What to do about the evaporation?

So i live in my landlords basement right now. Very small room and i only have a 20 gallon tank. The evaporation is definately noticeable on the windows/ceiling. This summer i will be moving home, and once again living in the basement (really sucks). It will definitely be a much larger room, however i want at least a 75 gallon tank. What can i do about the evaporation to make sure it does not gather on the ceiling/windows. I really do not want to leave windows open because they are some pretty big spiders/insects that will crawl in. Let me know what you guys think? I really want to get a big tank but dont know how i can do it with this issue.....

 

I think the reef tank will be the last of your worries living in a basement and not opening windows
could you fit a mesh screen to the inside of the frame that will keep out the bugs, but allow you some oxygen exchange and C02 reduction

aside from the potential negative effects to your own health from that type of enviroment , you run the risk of having PH issues with your salt water tank due to the build up of C02 in your home

you could look into a de humidifier, which extract moisture molecules from the air
which should help
but for your own sake, you will need an alternative way to deal with the potential bug issue rather than keeping the windows shut all the time

 

i wish thinking a mesh screen also but regardless, the bugs are going to come in. which really sucks cause this is the room i will be sleeping in. Im not expert, but it doesnt seem entirely feasible that dangerous to me when thinking bout the little amount of c02 released from a fish tank (i may be wrong and uninformed though). Also this may be a FW tank, havent decided yet.....I thought using a dehumidifier would be worthless due to the fact it would just pull water from the tank??

 

partly cover the top of the tank with a acrylic or something(still leaving some area for gas exchange).

probably a unreasonable suggestion. don't use a over flow or skimmer. you will get a protein film on top of the water which will reduce evap.

 

I meant the Carbon Dioxide that you will be breathing out

I was more worried about you suffocating than I was about your fish tank

Steve

 

considering our house has ventilation (just like every other house within the last 100 years???) i really think you are over estimating this carbon dioxide exposure thing.... lol.

About that acrylic though, the water will evaporate and hit the acrylic above hte tank but i believe it still needs to exit the room somehow..

Im thinking a really really fine mesh is going to be my best bet, and maybe some sticky glue type substance around the window frame to catch incoming bugs...

 

LOL , OK your safety comes 1st IMO

a de humidifier might be worth checking out then as that should help to keep the moisture out of the air in the room

Steve

 

yea, my only concern the dehumidifiers is that will the pull water from the tank or only from the air? maybe if i kept it at the other end of the room than where the tank is??

 

drier air will allow for more evaporation, it shouldn't be a problem unless it is a small tank, or you aren't diligent. With a 20?....I think you should be okay. Fans on the tank plus a dehumidifier will amke top offs a chore, but if you do it when you feed the fish and make it a habit it takes no time at all really. We don't have basements in florida unfortunately so I have no clue there.

 

ok i will for sure use a dehumidifier then. I am thinking its going to be at least a 75 gallon tank.. Not sure about FW or SW yet. I dont mind top offs, but whats the point of having fans on the tank other than keeping temps down (which i dont need to worry about...)?