Oxygenating tank water

[Dave-T]

I'm in the process of designing a reef tank with my LFS. The system will consist of a tank, sump, and frag tank. Most everything will be covered in glass to help mitigate humidity issues. I think the only part of the sump that will be exposed is the roller mat. I'm wondering if we should worry about adding fresh air into the system. My installer thinks that the stirring of the surface of the display tank will oxygenate the water (and/or solve the issue of outgassing CO2), but is that true? Since the display tank will be covered, it seems like we need to introduce fresh air into the system, perhaps with some air stones. Or can I assume that the water circulating into the roller mat will do the job?

 

[FishOkay]

I'm in the process of designing a reef tank with my LFS. The system will consist of a tank, sump, and frag tank. Most everything will be covered in glass to help mitigate humidity issues. I think the only part of the sump that will be exposed is the roller mat. I'm wondering if we should worry about adding fresh air into the system. My installer thinks that the stirring of the surface of the display tank will oxygenate the water, but is that true? Since the display tank will be covered, it seems like we need to introduce fresh air into the system, perhaps with some air stones. Or can I assume that the water circulating into the roller mat will do the job?

I think any surface agitation anywhere in the system will all help oxygenate. Skimmer, overflow, return pump etc. Even with the glass covers these things aren't air tight. There will still be gas exchange. Itl have some effect but I don't think enough to warrant worrying about, I'd be more worried about managing tank temps. I removed my glass lids just because it made the tank so warm.

 

[Pistondog]

Why do you think humidity will be a problem?
My tanks help maintain healthy levels above 30% RH.
I'd advise against a glass top, use screen mesh.
More importantly, you should consider the co2 level in the tank space and whether you need to mitigate it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'd be concerned about O2 and CO2/pH unless you have a strong skimmer.

 

[Dave-T]

Why do you think humidity will be a problem?
My tanks help maintain healthy levels above 30% RH.
I'd advise against a glass top, use screen mesh.
More importantly, you should consider the co2 level in the tank space and whether you need to mitigate it.

You must live in a drier area than me. Humidity where I live (on the coast north of Boston) is high in the summer. Excess humidity from the tank will cause nasty things like mold if I don’t deal with it.

 

[Dave-T]

I'd be concerned about O2 and CO2/pH unless you have a strong skimmer.

Any suggestions about what I should do?

 

[Pistondog]

You must live in a drier area than me. Humidity where I live (on the coast north of Boston) is high in the summer. Excess humidity from the tank will cause nasty things like mold if I don’t deal with it.

Southern New Hampshire has similar humidity in summer. When the relative humidity is high, the tanks evaporate much less, addition is negligible as there is already a lot of moisture in the air. We do run a ceiling fan, so the air is moving.

 

[Dave-T]

Southern New Hampshire has similar humidity in summer. When the relative humidity is high, the tanks evaporate much less, addition is negligible as there is already a lot of moisture in the air. We do run a ceiling fan, so the air is moving.

My sump and frag tank will be in a small room in my basement, humidity and mold are definitely a concern. A reefer in my area didn’t have a dehumidifier, and had to deal with some nasty mold. I don’t want that! I would rather cover the tanks and figure out a way to oxygenate the water if necessary. I will also have a dehumidifier, but I’d still like to minimize evaporation from the tanks

 

[Pistondog]

My sump and frag tank will be in a small room in my basement, humidity and mold are definitely a concern. A reefer in my area didn’t have a dehumidifier, and had to deal with some nasty mold. I don’t want that! I would rather cover the tanks and figure out a way to oxygenate the water if necessary. I will also have a dehumidifier, but I’d still like to minimize evaporation from the tanks

 

[Joe31415]

You must live in a drier area than me. Humidity where I live (on the coast north of Boston) is high in the summer. Excess humidity from the tank will cause nasty things like mold if I don’t deal with it.

Do you have an air conditioner? The very nature of ACs makes them dehumidifiers as well. If the tank is causing a humidity issue, run the AC for a little while and it should pull the excess water out of the air. A standalone dehumidfier will work as well (but keep in mind, they'll slightly warm your living space).

I'm in the midwest and it gets plenty humid around here. My 40g evaporates something like a gallon or two of water every day and I've never had any humidity problems.

Any suggestions about what I should do?

Oversize your skimmer and look into adding a CO2 scrubber or running an intake line from outside. Also, keep a close eye on your pH as that's a cheap way to get a good idea as to how much CO2 is in the water.

Another thing you'll have to keep in mind is that the glass lid WILL get filthy. Between general much, mildew, salt etc, you're going to have to make sure you're cleaning it on a regular basis or it'll block the light.

 

[Dave-T]

Do you have an air conditioner? The very nature of ACs makes them dehumidifiers as well. If the tank is causing a humidity issue, run the AC for a little while and it should pull the excess water out of the air. A standalone dehumidfier will work as well (but keep in mind, they'll slightly warm your living space).

I'm in the midwest and it gets plenty humid around here. My 40g evaporates something like a gallon or two of water every day and I've never had any humidity problems.


Oversize your skimmer and look into adding a CO2 scrubber or running an intake line from outside. Also, keep a close eye on your pH as that's a cheap way to get a good idea as to how much CO2 is in the water.

Another thing you'll have to keep in mind is that the glass lid WILL get filthy. Between general much, mildew, salt etc, you're going to have to make sure you're cleaning it on a regular basis or it'll block the light.

Yes, we have A/C, but only run it in bedrooms at night. And we do have a dehumidifier.

Here's my skimmer: Reef Octopus Regal 300 My system volume will be about 400 gallons, so the skimmer is sized fine, but maybe not oversized. I will have a CO2 scrubber.

Yes, I'm aware that the glass will get dirty. I plan on having to clean it. We'll see how that goes. If it becomes too much of a hassle, I guess I'd get a screen cover and plan on dealing with more humidity.

 

[Dave-T]

duplicate

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Any suggestions about what I should do?

Blow or exhaust air from the air over the water, and use a skimmer. If humidity is a big concern, exhaust it outside. I did that for my basement systems.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

A bathroom fan with a built-in humidity sensor, installed in the fish room, with the exhaust going outdoors, will maintain your max humidity by exhausting air when the humidity exceeds your preset and pulls fresh drier air in from the rest of the house.

I installed one of those in my fish room's ceiling for just that purpose and for the same concern you have. Mold/Mildew prevention.

 

[Duncan62]

I'm in the process of designing a reef tank with my LFS. The system will consist of a tank, sump, and frag tank. Most everything will be covered in glass to help mitigate humidity issues. I think the only part of the sump that will be exposed is the roller mat. I'm wondering if we should worry about adding fresh air into the system. My installer thinks that the stirring of the surface of the display tank will oxygenate the water (and/or solve the issue of outgassing CO2), but is that true? Since the display tank will be covered, it seems like we need to introduce fresh air into the system, perhaps with some air stones. Or can I assume that the water circulating into the roller mat will do the job?

Just put an air stone in the sump somewhere. I've read down. It's cheap and can't hurt.

 

[Doctorgori]

glass over the display tank is. PITA , it will glaze over eventually and get sorta crusty looking. NTM light loss. I’d cover parts of the sump though …I’m in a high humidity area also and feel your pain