Basement Tank and Mold

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stacy22

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My 300g diplay tank is in my unfinished basement. I have concerns about evaporation and mold growth. What is the recommended humidity level that I should try and stay within? What would be a "normal" humidity for a basement (partial daylight).

I have read that mold growth occurs at humidity levels around 65% or greater. Does this sound about right?


Thanks in advance for any input. I'm trying to avoid a divorce.
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A dehumidifier works great if it's a concern. The percentage of humidity will vary from place to place in the same room especially in a unfinished basement.
 
Yeah, i got about the same volume in my basement stacy and im running this dehumidifier model below. Now im not sure of the recommended levels but figured this might get you in the right direction. I also started a thread on this a while ago askin some of the same questions so check out my profile...

ProductDisplay
 
Thanh386;760681 wrote: A dehumidifier works great if it's a concern. The percentage of humidity will vary from place to place in the same room especially in a unfinished basement.
Click to expand...

I used to have one before I finished my basement. They do work great, but they also heat up the air/room. I would also think that it would cause the tank water to evaporate more if he set it on to high?
 
I know this might not apply to all but in my case, i have a large sump (180 gallons) that just holds water so by simply covering the entire top besides drains, my evap rate dropped sig.
 
I have my 300g, a 55g, a 150g and a couple more smaller tanks down there. Only the 55g is completely covered. I am in the process of getting the others covered. I am hoping that will bring my humidity levels down from where they are. I think right now I'm sitting at 65%. :(
 
Much lower you should consider contacting an hvac specialist about a whole house dehumidifier or just the basement but whole house is better and more efficient
 
If you run an AC unit it will reduce the humidity substantially. With the weather being cooler, your AC is not running and thereby not removing the moisture out of the air. When the AC runs, warm moist air flows across a cold coil. This cools the air but also the moisture from the air will condense on the coil, collect in the drain pan and run out through a pipe that is installed from the air handler to the outside of the house or to a drain.
 
Install a bathroom vent fan over your tank. They make some really quiet ones. This will help with humidity and save on electricity. Get a humidistat to monitor the humidity, don't rely on the internal one in the dehumidifier. I'd still run a dehumidifier as backup. Mold test at homedepot are crap and to have a professional come test is $400, mold remediation is usually $1000s. Don't mess around with mold.
 
Exhaust fans are not a good humidity solution IMO. As they exhaust air from inside, the pull air in from outside which at times of the year, is VERY humid air. Exhaust fans are great for odor control and for humidity control on cooler, dry days. However, I don't find the need for humidity control in the cooler months. Another solution along this same line is a air exchanger but they are not a DIY project as the tuning of them is somewhat complicated.

I personally use an AC unit and a dehumidifier. I get the mold smell when the humidity is above 50% so I run mine at 45 or 40%. A dehumidifier will heat up your basement so you should consider an AC unit in partnership with the dehumidifier. A properly setup window unit (if you have a window in your fish room) or one of the split units can eliminate the need for a chiller. You can set the temp on the AC in your fish room to the point where it keeps your entire tank cool. Also, if you have unfinished masonary or concrete walls in your basement, consider painting them with Drylok or similar moisture barrier paint.
 
^ +1. Just remember that evaporation will go up as %RH goes down. Also below 40% you will experience more static buildup in your rugs ect.
 
Last summer I called WSB radio's Dave Baker, host of the Home Fix It Program, when he had a mold expert on the air with him.

I told them that I had a "fish room" and that I was concerned about mold.

By daily viewing a humidistat in the room, I knew that the relative humidity varied from 55-60%; even with having a dedicated a/c widow unit.

The expert said that mold cannot survive where the relative humidity remains below 50% and that keeping it at or below 50% would be safest. 55% wasn't bad he said, but the goal should be 50% or lower.

So I then installed a dehumidifer and all's well! :)
 
Lifestudent;760820 wrote: ...By daily viewing a <span style="color: blue">hygrometer</span> in the room, I knew that the relative humidity varied from 55-60%... :roll:
Click to expand...

Meant to say hygrometer; not humidistat.

I wish I knew where to get an inexpensive humidistat.
 
I wish I knew where to get an inexpensive humidistat.[/QUOTE]

Let me make a call in the morning I might can help you out
 
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