Cats (felines) and tanks

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Ab129

Ab129

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I'm a complete noob looking to start my first tank.
I also happen to have 5 cats who I'm sure will have some interest in the new tank! Unfortunately I cannot put it in a place they have no access to.
Looking at a 72 gallon bow front and I'm wondering if the glass hood that comes with it will hold up if a 15 pound cat manages to get on top of it.
I would hate to come home and find a drowned cat in my tank.
If anyone has any ideas how I can "cat proof" an aquarium, I'm all ears!
Thanks for any advice!
 
The cat may get wet but I highly doubt anyone of them would drown.

You could get a canopy or build one yourself. Then you can retro fit lights under it.

There is the chance, especially with that many cats, they will cause your tank more grief particularly in the beginning first year as it matures. This would be in the form of added ammonia.
 
I don't think the glass would break. If they do fall in some other way they won't drown, and they won't make the same mistake twice. That tanks pretty tall too, so that will help.
All cats are different. Mine just watches it like tv, but with minimal interest. I would suggest childproofing the doors of the stand so they can't get in there and chew wires or pee.
if you can set up their litter well away from the tank and water storage that's very nice. Their pee gets ammonia into the air that water picks up.
Also plan to keep all additives, meds, etc. away from curious paws. I saw a thread once where somebody's dog ate salt and got sick.
 
Cats (felines) and tanks

My daughter was terrified of what would happen to one of our 5 cats, so I tossed one it. It swap right for eh edge and leaped out of the tank, bounced around the house like a Looney Tunes character, and disappeared until it was dry.

I should mention that was when I was leak testing an otherwise empty tank.
 
we have 2 cats one is about 17 pounds. He got wet once and never got up there again. What to be more concerned about is if you happen to have sand in a bucket make sure there is a lid on it. If not you may find a surprise buried, found this out the hard way:lolspin:
 
Glass should hold cats. But I am lid-less so my cats can see they don't want to swim. I have had a brave soul that went for a swim after the tank was up for about 6 months, and they went to the edge and jumped out no problem. From time to time they do tap the water with their paws but nothing more than that. Cats mostly just like the warmth of the lights, and lay on top for access.


Enjoy the new tank!
 
I have 3 cats and the standard glass tops are fine with mine.They say prevention is worth a pound of cure,so if one of them is on top I squirt them,in an attempt to discourage them.However,if you love cats you know,they are still doing it when your not there.Mine want to eat fresh fish!
 
Thanks so much for the replies!
The fact that no ones cat actually drowned is reassuring.
Litter boxes are at least 2 rooms away from where I will set up so that shouldn't be a problem.
Ordering my tank today! :D
 
Best of luck and welcome!

My 1 cat has climbed on top of my 75 planted, on top of the light fixtures with no problems, not that I like it. The other cat has never even tried. They never tried to get on my open top 57 rimless, but they do drink out of my open top 12 gallon shrimp tank - they think it's their water bowl.
 
My cat is apparently weird (ok, I already knew that, but this thread reaffirms it!). She completely ignores both my tanks. 0 interest whatsoever. A snail caught her interest once for about 10 seconds, but she never even gives the fish a second glance. She has also never even thought about thinking about jumping on top of the tank.

I was more worried about mine drinking saltwater from the sump and getting sick, but like I said she wants nothing to do with the tank. Not sure if all cats know not to drink saltwater or not.

Another alternative to the glass top would be egg crate. It's pretty solid when supported from all sides.
 
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Chances are good you won't have any problems. At home I have 3 fresh water tanks and all 4 of my cats pretty much ignore it. They will drink from it from time to time, but again it's freshwater, my vet said it won't hurt them, so I have no issues with it.

The only time there was a problem was when I rearranged the living room. One of the cats came tearing across the top of the couch, leaped, thinking she was going to land on the back of a chair, and, well.....she didn't! I swear I saw her levitate for a few seconds, once she realized it. She made a mess and wouldn't have anything to do with me for 2 days but otherwise no issues at all.
 
jason2459 said:
That's a great picture. Like it's sunbathing.
Click to expand...
Yeah he loved getting up under the t5s. The black and white one stopped drinking from the tank after I switched to mbuna, they thought the splashing was food and she got her tongue bitten.
 
I have one cat and 4 tanks ranging from 15 gallons to 180 gallons. With my first tank, she was extremely curious about it... go figure. I was super nervous that she would jump on top of it and bring the hole thing down. I would be constantly sitting her down on the ground which became a game. After a week or so I kinda just let her scope it out and she got bored. Now she doesn't bother any of the tanks.

Moral of the story... just keep an eye on them for a while and make sure they don't do any damage. The more you try and stop a cat from doing something the harder they will try.
 
My cat loves water, especially moving water. But she never does anything but watch it. When I do the dishes in the morning she stands behind me and meows for me to wipe her face and pet her with my wet hands. Go figure.





She is a flame point siamese. And the photo with the cat on top of the tank under the light looks like it's in a kitty tanning bed!
 
Yes, the glass canopy would hold your cat just fine, probably even 3 of his/her weight.

I use glass tops in part for the pest of a cat I have. I was cringing watching her walk over them. Mine stopped paying attention to the tank after a couple months.

If you want my cat I can ship her to you.
 
Ron Reefman said:
My cat loves water, especially moving water. But she never does anything but watch it. When I do the dishes in the morning she stands behind me and meows for me to wipe her face and pet her with my wet hands. Go figure.





She is a flame point siamese. And the photo with the cat on top of the tank under the light looks like it's in a kitty tanning bed!
Click to expand...
My guy is a flame point ragdoll. He absolutely hates water in any form. He's also not particularly bright. One day he decided to come and pester me while I was working on the tank and jumped for the lids that weren't there I'm not sure who was more surprised, me or the cat.
 
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