Deep Blue Stand

[Marchillo]

i got a great deal on an 80G Deep Blue setup. The design of the stand is poor in my opinion. The guy has this setup for about a year and a lot of the hinges are rusted out due to moisture not being able to escape properly. All four sides of the stand are enclosed.

Anyone have any thoughts if I took a decent sized drill bit and randomly drilled about a dozen holes (or more) in the back panel. I'm assuming I wouldn't hurt the integrity of the stand since lots of stands have open backs.

Would this help create enough airflow for moisture to escape?

My only other feasible option is to put a child safety lock on the side door and keep it slightly ajar. Not sure how much that would help and it wouldn't look very good either. I also thought about computer fans but that's more crap to plug in and make noise.

Other suggestions are appreciated. I don't want to replace the stand but I want to stop the moisture situation and avoid compromising the integrity of the stand. I've had it only about 3 weeks.

Thanks - Steve

 

[Bill Nye]

I hate the Deep blue stands. They are rickety to begin with I don't know how well it would stand up to being drilled multiple times. I got the stand because they said the warranty would be invalidated if I didn't but now I just wish I would have made my own.

Not only is the ventilation poor but it has a huge support piece in the front of the stand. It makes it very difficult to work in your sump because of it. If your tank isn't set up yet I would think about different options.

 

[Marchillo]

It's already setup and at this point I want to work with it.

What do you do to control the humidity? I wouldn't think drilling holes in the middle back would cause integrity issues but that is why I'm asking.

 

[drew930]

I had a 60 cube with a deep blue stand . I cut a rectangle out of the back . Didn't get to close to the sides, so there would still be enough support . Then I believe mine had 4 vent holes for cords . I think I ran cords in 2 holes and left the others open . Then you can put a little clip on fan in there if you want . Or cut a small hole in each side of the stand and put fans in that way, so you still have space .

 

[Brian01]

I second the little fan idea. Without a completely open back, its hard for enough air to circulate on its own, holes just dont cut it. However, a good quality 12V computer fan can move a lot of air and is virtually silent. Get one of those from Amazon or radio shack if they still exist (?), a 12V wall wart, screw it on to one hole the same size as the fan, and check in a few days, If you need more, add another fan. Cheap ones will move as much air, but won't be as quiet....

 

[Marchillo]

How would just a fan do and not a of fan? There are two small holes where the wires are fed as well as small gaps where the doors close. Perhaps I'll try that and if it doesn't work I could try the PC fan idea.

 

[drew930]

I don't know what you mean by, "How would just a fan do and not a of fan?". Did you mean a PC fan ? I think the PC fans might be better because you can have one pulling air into the sump and one pulling air out of the sump. But a decent clip on fan pushing the air out of the back would be good. You can just cut some of the back out as mentioned before. If you don't want to cut a big hole in the back, you ll have to go with the PC fans. I did not have a fan for awhile, and if I left my doors closed all day, when opened them.... the walls were always wet and could be dangerous if theres anything plugged in under your sump.

 

[Marchillo]

Yeah that wasn't an intelligent post. That's the end of the work day for you.

So I ordered a pc fan and I put a regular fan in the stand. I totally forgot I have to install child door locks on all the doors anyway with the baby coming soon. So I will probably hold off cutting anything. I'll position the pc fan where the cord holes are and keep the side door ajar during the day via the child lock. I'll see how that works. The guy before me had nothing in there so maybe this will do the trick.

Right now it seems pretty dry in there so maybe all will be good

 

[drew930]

I thought about positioning mine when I had the stand with the holes too . It's a good idea . I had too many cords though lol but it would be better hidden too.

 

[Marchillo]

I have holes on both sides. I'll reroute everything through one hole and PC fan in the other. My other tank is still running right next to the new one so I have an electrical nightmare back there at the moment. In the next few days the old tank will be moved and I can fix everything.