# high humidity in fishroom



## joon (Jul 17, 2004)

i set up about 30 aquariums in this room (used to be garage)

during winter time humidity lv was normal

however as temperature going up , my humidity lv became high

is it a serious problem?

is it bad for my health?? what do i have to do to lower humidity lv?


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

Glass tops and a dehumidifier are a must for most fish rooms. Mold follows quickly and water damage to surfaces that get condensation will happen quickly.


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## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

That's actually gotta be good fer the lungs. It's pure water, cause nutrients and stuff can't evaporate. Good for all that working out!


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Overstock is right. You'll breath in the mold too. Not a good workout there.


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## joon (Jul 17, 2004)

hm i will keep my windows and doors open during summer time
also i guess its time to buy a dehumidifier now
what % of humidity is okay?


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## austinz33 (Nov 6, 2011)

Would a 20 gallon long and a ten gallon in my basement raise my humidity?


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## [email protected].edu (Jul 17, 2008)

austinz33 said:


> Would a 20 gallon long and a ten gallon in my basement raise my humidity?


If they lose enough water to evaporation fast enough, then yes. 
Use glass lids and you'll avoid most of that.


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## kuro (May 21, 2010)

Just get an air conditioner and place on window that will solve your problem.


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

Temperature isnt' the problem, it's humidity.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

With carpeting and other soft things that will grow mold I will agree with the above. Deal with the humidity. I am not sure how low is optimum, though. 

Ventilation might be OK, as long as the temperature is moderate. If you are depending on the temperature in the room to hold the tanks at a certain temperature, though, then you may not be able to keep the windows open as much as you need to. Can you set up a fan in a window to evacuate the (humid) air and bring in drier air at a reasonable temperature from the house?


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## el_capitan (Jan 28, 2012)

Chrisinator said:


> Temperature isnt' the problem, it's humidity.


Air conditioners pull moisture from the air.


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## Red_Wall (Mar 14, 2012)

Uh, I don't really know about these guys, but living in as south east as you can get in Georgia, the humidity is constantly around 70-85%. We don't do anything special to prevent mold. I had never even heard of a dehumidifier until I was 16. I could be wrong... and maybe the standard A/C filters out all humidity, but there isn't anything special that we do to prevent mold. 

If anything, open the window and have a fan blowing out the window. That will help.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

A fan isn't going to do the trick in an already humid environment.

Even without aquariums, many people in Kentucky (and that's nowhere near as "south" as Georgia and such) have dehumidifiers built-in with HVAC systems. 

It's well worth the investment if you have more than a couple tanks. An absolute must in my opinion.



Red_Wall said:


> Uh, I don't really know about these guys, but living in as south east as you can get in Georgia, the humidity is constantly around 70-85%. We don't do anything special to prevent mold. I had never even heard of a dehumidifier until I was 16. I could be wrong... and maybe the standard A/C filters out all humidity, but there isn't anything special that we do to prevent mold.
> 
> If anything, open the window and have a fan blowing out the window. That will help.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

Red_Wall said:


> Uh, I don't really know about these guys, but living in as south east as you can get in Georgia, the humidity is constantly around 70-85%. We don't do anything special to prevent mold. I had never even heard of a dehumidifier until I was 16. I could be wrong... and maybe the standard A/C filters out all humidity, but there isn't anything special that we do to prevent mold.
> 
> If anything, open the window and have a fan blowing out the window. That will help.


If you ran 85% in your house all the time you'd live in a mold petri dish. If you run the AC more it is stripping moisture from the air. 

However, if your house is only 65 degrees but your humidity is still 90%, running ac to get it down isn't much of an option. 

Opening the windows likely won't help much either, in philly. It will start to warm up and push humidity in and cause evap from warmer tanks. 

Glass tops really are a must when you have more than a few tanks in a house. Even more necessary when in a single room.


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## s_s (Feb 15, 2012)

All that mold must really suck for people who run evaporative coolers in their houses, huh guys?

Humidity is normal, especially for a room that used to be a garage. It's only going to be a problem if it's uncomfortable, or someone has allergies.

The only other problems I can think of are electronics related. Electronics wear out faster with high humidity. This includes lighting equipment. 



somewhatshocked said:


> Even without aquariums, many people in Kentucky (and that's nowhere near as "south" as Georgia and such) have dehumidifiers built-in with HVAC systems.


That's because HVAC systems _create_ perfect conditions for mold growth.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

I only have two open-top tanks (one 8gal, one 12gal) in a 2,300sq ft open space and the humidity difference can be easily felt. 

I'd be anxious about anything more than this.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

I would make the investment into a dehumidifier. You have alot to lose over a $150.00 decision. It wouldnt even be a question in my book. On another note, the water made by the dehumidifier is used by alot of aquarists as is basically distilled water. I would look at the model you get and if it contains copper tubes or alunimun and run it a bit before testing the water its producing. I dont think I would ever trust it for inverts, but plants and fish should be OK. I dont do it, ive just heard of it so some Google research is in order here as well.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

This is, quite frankly, less than helpful advice.

It's a former garage modified with materials that can more easily grow mold than cinder blocks and concrete. There's wood, carpeting, drapery, furniture. And a TON of water.

Humidity is normal, absolutely. But not at super-high levels.

It's why black mold is a nightmare in the south. It's why most people in my own city have dehumidifiers in their basements when they don't even have aquariums. 

Comfort should be the least of concerns with so many tanks in a single room that isn't equipped to deal with the humidity.



s_s said:


> All that mold must really suck for people who run evaporative coolers in their houses, huh guys?
> 
> Humidity is normal, especially for a room that used to be a garage. It's only going to be a problem if it's uncomfortable.


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## joon (Jul 17, 2004)

http://livingwithmyhome.com/201-home-tips/pillar-to-post-high-humidity.aspx


it is true , as temperature going up , normal humidity lv goes up as well
that's what i worried about...

50~60% is normal during summer time

i never smell or saw mold in my basement yet, but i will check closely if i have mold in anywhere in my fishroom


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

Red_Wall said:


> Uh, I don't really know about these guys, but living in as south east as you can get in Georgia, the humidity is constantly around 70-85%. We don't do anything special to prevent mold. I had never even heard of a dehumidifier until I was 16. I could be wrong... and maybe the standard A/C filters out all humidity, but there isn't anything special that we do to prevent mold.
> 
> If anything, open the window and have a fan blowing out the window. That will help.


I assume you're talking about outside humidity. If it's that bad in your house it must always feel clammy. On the west coast of the east coast of the US (That would be the west coast of Florida. Only place that can make that claim) it gets very humid here in the summer. But A/C keeps it normal. Cold air can't hold as much water as warm air so it condenses out. A dehumidifier works by running air over the evaporator to cool the air and condense out the water then over the condenser to heat it back up.
Today here in Tampa it was 86 with relatively low/comfortable humidity. Same temp in August and you're covered in sweat it's so humid. The best bet for the OP is to vent the room. But the makeup air needs to run through whatever HVAC he has so the temperature stays comfortable and the makeup air is conditioned and filtered. My guess is stagnant air in that room unless humidity is a problem throughout the house. As an afterthought: Is there an air return from that room to the HVAC? If not the solution could be as simple as adding one. Is the HVAC large enough to handle that addition? My guess is it isn't since the garage is generally an unconditioned space.

I remember when I lived in NY (born and raised) many houses had humidifiers on the furnaces since humidity was so low in the winter. Summer was brutal though. I've never seen it over 98 here but summers there got to over 100. With a heck of a high humidity.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

http://www.cdc.gov/mold/stachy.htm



> How do you keep mold out of buildings and homes?
> As part of routine building maintenance, buildings should be inspected for evidence of water damage and visible mold. The conditions causing mold (such as water leaks, condensation, infiltration, or flooding) should be corrected to prevent mold from growing.
> 
> Specific Recommendations:
> ...


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

joon said:


> http://livingwithmyhome.com/201-home-tips/pillar-to-post-high-humidity.aspx
> 
> 
> it is true , as temperature going up , normal humidity lv goes up as well
> ...


I'd jump on the dehumidifier before you find mold. Mold prevention is cheap. Mold repair is a friggin nightmare. We had water in our basement last year and it cost me 10,000 dollars in repairs and mold recovery. We now run an inline dehumidifier in our heat/ac tract and a stand alone. I recommend running them in a place you can plumb them into a drain. 

A vent to the outside world can help, but if you are like us(and it seems climate is relative close), venting isn't much of an option. Newer dehumidifiers are much more quiet. Which is nice, as they can be pretty noisy. 

Again, plumb the hose to the bucket and out to a drain, if at all possible. YOu'll notice it works much better. 

And glass tops. God... glass tops. Particularly if you don't keep your house 90 degrees. If your house is 70 and tanks 75, the warmer water is always going to evaporate out into the dryer air quickly. If you use well sealed class tanks, you get most of that total reaction inside the airspace.


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

OverStocked said:


> I'd jump on the dehumidifier before you find mold. Mold prevention is cheap. Mold repair is a friggin nightmare. We had water in our basement last year and it cost me 10,000 dollars in repairs and mold recovery. We now run an inline dehumidifier in our heat/ac tract and a stand alone. I recommend running them in a place you can plumb them into a drain.
> 
> A vent to the outside world can help, but if you are like us(and it seems climate is relative close), venting isn't much of an option. Newer dehumidifiers are much more quiet. Which is nice, as they can be pretty noisy.
> 
> ...


I'm wondering what his level is in the rest of the house. I have a feeling most of his problem (and he is really borderline according to the reading) is no airflow in the room since it is a converted garage.


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## joon (Jul 17, 2004)

thanks for advices and help
i been thinking and searching alot
it seems i dont have a problem now but i will buy a dehumidifier, since i spend lot of time in my fishroom
healthier for me and good for my house then i can invest couple hundreds for long term
(now is there any ideal specific dehumidifier for fishroom? or can i buy anything?)

humidity lv of my entire house is around 55~59% atm
fishroom is 59% , living room 54% , my room 55% 
central air conditioner and heater works in fishroom so i think theres an airflow
also i had 4 big aquariums(110 75 55 55) in this room for last 5 yrs, but never noticed about humidity and mold things
and then i used to have trademill machine here, been running for hrs lol, kinda scary but i have no problem breathing 
i like to make sure because i like to live longer lol

once again thank you for teaching me about humidity problem , i would never know it and keep exercise in my fishroom
also if i have a good dehumidifier, do i still need glass top???
i have glass tops for most of aquariums... but it will be a headache for this set... :S


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

The dehumidifier would be worthwhile. As for that rack there is nothing you can do for it so send it to me.


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