermike]

Wow a 3 bedroom starter house? I wish I could afford a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 900sqft house in Central Austin. I'd pack it with 3 240g tanks. 'Cept those "starter" houses start around $300,000.
That's what you get for living in Austin. :) You need to look into some other neighborhoods.

I'd move out of Texas before I move out of Austin.

[cpreefguy]

http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=4ADD5546-D4F7-455F-9349-213159073B84&f=06/64&fg=copy

[GaryP]

I'd move out of Texas before I move out of Austin.
There is a lot of affordable housing in Austin. Just not in that part of downtown. Give loans_fishes a shout.

[saltcreepette]

yeah central Austin real estate is just crazy.

I saw the spot too. I thought the tank with the faux coral was pretty hideous. funny how those guys think it looks good and its an eyesore to us!

[brewercm]

I'd move out of Texas before I move out of Austin.

Ahhh, one of them NE/NW transplants to Texas. ;)

[NaCl_H2O]

Let the flames begin ... Anyone living north of Travis Lake is a "YANKEE" !!!
;) ;) ;)

[brewercm]

I kid you not on this. When the Texas quarter was being created and they had several different plans out there for folks to make comments on, they originally had two with the Alamo on them. Folks from the Dallas, Austin, and Houston areas were making comments about why the Alamo should NOT be on the coin, "it doesn't have anything to do with them or Texas, only San Antonio" seemed to be the most commont statement I was. I was ready to start our own little Texas civil war to get rid of these morons that obviously know nothing about history, and are apparently not native Texans.

Get a rope. :P

[saltcreepette]

apparently they didnt 'remember the alamo'

[caferacermike]

Sweet Brewer thanks a ton. Was just setting up my Paypal accoutn again to go charter. Instead I think I'll move back to MI. I guess being here for 10 years and adding thousands to the Texas tax bas has nothing to do with it or the $20,000 I annually dump back into the economy or the $14,000 I drop to my landlord. I guess I should pack my bags and stop donating to the local pediatric cancer patients with my huge donation made annually through www.harvestclassic.org going directly to the Any Baby Can foundation.

If I'm not wanted in TX, I'm not wanted here at MAAST. I'll pack and leave as soon as possible.

No reason to drop that $25 to MAAST when the Board of Directors himself wishes I'd fall off the face of Texas. Just remember only the New World Indians and the Mexicans are truly Texans, all else just stole it from them and claimed it as theirs. Hmmm, maybe if I kicked you out of your house and claimed it as mine I could become a "true" Texan.

[matt]

Jeez, calm down, would you? If that's all it takes to get you worked up, you're gonna have a hard time on even as friendly a board as this one. He even had a smiley!

[seamonkey2]

did I miss something?, I thought Steve was making a joke, in the same line, typical Austin resident(the past statement was a sarcastic comment) but if you take personal, oh well.

and what do mesicans have to do with this? or injuns for that matter, hi oh silver away :P

Jose

[caferacermike]

I guess you guys don't know what an Ahole I can be. I was be sarcastic right back at him. I have no intentions of leaving ATX. Just wanted to point out that there would not be an Alamo to remember if the Mexicans hadn't wanted it back after we stole it. My reply in it's overtly sarcastic tone was to shed light upon Brewer for making such a bda reply in the first place. Had I not heard what he has said so many times before I wouldn't have known that he was joking. Now think about a member that just joined a few days ago after moving here from someplace else and reading that posts. think about that members interpretation of Brewers reply. Basically telling that new member to shove it up his arse. Honestly I knew where he was going with his reply and to anyone that has been here long enough it may have been funny. even the comments about living north of the Colorado and being a Yankee. But please think about other folk that might take it seriously.

[wtrujillo]

Sweet Brewer thanks a ton. Was just setting up my Paypal accoutn again to go charter. Instead I think I'll move back to MI. I guess being here for 10 years and adding thousands to the Texas tax bas has nothing to do with it or the $20,000 I annually dump back into the economy or the $14,000 I drop to my landlord. I guess I should pack my bags and stop donating to the local pediatric cancer patients with my huge donation made annually through www.harvestclassic.org going directly to the Any Baby Can foundation.

If I'm not wanted in TX, I'm not wanted here at MAAST. I'll pack and leave as soon as possible.

No reason to drop that $25 to MAAST when the Board of Directors himself wishes I'd fall off the face of Texas. Just remember only the New World Indians and the Mexicans are truly Texans, all else just stole it from them and claimed it as theirs. Hmmm, maybe if I kicked you out of your house and claimed it as mine I could become a "true" Texan.

I'd say pack your bags and leave. :D

[brewercm]

That's what the little smiley faces are for. Sorry if you took offense to it but the statement aftwerwards about the state quarter was factual, and in a large part it was because of people that move to Texas and didn't understand the big deal about the Alamo.

BTW, my heritage is native American, German, and Irish but mostly indian. I guess I have to decide whether to leave the country, stay because it was mine first, flip a coin and see if I can share it with the Mexicans. Oh heck, I think I'll just sit back have a beer and whiskey and think about it for a while. :D

[caferacermike]

Also wanted to point out that I remember reading somewhere in here that as part of being a member that slanderous posts are not allowed. This entire thread could be considered slanderous if you happened to be an owner of one of these tanks. I know for a fact that these types of tanks do exist in Austin as I have seen a few in the multi million dollar homes I have been part of the construction team. So keep in mind that maybe 1 or 2% of the members here could be the owner of said aquarium and may now be thwarted to respond due to the harsh criticism they may fear, just as above posts point out will happen to them. Keep in mind that those folks with the thick wallets are the ones helping to keep the doors open at the LFS. We hobbyists might be the meat and potato's but I don't think any retailer here would have a problem ordering $20,000 worth of equipment for someone wanting to build a 5,000g tank but not knowing anything about the hobby. So if there is a no slander requirement on this forum how can criticising another persons tank not be considered slanderous?

[TroyPham]

Wow a 3 bedroom starter house? I wish I could afford a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 900sqft house in Central Austin. I'd pack it with 3 240g tanks. 'Cept those "starter" houses start around $300,000.

i think that this post rubbed a few people the wrong way(kinda of elitist sounding and your post above doesn't sound any better(IMO)) :D . What Gary was saying is true.... this is the size of most starter houses. Now yes in some areas this may not be the case. but in the 'burbs of SA, N. Austin, Round Rock, Houston, or any other TX city it is true. you live where you live and it's by choice. You happen to live in a high rent/high housing demand area. with the ease of being in the middle of all the action, so you pay for it. If you want you could move to a starter 3brd,2bath house for 125k. maybe these don't fit your standard of living. ;)

[TroyPham]

Main Entry: 2slander
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English sclaundre, slaundre, from Anglo-French esclandre, alteration of escandle, from Late Latin scandalum stumbling block, offense -- more at SCANDAL

1 : the utterance of false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another's reputation

i don't think i read any slander in these post.

no one defamed or damaged anyones reputation. they just said their tanks were ugly.

just like someone can say my tank is ugly. but they didn't damage my reputation.

[TroyPham]

Wow a 3 bedroom starter house? I wish I could afford a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 900sqft house in Central Austin. I'd pack it with 3 240g tanks. 'Cept those "starter" houses start around $300,000.
That's what you get for living in Austin. :) You need to look into some other neighborhoods.

I'd move out of Texas before I move out of Austin.

he didn't tell you to get out of Austin. No one did. cept you.

[TroyPham]

ok enough sturing up the poop in the DSB. i'll stop.

[saltcreepette]

I dont think anyone here has been truly personally offended, just speculating some what ifs. I personally interpreted the post brewer made as talking about those who didnt do their homework and were talking out of ignorance. As for yanks, I guess I am one since I was born in Iowa, but my feelings arent hurt. how can you take anything personally on a forum where most likely people dont know each other personally and where anyone can say what they want? who cares. take away the good, leave the bad, and try not to be ugly just because 'you interpreted' someone else to be so. (I have to take my own advice sometimes when my feelings get hurt too!) :D

[caferacermike]

Wow some of you are wound up tight huh? See it's funny when a member that's been here a long time writes somethign but when a new guy writes something it's bash the ****e out of him day. You can see the fun in other posts that some could take offence to but yet my are only offensive. Great.

Oh and I wasn't taking Gary's advice in a negative way. In fact I think quite highly of the man and some of his advice I have seen. I was only REPLYING to what he said. In fact I've done exactly what he mentioned and spoke with another member that was mentioned about the housing market in Austin.

So calm down already.

[saltcreepette]

(huff hufff bloooowwwwww.) kay all calm.

anybody know what the biggest tank is in austin?

what about public tanks that are worth checking out (restaurants etc)?

[TroyPham]

i saw a post of some students in austin that had a 500+ gallon tank. i posted it on here a while back. that's the biggest i kno.

[brewercm]

BTW, is the housing market like that all over Austin or just in certain areas like it is here. You can go into Alamo Heights here and be paying five to ten times more for the same house than other areas.

[caferacermike]

Troy there are some 1,000 plus built ins around Lake Austin. One was awe inspiring. Had a 10' long fireplace that was about 4' high and 4' deep. There was about 20" of space above that and then there was a built in aquarium of the same dimensions above the fireplace. Hope it was insulated well. My only real question was how do you drag a 10' tree to the fireplace without ruining the floor?

The housing market here sucks. If you really want to live in Austin you better make $70,000 plus. I make loads less than that and it is getting harder and harder to even rent. Next stop is the burbs. The problem with the burbs is they are getting further and further away. My friend moved to Leander awhile back and considers himself living in Austin. Called me up and invited me over. It took me almost an hour to get to his house with traffic and all. A typical 800-900sqft wreck in my neighborhood sells for way over $250,000. About the best deal going is in Kyle around $150,000 for really nice houses. They built that neighborhood so that the houses are actually nice to look at, not the plain ol 1970's brown brick, brown paint, browner trim, 4x8 plywood sheathed sides type of house. I could find a place in Round Rock but I went nuts trying to live in Pflugerville (right next to RR) as there was nothing to do without driving to something. Didn't make it 8 months before I had to move back to downtown. I also have a problem with HOA's and all my bikes. I was living in a HOA in Pville. The neighbors constantly filed with the homeowner because they didn't like the fact that I only rode bikes. Hahahaha, But when their friend came by on a new Harley, man that was cool beans and everyone had to have a look. I live on the East side in old Mexico. I heard all the stories about how I was going to get robbed. My ancient (older than dirt) Mexican neighbors are the best. Always coming over to look at the tanks, talk about how so and so rode what type of bike, and none of us worry about the grass. Dang I wish I could buy my house.

[brewercm]

I live on the East side in old Mexico. I heard all the stories about how I was going to get robbed. My ancient (older than dirt) Mexican neighbors are the best. Always coming over to look at the tanks, talk about how so and so rode what type of bike, and none of us worry about the grass. Dang I wish I could buy my house.

I grew up on the south side of San Antonio. We learned long ago we didn't steal from our own, you go to the good side of town and steal their stuff. Besides who wants to steal a ten year old bike, you want to get the good new ones. You go break into someones place down there now you might end up with a really cool stereo with built in turn table, and recordable 8-track player. :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

[GaryP]

Where are the reefer Xanax when you need them?

[TroyPham]

Gary .... Xanax..reefer montra is puff, puff, pass... that the kinda reefer we need..

[GaryP]

Ohhh, I thought that was just Jimmy Buffet's band.

[NaCl_H2O]

Edited the above to add the winks ;) Sorry, thought that would be seen as Plain Ole South Texan Humor :)

[brewercm]

We all know that you're a trouble maker anyways.

[alton]

It's nice to see we have all made up, but what happened to the large over priced thread on large aquariums discussion? I bet in a couple of years they will all be torn out and replaced with flowers? My two cents on the other San Antonio wasn't settled by Mexico, check your history books. Some Misionaries from somewhere settled here first. Sorry I sucked in history class, grammer, spelling, english, ag. Oh well school in general. It's nice sometimes when we can agree to disagree.

[brewercm]

All I know for sure is I've lived here all my life exept for about seven years the AF stationed me somewhere else, so it belongs to me. :D
It's actually quite funny that out of 20 years they put me hear for 13 of them when I didn't even ask. Of course ,career field had a lot to do with that also.

[GaryP]

My two cents on the other San Antonio wasn't settled by Mexico, check your history books. Some Misionaries from somewhere settled here first.
San Antonio was originally settled by Canary Islanders, which was owned by Spain. Their legacy lives on in TexMex food. What makes TexMex food unique is the use of a spice called cumin which came here with the Canary Islanders. A lot of the common names in San Antonio that people think are Spanish are actually Canary Island names.

OK, that's our history lesson for the day.

http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/CC/poc1.html

[TimFountain]

The same sort of thing happens with a pool. People that otherwise may be interested in your home will not make an offer simply because of the pool.

In case you are wondering, the tank will not increase the sales price of the house. You're basically giving it away. So, between that and making the home less saleable, its a lose/lose situation. However, I am talking about an average home here. If you are selling a million $ home, I suppose it becomes a non-issue. I somehow don't think the guy with a $125,000 tank lives in a 3 bedroom starter house. That sounds like the tank that Paletta designed in Chicago that he described at his talk at Sea World.

Nah, if you are dropping north of 2 big ones on a house, you won't even notice the maintenance or electric bills, not that I would know, but there are some seriously rich people around....

- Tim

[saltcreepette]

either that or they can afford to tear it out and fill it in ;)