I have started to notice A LOT of condensation forming on the inside of my aquarium stand and that has brought along with it something that looks like mold after about 2 weeks of my aquarium running. I am wondering if a dehumidifier would help control the moisture that is created from evaporation, or if I need to figure out some other way like adding fans to the stand to keep the moisture down. Unfortunately the moisture is already rusting all of the hinges and other metal hardware on the stand, and I was wondering if anyone else had any issues like this…
Moisture in an enclosed environment is a inherent problem with this hobby.
You do not want to use a dehumidifier as it will continue to run and cause excessive evaporation from your tank. Putting a small fan in the stand to keep the air circulating should cut down if not completely eliminate moisture on the inside surfaces of your stand.
I have the same problem in my sump closet - especially in the winter when the cinderblock walls are considerably colder then the air. i added a desk top fan running constantly and it eliminated the problem completely.
You will also want to kill off any mold that has already formed - cover the sump, turn off all pumps and make a blean&water solution that you can spray on the mold to kill it off. This is not something you want to wait to see if it goes away on it’s own…it won’t.
Cool, sounds good. I kind of figured I couldn’t be the only one with this problem. At first I wondered if it had something to do with the fact that it was a dark moist environment since I didnt have my fuge light in there yet. I was wondering if once I put the light in there if it would hinder the growth of mold.
I just have to find out now how I am going to get air circulating through the stand, I closed off the back of the stand since the spot I put the tank is pretty close to a cold air return for my heat pump, never dawned on me that it would stop air circulation.
Do I need to make sure there is good circulation? or just a small fan of some sort to keep the air moving and it will find its own way out of the stand, since its in no way a sealed environment?
A fan would help - good circulation would be much better.
I’d suggest cutting a small opening on each side of the stand walls and mount in a couple computer tower cooling fans to blow air through and out. It would essentially look like a lighting hood / fixture with the fans on the sides.
[quote=“Cdangel0, post:5, topic:1659”]
A fan would help - good circulation would be much better.
I’d suggest cutting a small opening on each side of the stand walls and mount in a couple computer tower cooling fans to blow air through and out. It would essentially look like a lighting hood / fixture with the fans on the sides.[/quote]
Ok, I think I have a few of those fans sitting around. I guess I can find somewhere on the internet that tells me how to convert them over to 110v, since most computers have a power supply that converts the power down to 12v?
If I have to use a computer power supply, I have a couple of those sitting around too, but I would hope to use somethign that wouldnt be effected by the salt water…
The light w/ fan will help tons, light will heat up the air and allow it to hold the moisture more and the fan will push that moisture out of the stand.
Ian I don’t follow?? I think Craig was talking about the lighting fixture having fans not lights on a fan.
True - Warm air will hold more heat but I doubt the small cathode or LED on a computer fan will effect the temp in the cabinet that much.
1 - given the air in the cabinet is warm anyway extra heat will not be needed.
2 - Do you really want to add heat to the air since the water will evaporate less and cause the temp to rise?
Fans in the cabinet are the perfect solution short of opening the doors.
If you need a 12 volt power supply any old transformer from a cordless phone or portable TV should work as long as its 12v DC. A lot of cordless phone Transformers are 9v DC but some are 12v. If you need one pm me I should have some laying around I could trade for a small frag or something.
FYI If all you have is 9v DC it will work for the fan but it will spin slower
[quote=“Porter, post:8, topic:1659”]
Fans in the cabinet are the perfect solution short of opening the doors.
If you need a 12 volt power supply any old transformer from a cordless phone or portable TV should work as long as its 12v DC. A lot of cordless phone Transformers are 9v DC but some are 12v. If you need one pm me I should have some laying around I could trade for a small frag or something.
FYI If all you have is 9v DC it will work for the fan but it will spin slower[/quote]
For the time being, I have opened the top small doors until I can figure out how I want to add the fans… I am thinking about just hanging them from my plumbing at the very top of the cabinet with wire ties or something like that and have them pointing out the front of the stand. I do not want to cut holes or anything in the stand unless it is a last resort. I figure 2 120mm fans should do the job, and I am pretty sure I have 3 or 4 upstairs in my attic.
I also think that I have a few of the transformers that you are talkinga bout, I never even thought about just cutting the ends off of those and splicing them in, good idea.
Not sure what the whole set up look slike, but you may want to consider cutting a few holes in the back of the stand (where you said you closed it up). Fans help but if they do not have a “fresh air” source they are really just blowing the hot humid air and you will still end up with the same problem, albeit not as severe or as quickly.
my tank is directly infront of my return. i have a open backed cabinet and just closed off the loer return and opened upper one. as cd said open the back alittle will make all the differnence
Yeah, I am actually in the process of trying to figure out a good way of removing at least the half the back that I put on the stand (the half away from the return).
I’d just rather be extra safe with my AC and Heater.
So far, the fans have helped immensely, I don’t see nearly as much condensation inside… if any at all. I can say it seems like the water is evaporating at twice the rate it was before.