RobertP Tank Redo (2 Viewers)

[Bigfishy]

Is your Gary doors insulated? If not that might help. You could also try using a fan to blow air across the top of the sump.

I think this will be a hot summer and don’t feel September will be much cooler.


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[RobertP]

Garage doors are insulated and already have 3 fans blowing across the top of the tanks. Also putting in 1 gallon ice jugs in the sump but they melt very quickly. The temp in the garage is generally around 80 in the mornings but the humidity is around 80%. Worst part is that lately the outside morning air is 80 and 95% humidity so no relief there. I think an exhaust vent is the next thing to go with. I believe they make some with humidity controllers but have to see.

Tank was 83 yesterday and lost another coral though some of them seem to be thriving in the warm water.

 

[steveb]

I have to run an 14k BTU A/C continuously in my garage based fish room. I try to keep things at 78°F but struggle with that July-Sept

 

[Bullitt519]

My chiller does a good job of keeping things in check unless it blows a fuse haha
You can also try to run a reverse photo period where your lights are on over night.

 

[RobertP]

I picked up a dehumidifier and it works and knocked the humidity down to 50% pretty quickly. However, it raised the temperature of the garage to 94 degrees! Yeah it was a dry heat but the tank temp shot up over 84 degrees!

I am starting to think a chiller or portable AC. Since we open the garage occasionally maybe a chiller would be best. I just have to be able to vent the hot air out of the garage and cutting a big 6 inch hole in a new house is not something I want to do...

 

[ITreefer]

I picked up a dehumidifier and it works and knocked the humidity down to 50% pretty quickly. However, it raised the temperature of the garage to 94 degrees! Yeah it was a dry heat but the tank temp shot up over 84 degrees!

I am starting to think a chiller or portable AC. Since we open the garage occasionally maybe a chiller would be best. I just have to be able to vent the hot air out of the garage and cutting a big 6 inch hole in a new house is not something I want to do...

94 ouch!
In order for me to setup a tank in the garage, ambient cooling would be a must.
Chillers are nice and all, but if you have to endure 94 degrees while dripping sweat in order to do some light maintenance, count me out.
Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[RobertP]

Good point. I am going to return the dehumidifier and get a portable AC unit.

 

[ITreefer]

Good point. I am going to return the dehumidifier and get a portable AC unit.

Whats your plan for the A/C exhaust? Nothing is easy lol

 

[RobertP]

Whats your plan for the A/C exhaust? Nothing is easy lol

I have a window in the garage and it might be low enough the front bushes might hide it from my wife. If I paint it the same white as the house it MIGHT be acceptable for warm months. Then I can pull it down when it gets cool enough that the tank doesn't need AC. We will see....
The only other option is cutting a hole in the wall and through the outside hardiboard but I hate that idea.

 

[ITreefer]

I have a window in the garage and it might be low enough the front bushes might hide it from my wife. If I paint it the same white as the house it MIGHT be acceptable for warm months. Then I can pull it down when it gets cool enough that the tank doesn't need AC. We will see....
The only other option is cutting a hole in the wall and through the outside hardiboard but I hate that idea.

Yep that's the way to go.

 

[Cody]

Just take a bunch of coke cans from the fridge and put them on a plastic tray. The cold cans will cool the garage and pull humidity from the air, then dump out the water in the tray. You’re going to need a bunch of cold coke cans though.

 

[RobertP]

Just take a bunch of coke cans from the fridge and put them on a plastic tray. The cold cans will cool the garage and pull humidity from the air, then dump out the water in the tray. You’re going to need a bunch of cold coke cans though.

Hmm that is plausible but I bet I would have need multiple refrigerators and thousands of cans.... I toyed with one of those new thermoelectric coolers but they cannot handle much water volume. Maybe one day they will make them for bigger tanks.
I actually thought about building a swamp cooler. Coil a bunch of hose in an old cooler full of ice and then pump water through the cooler. However, the way the tank is eating 1 gallon frozen jugs, I would be replacing ice very quickly. Still not a bad temporary idea if the AC unit doesn't get here soon.

Tank got up to 84 the past two nights...not good. Amazon says the AC unit will be here tomorrow but has not shipped yet. Doubt it will be here tomorrow unless it is shipping out of Houston.

 

[ITreefer]

Hmm that is plausible but I bet I would have need multiple refrigerators and thousands of cans.... I toyed with one of those new thermoelectric coolers but they cannot handle much water volume. Maybe one day they will make them for bigger tanks.
I actually thought about building a swamp cooler. Coil a bunch of hose in an old cooler full of ice and then pump water through the cooler. However, the way the tank is eating 1 gallon frozen jugs, I would be replacing ice very quickly. Still not a bad temporary idea if the AC unit doesn't get here soon.

Tank got up to 84 the past two nights...not good. Amazon says the AC unit will be here tomorrow but has not shipped yet. Doubt it will be here tomorrow unless it is shipping out of Houston.

Amazon may just surprise you.
I wish swamp coolers worked in our humidity. We had them in our tents in Kuwait, they cooled EXTREMELY well.

 

[RobertP]

My grandmother lived in Tucson and everyone just used swamp coolers. But they had about 2% humidity and we wake up every morning with 97%. Southeast Texas is my home but I certainly get tired of the humidity...like the armpit of Texas in the summer.

 

[RobertP]

AC unit came in late this morning and I hooked it up during my lunch hour and looks like the water temp is finally falling in less than 1 hour. Temp in the garage has only gone down a little but the humidity dropped several points. Looking forward to seeing what it looks like later this afternoon when it is 100 outside.

 

[RobertP]

3 hours later and it is down to 81.1!!!! Loving this nice cool AC unit!

 

[RobertP]

I set the AC at 79 and the tank is 79.1. Temp is low enough the fuge lights were on tonight and didnt realize it had grown up so much. Red grass, chaeto, and calerpa doing great. The other calerpa needs a few nights to come back. If I recall correctly the halimeda is going crazy. Yeah it eats calcium but it's really cool! No creepy crawlies but the pods have lots of places to hide.
Excited about all the small sponges everywhere.

Will try to get a FTS tomorrow. Have to clean all the coraline off the glass...yeah first time since the rebuild started. Lost a couple corals with the heat but lots still doing well.

 

[ITreefer]

Glad to see that portable AC bringing the temps down to bearable levels.

 

[RobertP]

Temp dropped to 77.3 last night so set the ac unit to 80. Its keeping the humidity down so the fans are more efficient at evaporating water. Now after a day it seems to be settling at 78.5.

Cleaned the glass and forgot how tough it can be to clean coraline. Now I need to clean the sand so mixing water for this evening.
Lost another acro...probably too much temp swing.