Fully Enclosed Stand?

[LakeShow]

I am working on adding a sump to my 50g reef tank and was wondering if it was ok to have a fully enclosed stand (not having the back cut out or any vent holes, only air it would really see is when i open the front door panel)

Although i would have over sized holes for the plumbing to run through to provide some sort of air escape behind the tank.

The reason i have to do this is because the tank is sitting on a built in platform surrounded by walls and the future sump area is currently where my drawers are directly below the platform.

Here is an old picture from before the tank was setup to give you an idea of the walls the tank is between.

As long as i paint the inside with a water resistant coating of some sort, would this cause any problems?

Thanks for any help!

 

[ChrisBuono]

I'd be concerned about heat build-up as well as CO2 build-up (then affecting pH).

 

[Flame_Angel]

Is there no way to add some vents to the stand to help vent CO2?

 

[brycerb]

I would get some air in their somehow.

 

[lordofthereef]

Do you have a skimmer? Just lengthen the air intake and put it somewhere inconspicuous and outside the stand. That would take care of your O2 issues. I would be most worried about the humidity down there.

By the way, is the back of the stand literally closed or are you just considering it to be since it is up against a wall in an enclosed space? There is actually a difference.

 

[polocb4]

I wouldn't do it. I had an enclosed stand w sump on my last setup and mold grew inside due to the humidity. Also, if your stand is made of wood, the wood will warp and if it is veneered on the outside that will peel as well.

 

[unclejed2]

I wouldn't do it. I had an enclosed stand w sump on my last setup and mold grew inside due to the humidity. Also, if your stand is made of wood, the wood will warp and if it is veneered on the outside that will peel as well.

Exactly the same as happened to me, mold, some warping and I even had a slit opening in the back of mine for the cords.

 

[LakeShow]

Thank you for the replies,

The walls in the picture extend all the way down to the floor and I have built in drawers currently there, which is fully enclosed with the wall behind it making it impossible to cut out the back, I'll add a picture with the drawers removed to show you what I'm talking about when I get home today.

I do plan on using a pretty large skimmer for the system, either an swc 160 cone or octopus xp1000sss which have built in air intakes with the silencer (I think) so I'm not sure if I'd be able too bring the intake outside of the stand.

One idea I have is that maybe I could add a little computer fan to the top of the stand and cut a hole for it behind the tank. I have about 6" to work with behind the tank so if I have the fan sucking air out and useing the holes cut for plumming as the intake would this be enough air flow?

I really don't see any other options

Any more opinions would be great!

 

[lordofthereef]

You could definitely take the air intake out of the stand. All it is is a hose with a silencer plugged onto the end of it. You may need to buy more hose of appropriate length, but it should all just pull right off your skimmer, so no need to worry about truly "modding" anything. As said before though, the humidity is the worrisome part here.

 

[trb]

I would cut out the hole(s) for the plumbing a bit larger, maybe even cut out an oval opening much of the length of the tank. Or cut out a hole or two and put a speaker grille on it or something. Then you could put a PC fan or two inside the stand to pull the moisture out.

One local guy on here (d2mini) had his freestanding wood stand basically all sealed, with a solid back and 3 doors. He had mold growing on the inside after a couple of months. We added 4 vent slots about 24" long to the back of his stand, and he was going to add a couple of PC fans to pull the air out of the stand. So far the extra ventilation has worked AFAIK.

 

[cadams2]

Crap i just enclosed the back of my stand his weekend as well as installled a new sump. Now i have to figure out what i am going to do next i thought about grates but going to be a PITA to get the encloser out. This really sucks i finally got everything looking good in the sump area too oh well i guess this is why i enjoy the hobby because there is always something else to mod lol back to the drawing board sorry to steal your thread