Humidity problems for large tank

[SuperFudge]

I probably should mention a downfall ive noticed.

The pull is so great in the room, (probably should have gone with 8-10" fresh air intakes) that it will pull through wall switches and plug outlets if the room doors are closed. while this isnt a problem, i didnt consider the plumbing for the sink....it pulls some nice smelling air from the drain on the fishroom sink...this is made worse for the fact every day i drain my skimmer in there.

Latley i open the fishroom window to let in more air and it does the trick....so it was soley becuase i didnt install large enouph fresh air intakes.

Marc.

[Doug]

Good points Marc. Achieving a balance between exaust & incoming is important, no matter which system is used.

And I totally agree on taking advantage of ones climate. If heating in winter is not such a large issue then using your system is fine. They all achieve the same thing in the end, as long as air is exchanged.

[ClubReef]

Now that I'm armed with humidity control..what other things should I concern myself with?

Is there anything you wish you would have done differently to your basement /fishroom?

I've asked the contractor to install 2 extra power circuits, a floor drain, a cold water line.

Thanks

[michika]

Storage space for dry goods, supplies, and equipment not in use. That was always the most frustrating part about our tanks. I also frequently was annoyed at having to schlep water from the basement to the first floor, but that was me being too lazy to buy a pump.

Things that I really loved, a drain in the sump in case there was a water outtage, to prevent flooding. I also loved that when we set up our 230g we arranged it so that we could do a water change just by opening valves and flipping switches. So easy, and it helped us to remain consistant with water changes etc.

[Delphinus]

If you're having a contractor do the plumbing anyhow, get a hot water line. Might as well - you'll wash your hands and stuff probably at the sink anyhow right? Also, RO/DI works better with warm water than it does with cold water. I don't know if this is true for everyone but in the winter my coldwater comes in at only a few degrees above freezing - well - maybe 8 to 10 degrees - that is, as they say, DANG cold and it does impact how much throughput you can get out out of your RO/DI.

If you're doing a whole room anyhow, I'd get way more than just 2 power circuits. I've considered putting a whole subpanel in the room but I haven't decided if I'll do that. But 2, you'll load those up in no time IMO. I'd go 4-6 or maybe even 8 or 10. What the heck, you don't have to use them if you don't need them but it will be nice to have them available "just in case."

[ClubReef]

The tank will be a room divider with 3 viewable sides so I won't have a dedicated room...a sink won't be installed either (my wife already told me no . I will have to use the sink in the washroom or the utility room.

I'll look into the hotwater line though...I might as well since the walls are bare and I might have a dedicated sink or wet bar built close to it in the future .

Do you think 3 circuits will handle all of the power requirements? I don't want to get too overboard because at the end of the day everything will add up (they charge $130 for each circuit). 3 circuits will be 45A of power. I can see my biggest power draw will be from the MH (3 X4.5A) +Chiller (9A) ~21A

[hawk]

I have one problem in my fishroom you may or may not need to consider. Tank is 375g, total water volume around 600g. The room is pretty airtight with 2 exhaust fans and fresh air intakes. The fishroom ceiling is a drop with a lot of copper plumbing for upstairs kitchen, bath etc within it. In the fishroom I have a sink and rodi. The room can get upto 84-85 degrees. The rest of the basement stays cool. Now the problem... When the rodi is running for several hours at a time and the relative humidity is high like now, the copper run to the rodi in the drop ceiling (sealed tight from the fishroom) sweats and drips condensation. When I first noticed it I used insulating foam tubes on the pipes. This helped but not totally. What I think is happening is the area above the fishroom is warm, the cold water running through the copper meets that warmth causing the condensation. If I were to do it again I would change the copper around the fishroom to pex, which I'm told does not sweat.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by ClubReef

I've asked the contractor to install 2 extra power circuits, a floor drain, a cold water line.
Thanks

You have a good handle on it with those three. I like Tony,s hot water line. As a matter of fact, I put a laundry sink in my fishroom, with hot & cold running water. My wife appreciated me staying in there cleaning stuff and not running around the house with it.