Couple of questions for you LARGE water volume peeps

sal-t-dawg

Registered Nut Job
I wanted to know what, if any, effect larger water volume tanks (say...100-300gls) have on the moisture levels in your home? Do you notice any adverse effects? Mold, bubbling paint and etc? What precautions, if any, should/do you take?
 
We have a temp gauge in our kitchen right next to the tank that includes the indoor humidity level. I honestly haven't noticed any increase in indoor humidity since we set up the tank a year ago. Our total system volume is about 115 gallons - but our tank does have glass lids and I fashioned one for the refugium as well (to keep the kitties little paws out of the water!).
 
It's hard to say in my house since I have water bowls sitting in different areas for different animals plus 3 tanks....lol But I keep my air running constantly! I keep my house on the cool side. I also have a bunch of house plants since I raise African Violets. I get some moisture on my windows BUT it's older windows so that might be an issue. Getting them replaced next fall. I have tooooooo many hobbies.... That's probably why you don't see me out and about often after work....lol
 
i dont have a large tank like that, but that question can't be answered easily due to it being a case by case thing....it all depends on the age of the house, materials used to build it......more so insulation of walls and windows...i've seen and heard of small tanks causing problems in rooms and large tanks do nothing whats so ever.....also depends on how you keep your home...cold or hot, place you live also figures in....too many things can fature into that question....best thing i can say is start by making sure things in the room where ya want to keep the large aqaurium is properly insulated and go from there
 
When I have had large and/or multiple tanks setup I did notice increased humidity in the house...mainly from mold in areas like around windows.
 
Carl, From the pictures I've seen of that canopy i would get rid of it and start over. Bending wood is easy you wet it clamp it to the shape you want and let it dry, It will then hold the shape you bent it to. The one you have is way too high IMO and 400W is not needed on that tank anyway.
IME the best route would be a hanging all in one light that eliminates the canopy all together. They have hanging kits that allow for the light to be raised for cleaning the tank and this would be a cleaner look. Unless you have a canopy built by a cabinet guy who knows how to make a curve one look good no canopy would look better. And yes it would be very costly $$$$ to build one.
Bill
Geesh Don't know how this post got on the wrong thread ????
 
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Paying for one to be built is pretty much not gonna happen. I could attempt to build one however I may as well be using my feet to build it because I have no wood working talent to speak of and thats exactly how it would look after I attempted to build it. If I had a rimless I would go with a nice suspended fixture. I just really like the way a tank looks with a canopy on it. Some sort of a lift system just seems to make the most sense (for me) at the moment. I've been attempting to contact people who have installed lifts on their canopies and I'll hopefully hear from them soon. For now you can find me in the "garage of wonders" piecing together a dream one hose, fitting, coupling, pipe, clamp, pump and gallon of water at a time....
 
I know I posted on this thread sometime.... Very odd..

anyways, I havent noticed any extra humidity in the house, but in the garage where teh sump is, it does cause the windows to sweat. the garage is insulated and so is the door so it stays a nice temp even when it is cold outside. im actually surprised how warm it is in there.
 
I have a 75 gal tank only but the airflow thru the room it is in is poor so it heats up in there in the summer a bit so I have to keep a extra fan blowing around in august but since the air is much dryier now that it is winter, I totally notice a humidity difference when I walk upstairs. If thats just on my little 75gal, I am sure the effect would be marked on a 280 or 300. I would think proper airexchange would solve most of any problems though.
 
Um... Just to add... I lose about 35 gal a week to evaporation... And the room is very humid sometimes... I had to exhaust the air outside... But do consider that I have a lot of surface area... And two... I happen to know a guy who knows how to bend wood for your canopy... He'd probably be very reasonable assuming you bragged about how awesome it is ;)
 
Humidity in Underground House

Humidity in Underground House

I know I'm a bit late replying, but I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents since I have a somewhat unique situation. I live in an underground house where humidity is a problem anyway. And yes, my 250g system does cause a lot of extra humidity, I'm constantly having to clean black mold off the walls around it.
So, as someone already said (sorta), if your particular house leans towards excess humidity already, then it's probably safe to assume a large system would make it noticably worse.
BTW, if anyone has any neat tricks for dealing with the excess humidity, I'd love to hear it!
 
they make dehumidifiers. another thought.. most houses are moisture deficient in the winter especially. we run a humidifier all winter and it keeps us from getting sick and our throats from drying out at night while we are trying to sleep.
 
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