MOLD!!!!... or not ??

i loose probably 2-3 gallons a day between all the tanks

 

Depends on the time of year. Dehumidifiers generally create heat, so in the winter you wouldn't need space heater. Air conditioners obviously generate cool air, but I do not believe they will pull out as much humidity as the dehumidifier.

 

It sounds like despite the limited space and amount of tanks that you have that you are quite conscientious about their upkeep. You deserve credit for that

The fact you brought it up here for help because you like your hobby and want to keep the peace with your dad also deserves credit. You may also have a point if your dad is a bit on the fanatic side about cleaning or if he is a bit of a "germiphobe" - is he like this about other areas of the house or just your fish room? He says "mold" but in reality its likely that if anything, he might mean "musty or damp" which to me merely boils down to a small room with fish tanks in it as opposed to the residual smell that any house pet will leave - such as cats or dogs in an everyday scenario.

I will play devil's advocate and ask a couple questions - just to help narrow things down although i tend to suspect it is merely the issue of volumes of water in a small room and the humidity that the others have mentioned:

Have you ever had any large spills or leaks at all in the room? Maybe spilled something during a water change or somesuch? Just wondering if there was some random incident where water may have saturated the wall behind the baseboard trim. Even then, it would take the water some time to wick its way up into something like drywall in a case like that.

Is there a rug or carpet in the room that may have picked up odors from a random spill? if so, maybe tossing them into the washer isnt a bad idea or even replacing them with something affordable from WalMart.

I suspect that you take care of any wet towels or clothing etc quickly and dont let that kind of thing lie around....if you have a laundry basket or hamper in the room, give it a quick wipe down.

The Febreze idea is a good one for mitigative efforts if there is simply a "tank smell" that your Dad perceives as mold.

Do you keep the door to the room shut most of the time? That right there could also facilitate a "different smell" coming from the room as the door is opened and closed. Again - no big deal in my personal opinion - I have a teenage daughter - some weeks the room smells like laundry and another week it smells like the latest fruit scented Bath & Body spray - at her age, the door is left shut often and all it is a matter of is simply opening the door and letting the air dissipate and mix throughout our apartment.

I do not get the impression that there are any physical signs of serious humidity such as mildew spots on ceilings etc (they often show up on shower ceilings in homes for example since most showers / bathrooms never seem to have adequate fan ventilation and the steam collects at the ceiling).

The idea of a basic dehumidifier is a good one - if you do get one you will have to be just as diligent in keeping that collection vessel emptied and cleaned between times when the dehumidifier fills it.

I really wish you luck - as a parent I have learned to choose my battles in order to win my "wars" - or at least try to put things in perspective - meaning that given the care and interest you have in this hobby, your dad should feel fortunate that he isnt smelling anything "illegal", or cigarette smoke, or cat urine, wet dog, rotten pizza and mildewed fast food containers, or reallllllllly funky gym socks! I hope he takes pause and gives that some thought now and again in between the "mold" comments.

Not sure if you have tried to involve him a bit in the hobby? At least talk to him about it, show him around the tanks (and maybe even the forums and terrific community here) and see if maybe there is some other underlying issue in play that is giving him cause to be the "dreamcrusher" and complain. Not to sound too philosophical but is there a chance dad is envious or feels excluded in something that has so much or your interest and time?

Oh yeah - one more important question: what does MOM think? (you could also ask the opinion of other third parties such as friends or the occasional "neutral" houseguest or relative when they come by the house. Just ask them to walk towards or into the room and give it a fair and honest whiff).

Hang in there and keep us posted!

 

Onefishtwofish, you just wrote a novel about mold on a reef site. K +1 ^ 400

also, i know its not much but worth a try. If you ever get anything (shoes etc.) that comes with a little bag of beads that warn you not to eat them, toss the bag in your stand. the beads do an insane job of sucking up moisture (humidity) in the air. we did a lab in our honors chemistry class using these beads and their capacity is unreal. Good Luck!!

 

yeah us mom types can go on and on sometimes - plus its almost 4 am and well....it is just me and the tank at the moment

the stuff you mention is called desiccant i believe and it indeed is an excellent idea:

Desiccant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

um, thanks for the karma Patrick - arent you glad i am not your mom? lol.

 

onefishtwofish thanks for chiming in you seem like a great parent i hope ur daughter knows how luckey she is ...

let me elaborate on his nick name.he got this name about 10 years ago when my brother and i tried to build remote controlled airplane kits.to make a long story short he had us sanding and adding wood filler so much we gave up,no easy task.but he later (years later) admitted he didnt want us to build them in the first place.his way of telling us stuff lik that is to just make the task seem impossible so we give up.hence dream crusher lol he could also b parsnoid bc the tank is very old but i had it professonally leak tested so im not too suspicios of it. although u never know.

i involve him wen ever i can we go to the lfs together he helped me set up the fuge. ect but asfsr as gettn him more involved id b extremely hesitant,for afew reasons. sabatoge(sp), ive come home for lunch afew times nd my lights on my reef tank have been shut off.theyr on timers nd its never happend on my days off.so im worried it will snow ball. another reason is bc he doesnt want the added work of taking care of the tanks hes always amazed how much time i devote to my tanks.he use to do fw tanks thats how i got the 10 gal nd the 55.he just sees the tanks as work.id love to get him on here but im still teaching him how to use ebay lol googles his next big leap lol.

his germophob thing is pretty well limited to my room.no1 else smells it.n i cant keep the door open bc my brothers cat likes to fish in my tanks ,rip royal gramma ...and unfortunately im alergic to fabreeze nd similar products ,crazy internal itching.

i replaced the rug just for piece of mind. and any spills wer just little splashes and i clean them up fast. towels are thrown down the laundry shoot at very least nightly used or not. no visible signs of mold or wet spots or anything.

i do try my best to take care of my aquatic friends i lik to put myself in their shoes if i was in a small glass box id want my air filter changed plus i enjoy caring for them.

keep in mind i live in this room i feel if the problem was that bad id be showing adverse signs.

he says its a little better since i broke down the eclipse tank temporaraly but im still not buyin it lol

 

i hope my above post is understandabl.its very early nd im typing on my phone

 

well my dad admits its slightly better but not gone ughhh im fearing i have to take down the 55 ... on a positive note if i take it down ill be rebuilding a 180 in its place to spite my dad lol

 

Down with the one known as dreamcrusher. Take down the 55gal and get a 220.

You could always just replace the plumbing and run a dehumidifier.

 

yeah im looking for a used dehumidifier now lol... i think the 220 is to big for my room lol the 180 is probably pushn it a bit far lol i have a 300 i made in my basement