BowieReefer84 March 12, 2014 Share March 12, 2014 My top looks a lot like the one Brad posted, but I will share anyways. 20130915_220638 by mteske1, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.x-ray March 12, 2014 Share March 12, 2014 ... also how will screens help prevent humidity / evap? No top or screen top will increase you evaporation rate. And increase the use of your heaters. My evaporation went from about a gallon to 2.5-3 a day. A little gap/opening on opposite sides of a glass top helps a lot. I have taken that plastic piece off of glass tops and replaced with egg crate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM March 12, 2014 Share March 12, 2014 Wouldn't it grow algae if it touched? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak March 12, 2014 Author Share March 12, 2014 Guys I have a issue with too much humidity in the basement where the tank is... I need the glass to to reduce the evaporation. What about a defogger what are shower mirrors coated with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak March 12, 2014 Author Share March 12, 2014 Wouldn't it grow algae if it touched? Thought about that some but I'd make it part of my regular maintenance to clean the thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad908 March 12, 2014 Share March 12, 2014 dehumidifier ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak March 12, 2014 Author Share March 12, 2014 Wouldn't it grow algae if it touched? Thought about that some but I'd make it part of my regular maintenance to clean the thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak March 12, 2014 Author Share March 12, 2014 There are other problems contributing to the humidity issues aside from the tank, and though a complicated series of problems a dehumidifier isn't a practical solution. The idea at this point is to reduce the humidity contributed by the tank with out uglifying the tank too much dehumidifier ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime March 12, 2014 Share March 12, 2014 dehumidifier ? This and a screen top. If you have humidity problems in your basement already, you should be running a dehumidifier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 March 12, 2014 Share March 12, 2014 (edited) I don't think a 30gal tank is big enough to notice it causing humidity. I'm sure it has to be other factors. Edited March 12, 2014 by BowieReefer84 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM March 12, 2014 Share March 12, 2014 If it is really humid down there, maybe you wont get evaporation at all. My top looks a lot like the one Brad posted, but I will share anyways. 20130915_220638 by mteske1, on Flickr Who made that one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad908 March 12, 2014 Share March 12, 2014 (edited) If it is really humid down there, maybe you wont get evaporation at all. Who made that one? PicO. He bought my old set up. If you have that much humidity, I would be worried about mold. Edited March 13, 2014 by brad908 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak March 13, 2014 Author Share March 13, 2014 It's been a problem in the past which is why I not running open to p PicO. He bought my old set up. If you have that much humidity, I would be worried about mold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef March 13, 2014 Share March 13, 2014 Some houses just have humidity problems...and running a dehumidifier is the only solution if you cannot install a timed fan with enough flow rate to help... I've lived in 4 different houses in 4 different states that all had humidity issues...(2were the entire upstairs as we didnt have basements, but this was Florida and Georgia,lol) we installed a "whole house fan" on a timer in 2 of the situations, and ran a dehumidifier for the other...and the last we did nothing and could never put anything in that basement, but we were only there for a few months You can run your dehumidifier on a timer...but the one I installed for my grandparents only kicks on when the % is high enough to run for 15 minutes at a time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak March 13, 2014 Author Share March 13, 2014 My top looks a lot like the one Brad posted, but I will share anyways. 20130915_220638 by mteske1, on Flickr is your tank stand door carbon fiber? !? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.x-ray March 13, 2014 Share March 13, 2014 I bought a dehumidifier on amazon. Heaven Fresh is the brand. Works awesome. Can select always on, 50, 60 or 70% humidity. Plus you can plum it out. Keep mine on 60%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak March 13, 2014 Author Share March 13, 2014 I bought a dehumidifier on amazon. Heaven Fresh is the brand. Works awesome. Can select always on, 50, 60 or 70% humidity. Plus you can plum it out. Keep mine on 60%. what to you do about the heat it produces? Also how much did it increase your utility bills? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 March 13, 2014 Share March 13, 2014 is your tank stand door carbon fiber? !? Yea, haha. Actually it's 3M DI-NOC Wrap. It's a very high quality wrap that looks legit. http://www.amazon.com/Gloss-3M-DI-NOC-Carbon-CA-1170/dp/B005HWW6LW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prunfarm March 13, 2014 Share March 13, 2014 Could you shim the top slightly so that condensation would run to back or front and drip off into tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami March 13, 2014 Share March 13, 2014 Guys I have a issue with too much humidity in the basement where the tank is... I need the glass to to reduce the evaporation. What about a defogger what are shower mirrors coated with?Just my thoughts on this approach: Defoggers don't prevent condensation. They change the affinity of the water to the glass, disrupting the surface tension forces that cause the individual fog droplets that interfere with the passage of light. Thus a defogger should allow a uniform layer of water to form on the underside of the glass. Water should continue to condense so long as the glass top is cooler than the dew point and that water should gather into larger droplets which drip back into the tank (and interfere with light as well). Defoggers that I've used for other purposes don't last forever (they never last long enough in my opinion), so consider that it is probably dripping right back into your tank along with those large droplets. The larger droplets may or may not yield an aesthetic improvement but may give you better light transmission. Sent from my LG G-Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k March 13, 2014 Share March 13, 2014 Can I ask how much light penetration is reduced by condensation on the glass? Is this yet another "fish tale" that has no supporting evidence but clearly makes paranoid reefers rush to buy another product to solve it? In my opinion, it makes very little difference if I just use the tanks that I work on as an example. Most are acrylic with lids and some of the large ones are glass with eurobracing. All of the eurobraces have condensation as well as the lids, but all of them that have corals in them grow them just fine. As an added 'benefit', the green film algae that grows in the fresh water condensate appears to be a delicacy to many of the Tangs. I really think that the real problem with condensation is not that the water droplets are interfering with light penetration, but that the resulting mineralization will certainly leave a white residue behind that will reduce the light. I use acrylic polish on the glass to make salt creep removal easier and sometimes use it on the water side but I've not noticed that it reduces condensation or changes its structure. If the glass were tilted, then all of the water would run to one side and not collect anywhere, but I'm willing to bet the increased exposure to air and the heat from the lights would cause the tilted glass to build up mineralization faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak March 13, 2014 Author Share March 13, 2014 The reactions I'm getting on this post in a couple of forums say part loss is minimal and I have my light at 70% or so anyway so I'm no longer worried one day I might borrow a photo meter but I feel there is enough pseudoscience saying that the par impact is minimal to ignore the condensation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonloco March 13, 2014 Share March 13, 2014 General thought over on plantedtank forum by the "lighting guru's" is condensation will have minimal affect on par values, while mineral deposits have a greater affect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidm March 13, 2014 Share March 13, 2014 adding my $0.02. Had the same problem, and was forced to cover the tank and sump with plexiglass to limit moisture (dehumidifier was adding heat, using electricity, didn't work as a long term solution). whatever amount of water you put in as top-off obviously adds to your humidity problem - so I think you're right in addressing the root cause, and a mesh cover wouldn't help. On the plus side, I was afraid of low oxygen levels after covering my tank and sump, but that wasn't a problem - I think the skimmer keeps O2 levels at high values even in a covered tank and sump. I thought about submerged LEDs to avoid the air/salt/condensation interfaces, but they scared me both in price and the thought of submerged electronics. Best, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami March 13, 2014 Share March 13, 2014 I think that "fog" presents a greater problem than larger drops. I base this merely on the reflectivity losses. If light is reflected back toward the light, it just makes sense that it's lost to the tank. If it is not, then the incident light must be transmited to the tank. So if your glass top is bright white with fog, then you're almost certainly experiencing losses as it wouldn't look bright white if the light weren't being reflected back (loss). If the glass tops look merely wet, then the losses should be minimal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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