Dehumidifier/Evaporation Question

[Goob]

Hello everyone. I just recently moved and now have my 75 gallon tank in a fully finished garage with laminate floors and an AC/heating unit. I feel like there's a total difference between the amount of humidity I am getting in the room now versus the room in my old house. I purchased an extremely nice 70 quart dehumidifier and I'm dumping out the full bucket daily.

I'm wondering if by having the dehumidifier in the same room or within 10 feet from the tank, is that counter-productive. Should I keep the door open to that room and allow more air space for the humidity to spread and put the dehumidifier in a different room?

I'm just wondering if anyone out there has any similar experience with this and possibly if this will change once the seasons do as well.

Thank you!

 

[mariobrothersleeve]

I have my tank on the main level and my sump and refugium in the basement. The dehumidifier is running in the unfinished basement. As of summer, I go threw about a 1/2 g to 1g per day of top off water. Humidity on the return air is right around 50% with ac on. It isn't the same, but I hope it helps. Winter I go through 3 gallons per day.

 

[Goob]

Whoa, so it's just going to get worse? I probably should look for a more permanent solution then instead of constantly emptying this bucket. I just don't want this dehumidifier on all of the time. It's going to kill me in electrical costs.

 

[mariobrothersleeve]

Check your humidity in that area. You just don't want mold. I know of a few folks that you can smell that they have a tank. I don't think molding up a house is worth the hobby. Have you tried keeping your fan your furnace 24/7?

 

[Goob]

I keep my fan on in the room all the time, I don't keep running the fan on the separate AC unit though. I wonder how economical each is. I'll check it out and see.

 

[kungpaoshizi]

You definitely don't want mold, speaking from a terrible experience in a house I was renting with a leaky foundation, you will have health problem after time. Try to keep humidity between 30-40%. Higher and molds with slowly start to grow. They're quite adaptable and between different species and tolerable humidity levels, and its dam near impossible to eradicate it all once they start growing behind walls and under floors.

As far as your tank, just get a cover and turn up the lighting.