Humidity above tank, will it be an issue?

[Stephensx04]

Not sure if this is the correct area to post. But in the process of building my new set up after about a 7 year break. I will post a build thread soon. But my concern is humidity above tank. Tank will be on first floor with sump in basement. Here is my issue. above the tank will be completely closed off and will it be an issue? I can add a fan or 2 and have it vent into the house. Or I could use an exhaust fan and vent to the outside but is allot more work. Want to do this prior to putting tank in place. For reference it is a 112 gallon 5ft long tank.

 

[AJsReef]

So I’m understanding, your hood will be completely enclosed? If so, yes venting it would be ideal for humidity and temperature build up as well as some air exchange

 

[Stephensx04]

That's kinda what I figured. Now just to figure out how. Here in wisconsin I have to run a humidifier all winter. There is a return vent in wall to one side of tank. Wonder if I could use the furnace return to draw air from inside hood area. Most whole house humidifiers draw water on return side. I wonder if this would work?

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

Dont recommend doing it like this, it will work yes, but it will also bring salt vapors straight into your furnace.

best to vent to outside, next best is an air exchanger for the whole room

 

[rwb500]

no need to have your central air draw in tank vapors. Just leave some vents in the canopy. In georgia I get black mold in the canopy if there are no vents.

 

[Brian_68]

If your light is within the canopy it will get pretty hot even if they are LEDs, and the moisture and salt will make short work of the electronics.

 

[AlexG]

I would add some simple vents to the canopy for passive ventilation. A fan can be added to the canopy later to actively vent if needed. I would agree in stating that connecting your aquarium canopy to a return air vent is a bad idea for a couple of reasons. As stated it can get salt spray into your ductwork and furnace/evaporator coil which can cause serious salt corrosion damage over time. Also that method would not provide consistent ventilation for the canopy as it would not be venting based on humidity levels but rather temperature. The other factor to consider is the humidity levels through out your home. I would get a few humidity monitors to place around your home to check levels once the tank is operating. Since you are going to have a basement sump I would highly recommend making covers for that sump tank as it can generate more humidity than a display tank.

 

[Stephensx04]

Thank you for all the reply's. I have decided to use 2 vent tubes. One bringing air in from the basement and the other to pull air out from canopy and vent out side of house. After thinking about it long and hard and seeing how to make it work this seems to be the best option for humidity and temp control along with aesthetics.

 

[n2585722]

I vent into the room. No way to get it outside, but I have not had an issue doing this. The tank has been setup for over 6 years. I do have a central air and heat pump for cooling and heating. The stand and canopy both are vented. The areas with electronics are also vented separately form the areas with water. The canopy is in the first few post on my build thread. The lighting is separated from the area above the tank with an acrylic barrier. The lighting is LED.

 

[Stephensx04]

Yea i looked at venting into room. One way would not be very pleasing to the eye, and the other would vent where the thermostat is for house and probably mess with it. Would have to relocate that then.

 

[n2585722]

In the photo below the fans on the right side of the photo vent the water area of the stand and canopy. The fans in the center of the photo vent the area with the lighting which is under the top lid of the canopy. The fans on the right are on the back cover which sits on top of the back cabinet to the stand. I also use evaporative cooling on the sump in the stand. The second is a photo of the tank. It has been set for 6 years now in that room. That room also has a computer, printer and the electronics for the tank. No failures with any of that equipment in the 6 years.