Is an aquarium a natural humidifier?

[jaylach]

I was just thinking and had a thought. Personally I hate when I think as it usually ends u with me having a head ache and normally gets me in trouble.

Anyway a tank evaporates water as part of it's doing what it does. Doing what tanks do are they not really a good humidifier?

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Before I got my 200 litre, I had 5 x 60-70 litre aquariums in various rooms, often two per room

My dehumidifier was working overtime needing to be emptied every other day.

Now with the 200 litre + the 30 litre for Fred....my dehumidifier needs emptying once a fortnight

Taking into consideration the weather, the temperature, the fact I don't use heating in my flat regardless of time of the year and with only small double glazed windows open part time.....

I would say that multiple aquariums "might" cause an increase in humidity indoors. Really depends on how well the building is insulated, type of windows, heating etc

 

[Colin_T]

Yes, aquariums will increase the humidity in a room. However, this can be significantly reduced by having coverglass on top of the tank. The coverglass reduces evaporation, stops fish jumping out, and helps trap heat so the aquarium heater is on less.

I had a fish room that was well sealed up. I had 40 tanks and they all had coverglass. The humidity in the room wasn't much worse than the rest of the house and I never had mould growing in the room.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Shouldn't increase humidity much if you have a hood on the tank...I have a 240l in the lounge and humidity is currently at 51% which is quite typical for my house

 

[GaryE]

If the tank is heated, it'll evaporate more. You can make a house humid - with older windows and several tanks, you may notice condensation on the glass in winter. I had 50 tanks in my basement, and ran a dehumidifier in my last house. The result - about 5% more humidity upstairs than I would have had with no tanks. But the dehumidifier was emptied daily.

It's scale though - I don't think many of us have 50 tanks.

 

[Colin_T]

I had 50 tanks in my basement, and ran a dehumidifier in my last house.

did you have coverglass on each tank?

 

[GaryE]

I have killies - yes to the cover glasses except on my paludarium type tanks (two) where I have flowers and emergent plants above the level of the rim.

I now have a garage outside the house for my tanks, and I insulated the place against Canadian winters. My heating costs will be low, but the humidity will be high. A dehumififier will be used. But this is a long way from what someone with one or two tanks faces.

 

[Back in the fold]

It sounds like people who are emptying de humidifiers and getting condensation on windows are confirming that aquariums add humidity but is it very much ? My wife likes added humidity in the house and boils a pot on the stove and still says it isn't enough. Can a person actually detect it ? I can't.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

It sounds like people who are emptying de humidifiers and getting condensation on windows are confirming that aquariums add humidity but is it very much ? My wife likes added humidity in the house and boils a pot on the stove and still says it isn't enough. Can a person actually detect it ? I can't.

The only reason I knew something was up was the fact that the local authority fitted a new front door on my flat cos the old one was draughty. I had not realised just how draughty until the new one was in place for a couple months and the ceiling above it started getting black mould.

My flat is local authority owned, brick internal walls, cavity wall insulated outer brick walls, double glazed. Even with the top small windows open 24/7 I still started getting mould above the new front door that had never been an issue with the old one.

Bought a dehumidifier suited to a max 6 bedroom house (I have a tiny 1 bedroom flat). The first 5 or 6 weeks I was emptying the dehumidifer 3 to 4 times a day. Now it is emptied fortnightly and that has only happened since getting rid of the 5 small aquariums and replacing those with the larger one.

Insofar as my experience is concerned, I believe that the draughty wood & single pane glass front door was covering the humidity issues and things only became a problem when the new heavy duty composite front door was installed.