Aquarium Safe in Nursery?

[chadmatthewsdm]

My wife and I are having our first baby in a couple of months, and she got really excited about doing a fish theme nursery with an Aquapod 24 in the corner. Do you think that would be very safe as he gets older? I was thinking of making the stand myself and bolting it with supports to the wall, but we are still trying to learn about how kids are when they get about 2. I know a lot of you have children, are you worried about your nano tanks around them? I have a 90 in the living room which obviously weighs so much it isn't much of a concern, but the nano's seem like they can be kind of top-heavy since they have a narrow base. I was planning on making it about 32" off the ground.
Thanks for any input
Chad

 

[goodcook]

hi as long as the stand is stable you should not have a proublem my 10 moth old just looks but does not go nere it

 

[adroitmind]

I would make sure if there is a door to get under the stand it has a simple lock on it as well.

 

[chadmatthewsdm]

Yeah, I was planning on that (locks), I am going to try to make it so there is not much for him to grab onto when he gets to pulling himself up so he will choose the dresser next to it rather than the stand. So do you all think my worry is just over reacting? My wife says we will just teach him to look and not touch, but that is often easier said than done...
Thanks for the input
Chad

 

[reefcrazy81]

i would say its really safe especially if u make the stand .im not sure about the stands that they make for the aquapods but if u make it urself sure it will be nice ..........i have a almost 3 yr old cousin and he loves it he counts the fish and now im teaching him the names of each coral and fish he always runs and gets his friends to look he loves it ........ well good luck

 

[chadmatthewsdm]

thanks a lot everyone. You helped put my mind at ease.
Chad

 

[fedukeford]

I dont think you'd have to worry about bolting it to the wall, a 24 gallon tank filled would be 192 lbs right there, so unless your baby is going to be a body builder you should be fine

Feduke

 

[triga22]

Welcome to the boards!!

:jumping:
The aquarium would be a great addition. You just have to make it safe and in locks on the stand. I wouldnt say your over reacting. Your just trying to be safe and care for you family like all of us.

 

[cjason3041]

do NOT dose with desitin!!!!!!!!

 

[triggerphish]

I have four kids all 6 and under. two of my kids were/are climbers. they always seem to avoid the aquarium. i just started again(20 g) 6 weeks ago, after 3 -4 yrs, and my daughter, the current climber, has not made any attempts. my boys never attempted on my previous tanks either. I will keep an eye on her though you can never be too sure. Also the safer the better, if you can connect to a stud you might as well because you would regret it if something happened. also your wife is right you can teach a child to look but dont touch and if this is taught from day one it is more likely to sink in.
Sorry for the long read...i proly coulda posted more.

congrats on the future baby and hope everything goes well, kids are a blast

 

[cjason3041]

Originally Posted by TriggerPhish
I have four kids all 6 and under. two of my kids were/are climbers. they always seem to avoid the aquarium. i just started again(20 g) 6 weeks ago, after 3 -4 yrs, and my daughter, the current climber, has not made any attempts. my boys never attempted on my previous tanks either. I will keep an eye on her though you can never be too sure. Also the safer the better, if you can connect to a stud you might as well because you would regret it if something happened. also your wife is right you can teach a child to look but dont touch and if this is taught from day one it is more likely to sink in.
Sorry for the long read...i proly coulda posted more.

congrats on the future baby and hope everything goes well, kids are a blast

sorry i have no kids, so i was worried about the tank

 

[bellanavis]

My 2 year old has the fish theam in his room, and has since birth, with a tank, just make an outlit that can be hidden behind a dresser, or one that is up high enough that the child won't be able to reach, and make the stand pull over proof. And like said above, make sure to put a lock on the stand doors. DId you see the nursery theam "sealife", made by kidsline, sold at babiesrus.com, or the store, thats what we used.

 

[sigmachris]

I have a 2 year old boy that has a 14G in his room. He liked opening the lid and putting both pieces of the Magnafloat in the tank. That was not an option, so I purchased some industrial strength Velcro at Walmart to strap the lid down. Its not a perfect solution but he hasn't been able to get in since. When he is old enough to rip the Velcro off he should be old enough to understand not to touch.
Other than that the tanks are a great night light and it gives him something to stare at while falling asleep. I don't know if that is a coincedense but he is the best sleeper in the play group.

 

[sigmachris]

P.S.
I also removed the MagnaFloat to take away his temptation to play with it. I would also suggest not cleaning, water changing, or aquascaping in front of the kids. You don't want to show the toddlers putting your arms in the tank. They tend to copy what parents do.