Serious aquarium issues tonight =[ Don't know what to do.

[STiTCH87]

So I have my 40g breeder with 20g sump in the basement. It evaporates currently ~3-5 gallons of water per week depending on the temperatures in the room from day to day.
This basement has always had a general issue with humidity in the summer to the point where there is a dehumidifier down there in a side room, and we run damp rid in the closets of the bedroom where the tank is.
The bulk head never gets opened, and the basement windows don't either because they are broken, and realistically don't even seal up very well shut.

Well, this year (first full summer with the 40g) we have an EXTREME humidity issue down there. Ever since that week ~2 months ago where we got an insane amount of rain.
The basement didn't flood that day months back, but ever since, it's been crazy humid both outside as you all know, and also in my basement.
Anything fabric is damp to the touch and many fabrics are starting to grow green fuzzy mold. Stored papers are getting damp. Anything at floor level.
In the closet, clothing is getting musty and that almost cold/damp feeling.

My fiance's father is CONVINCED that the humidity issue is single handedly due to there being a 40g fish tank in the basement.

Could this even be possible? I really disagree with him. Never the less, he told me he wants the fish tank out of the house a.s.a.p. -_-
I'm going to wait a few days/weeks to see if he hopefully calms down and gets over it (summer is almost over anyways) and hopefully he doesn't make me take the tank out of there.
If so i'd have to transfer the 40g and everything in it over to my own parents house which barely has the room for it.

I'm EXTREMELY scared that if I take down the tank and move everything that i'll lose livestock, scratch glass, ruin my deep sand bed and leech nitrates everywhere, etc.

Is moving an aquarium as difficult as I think? Can I reuse the sand bed if I remove it and put it into buckets? It's like 5" thick.
Will the tank have to cycle again?

And best question, is this humidity issue REALLY all to do with having a small 40g in a basement?

 

[P-Nut]

How big is the basement?

Why don't you cover the 40 breeder and leave the 20 gallon tank uncovered? that might calm him down. Maybe buy a dehumidifier.

It has been very humid outside lately. You can feel it, it is nasty and it feels like Florida.

 

[nemodan]

You are adding an extra 3-5 gallons of evaporated water to the standar humidity issue of the basement.

You better go and buy dehumidifiers or you will have to move the tanks......or do all the repairs to the basement to have more ventilation.

Sorry !!!!!!

 

[JasonandRay]

just buy a dehumidifier?

 

[s_kelley]

I installed a bathroom fan set up on a humidistat in my fish room. I also run a dehumidifier in the rest of the basement. I ran it even before having the fish room because of humidity issues

 

[ffsteve]

First move your dehumidifier out of the side room into a open area. unless there is a good cross flow it's not doing enough. Second cover your tanks both of them and do a bit larger water change weekly. Third, damp rid will only help control the dampness it won't remove all of it. They start to work @ 24% humidity. And fourth, get the air moving in the basement.
just remember 1 gallon of water will make 1700 gallons of steam x that by 10 and thats 100%humidity now x that by your water loss. thats a lot of water in the air!

also does they upstairs run ac's? that also don't help basement moisture.

 

[johntan]

I second put a lid on it and add a dehumidifier. You could probably even run the dehumidifier right to the washing machine drain if one is down there.

 

[dz6t]

Do you have a fan to blow at the water surface? If you do, that may contribute a lot to humidity.

 

[STiTCH87]

Yes they do run AC upstairs. And there's 3 room in the basement each very sectioned off. The dehumidifier is on the opposite end of the house. Covering the tank was causing it to overheat. Even having the door to the sump in was causing it to overheat. The basement has zero ventilation so it gets warm down there sometimes. And holy crap that IS a lot of water. And yes I have a fan blowing across the water. Looks like I'm gonna have to offer to buy a 2nd dehumidifier just for the bedroom and hope that gets him to agree to keep the tank down there. Otherwise I may have to break down the tank and downgrade it's size to a Nuvo 24 or CadLights 28 which I really don't wanna do.

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[GobyWanKenobie]

I agree about covering the tank. Buy a piece of glass or acrylic or something. I run all-in-one tanks, and I still have an evaporation issue. If you cover it, make sure you leave an area open for the heat to escape. You don't want to solve one problem and create another.

 

[dannyp02908]

Evaporation has less to do with tank size and more to do with surface area of the water. When considering a downgrade, take the surface area in to consideration vs actual size. For perspective, you said 3-5 gallons of evap weekly on your 40. My 110 evaps the exact same amount.

 

[STiTCH87]

Yeah because my 40g is a breeder so it is 36x18 IIRC. Quite a bit of surface area. Plus the surface area of a 20 long sump. Plus the fan blowing across the surface of the water.

If I did downgrade the surface area wouldn't matter because it'd be at my parents house on the top floor in a small bedroom with central air and a heat exchanger. That's where my pico is.

And yeah I unfortunately cannot cover the 40g. It will overheat very quickly. I tried it once before with a sheet of acrylic. Got real hot real quick. IDK I think a dehumidifier is my last hope before I have to move it out.

So nobody has really answered my other questions though. Is moving a tank as dangerous as I feel? Is it likely livestock will be killed? How do I reuse my deep sand bed?

 

[P-Nut]

Yeah because my 40g is a breeder so it is 36x18 IIRC. Quite a bit of surface area. Plus the surface area of a 20 long sump. Plus the fan blowing across the surface of the water.

If I did downgrade the surface area wouldn't matter because it'd be at my parents house on the top floor in a small bedroom with central air and a heat exchanger. That's where my pico is.

And yeah I unfortunately cannot cover the 40g. It will overheat very quickly. I tried it once before with a sheet of acrylic. Got real hot real quick. IDK I think a dehumidifier is my last hope before I have to move it out.

So nobody has really answered my other questions though. Is moving a tank as dangerous as I feel? Is it likely livestock will be killed? How do I reuse my deep sand bed?

Moving a tank is not that hard. Just get some buckets and plastic containers. Re-using the DSb is an issue. Start with new sand. Your rock will have plenty of bacteria.

 

[dannyp02908]

Moving the tank is tit. I helped a member move a fully stocked 75 from Boston to providence in February with no loss.

 

[STiTCH87]

Well that's making me feel a lot more comfortable. I have access to endless buckets and holding containers as well as various powerheads, a few heaters, etc. So that aspect shouldn't be bad. I have a truck I can use to move everything so that's not an issue either. Sounds like the only money i'd have to spend to complete the move would be buying new live sand then huh? Stinks. But I suppose I could sell the old sand to help pay for the new anyways. I still don't want to move it though, lol. Hopefully the dehumidifier idea is a go. But if not, i'm finding comfort in knowing the move shouldn't be too difficult.

If I do the move and use all new sand, I know you guys said my rock should have plenty of beneficial bacteria, but will the tank still do any form of mini cycle? Should I keep an extra eye more than usual on Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate for a few months?

Being new sand will I have to deal with cyano or diatoms or similar again? Should I go with "live" sand, or dry? I usually go dry when starting a new tank but IDK if a mature tank would be better to use "live" which I know really isn't live anyways./

 

[delta]

Yes they do run AC upstairs. And there's 3 room in the basement each very sectioned off. The dehumidifier is on the opposite end of the house. Covering the tank was causing it to overheat. Even having the door to the sump in was causing it to overheat. The basement has zero ventilation so it gets warm down there sometimes. And holy crap that IS a lot of water. And yes I have a fan blowing across the water. Looks like I'm gonna have to offer to buy a 2nd dehumidifier just for the bedroom and hope that gets him to agree to keep the tank down there. Otherwise I may have to break down the tank and downgrade it's size to a Nuvo 24 or CadLights 28 which I really don't wanna do.

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Simply put everyone is having humidity issues this year it rained all spring. Nothing you are doing is adding anymore or less than the tank does. A bathroom fan exhausting outside would make a huge difference I run one that is 50watts 24/7 I have well over 200 gal in my sump room in the basement.
A second dehumidifier should help a lot as well. I found the fan to be a lot cheaper to run.
If you do not have water on the floor you are doing well.

If you decide to move it, moving the tank is of no real issue I have done it many times. Plan well and have a back up plan and people standing by if you run into trouble. The best plan is to have a stock tank as an interm housing so you plan on the tank not making it to its' spot in a day right from the get go. Seed the sand with your old sand and you should be good

 

[ffsteve]

what about a chiller? and moving tanks are easy

 

[STiTCH87]

A chiller expels heat out the exhaust end. Without a window to blow the hot air out of, all it will do us make the room even hotter on top of the humidity. I made that mistake years ago already.

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