Basement aquariums

[okkiedokki]

I have a question to those that have put some part of their aquarium in their basement. I recently herniated two disks in my back so I have had the perfect opportunity to put my sump and equipment in my basement to alleviate heavy lifting of saltwater and fresh water buckets. My basement is a partially finished basement and I plan on having my sump and filters in the same area that my house sump pit is in so I can just open a valve for water changes and it drains into my sump.

My question is, there is ductwork in the area, not sure if it's aluminum duct or not, and a lot of wood studs in the same area. I'm not worried about humidity because it will be extremely easy for me to install an exhaust fan hooked up to a humidistat and exhaust the humidity through the dryer vent. What do you guys do as far as protecting ductwork, and what do you do for the opposite side of the walls that have drywall on one side? I don't want to put something up that is easy for mold to grow on.

Thanks for you help in advance.

 

[serpentman]

I haven't had any issues with ductwork in my current house or my previous one and both have been in close proximity to my sumps and aux tanks. If humidity gets really high, you can have condensation result which will obviously promote mold and mildew growth. By managing overall humidity, you should be ok.

 

[okkiedokki]

I was hoping that was the answer because I can easily manage humidity.

 

[Eggs]

I have both my tanks and sumps in my basement (about 450g of water combined) and set my dehumidifier to run constantly, and I don't have any problems.
I've been thinking about going to an exhaust fan-humidistat though, because I think it would cut down on my electric bill, instead of the constant running of the dehumidifier.

 

[serpentman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14899444#post14899444 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Eggs
I have both my tanks and sumps in my basement (about 450g of water combined) and set my dehumidifier to run constantly, and I don't have any problems.
I've been thinking about going to an exhaust fan-humidistat though, because I think it would cut down on my electric bill, instead of the constant running of the dehumidifier.

That would definitely help with your electric bill. Running a dehumidifier is like running an refrigeration unit 24/7. Lotta juice..

 

[okkiedokki]

That exhaust fan will make my life easier, what size fan do you think will be ok? I'm probably only going to be pushing about 180g of water through my system but there's a nice possibility i add on some other tanks in the basement.

 

[RokleM]

I run a dehumidifier 2 on 2 off, but have debated installing an air exchanger or exhaust fan. The only issue in Ohio is swapping air if the outside is more humid (which it certainly can be in the summer). I need to decide if I'm tying it into my furnace, or a standalone system.

Chris, Brad, and I think a few others have used this technique successfully I believe.

 

[CleveYank]

5 tanks on 3 systems, makeup water...basement looks like a fish store exploded basically. Dehumidifier runs 24/7. Small exhaust fan pulls a tiny bit of air out of the basement 24/7 as well. My wife is allergic to everything. So extra care has to be taken to keep the basement from getting any mold or mildew issues of any kind.

 

[okkiedokki]

Ok good, so it looks that if the exhaust fan is a large enough size that would work, worst case I can get a large enough dehumidifier and run that.