How to prevent mold from growing under stand?
 

I have a 90 gallon tank with a sump underneath it. The tank came complete with the sump and a stand made out of 1 inch square tubing. I wanted to close the stand in for aesthetic reasons so I welded some tabs onto the 1 inch tubing and closed the stand in with stained good one side plywood. The end product looks pretty good but the problem I am having is moisture from the sump is causing mold to grow on the plywood inside the stand. Does anybody have any ideas on how to prevent this from happening? I am even considering replacing the plywood on the front of the stand with something else that would allow the moisture to exit the stand or maybe some vent holes would be in order.

Hi Palster,

Yes, putting in some venting with some fans will help greatly.

I would remove the wood and paint all the interior surfaces with a marine paint or other reef friendly paint. As well add in a fan to remove the moisture.

Adding ventilation now without removing the mold is a health risk. Depending on the variety of mold it can be extremely toxic and you do not want to be releasing those spores into your house. So, get that out first.

I agree with Chad, paint the wood with marine paint. Putting in a vent will allow some air cirulation which will help too.

Seeing as you have to take down the wood to paint it, might want to replace it if the wood was really modly.

Can anyone expand on 'marine paint' with brand and where to buy?

Thanks.

I used Epoxy Paint from Home Depot. After 3 coats it dries to a plastic like finish. Worked great.

Brand was Sico. Super White epoxy gloss finish.

http://www.sico.ca/en/Produits/Images/teint_829.jpg

Go to a hardware store that sells paint, they can show you the marine paint.

Rona, Home Depot, etc.

Excellent - thanks for the detail.

Just to be absolutely sure you've actually killed all of the mold, I would first scrub it vigoursly with a bleach solution and then wait until it completely dries out (should get the fan and venting in there ASAP) before painting it.

Absolutely! Kill that gunk & paint before it makes your whole house sick. No !@#$%! fungus allowed in the livingroom!