Air exchange in a close fish tank room

[eggie]

I have a fish tank room that's 10 x 13 with ac unit that's on 24/7 there is no windows no chiller.
I'm Looking for a good way to have fresh air in or at least better air quality in the room.
The door is close all day and I go to that room and feed the tank and sometime sit on my laptop to do a little of reading

What would be the best way to acquire this ?

 

[Ron Reefman]

Why do you close the door? Do you live in a warm or cold climate? You said the A/C runs 24/7 which leads me to think you are in a warm to hot climate?

To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't have any worries at all about air quality if you are talking about the oxygen exchange with the tank water. If you mean just better air in the room, you could try a fan. Or maybe even a vent fan like a bathroom. Given that it's not in a ultra humid room like a bathroom after a shower, I wouldn't feel bad about just venting it to the attic.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I have a fish tank room that's 10 x 13 with ac unit that's on 24/7 there is no windows no chiller.
I'm Looking for a good way to have fresh air in or at least better air quality in the room.
The door is close all day and I go to that room and feed the tank and sometime sit on my laptop to do a little of reading

What would be the best way to acquire this ?

Some AC units will exchange air and others will not. Maybe switching to one that does can help.

 

[eggie]

Why do you close the door? Do you live in a warm or cold climate? You said the A/C runs 24/7 which leads me to think you are in a warm to hot climate?

To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't have any worries at all about air quality if you are talking about the oxygen exchange with the tank water. If you mean just better air in the room, you could try a fan. Or maybe even a vent fan like a bathroom. Given that it's not in a ultra humid room like a bathroom after a shower, I wouldn't feel bad about just venting it to the attic.

Yes I live in the tropic. The reason for the door close is so the ac stays stable.

The reason is because I have a C02 monitor that raises when Im there, meaning the Air Quality is not good according to the monitor

Vent fan would be good if I push air from the outside in so there’s air from outside in the room

 

[eggie]

Some AC units will exchange air and others will not. Maybe switching to one that does can help.

Yeah I have small console that doesnt exchange air as its more cost effective in light bill

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How high does the CO2 read?

 

[jda]

You have to lower the co2 in the whole home and then the AC will move the air into the room. You might have to leave the door open a bit - just a crack can move hundreds of cubic feet a minute. If the room is cut off from the whole house AC, then you will have to use a fan.

We have a 680 square foot basement under a garage addition. The co2 level can raise fast - if I go down there for a 30 minute run and then stay long enough to lift with one body part, the level can more than double (before and after photos below). It goes back down overnight a bit. I also have a 4 inch vent with a hydroponics fan on it that will get the room back to atmospheric co2 levels in a matter of hours.

I am a real wierdo about this, but I would not hang in that room much if the co2 was over 800 for long. I can tell a performance difference if the co2 in our basement is over 800 vs when at 400... it is like I am more sluggish. That 905 is when I was walking out of the room, but if the room was at 905 to start, my workout would have been different feeling.

 

[eggie]

How high does the CO2 read?

1500-1700

 

[jda]

You are going to need fans and some serious air exchange.

Some folks would feel sleepy in that room for long.

 

[eggie]

You are going to need fans and some serious air exchange.

Some folks would feel sleepy in that room for long.

Yeah it climbs up when In there for a while, but when Im not the C02 stay around 500 which is good. Thats the reason Im looking for ideas

 

[nano reef]

I sit in a small den all day in Fl with central ac. My tank is in there and a lot of the it me my 2 dogs are with me. Wonder if I need a monitor! My ph meter is broke and dont have a test kit but when it wasnt broke it usually read about 7.8.

Would I get a better growth if i could get it to 8.2 or 4?

Problem is no way to run skimmer line outside because we have yard chemical yard service once a month. Plus it super humid in Tampa!

I am not savvy at all with hooking up things lol But my hubby helps when he is in the mood lol. What is an easy fix? Is a co2 scrubber easy and inexpensive way to go. I could maybe get Santa to bring me one! lol

Sorry to highjack your post but I saw @Randy Holmes-Farley answered! lol I know he is a master in reeftanks! The king! lol

 

[jda]

Yeah it climbs up when In there for a while, but when Im not the C02 stay around 500 which is good. Thats the reason Im looking for ideas

How about a floor fan blowing in the door while you are in there?

The co2 in my basement can rise from 400 to 900 if I do a 30 minute run and lift a bit. It goes back down in time, but it doesn't take much respiration to make a small room rise.

 

[theMeat]

An HRV is some of the best money I’ve spent. Not cheap but well worth it.
What type of AC do you have?

 

[eggie]

An HRV is some of the best money I’ve spent. Not cheap but well worth it.
What type of AC do you have?

Mini split

 

[eggie]

How about a floor fan blowing in the door while you are in there?

The co2 in my basement can rise from 400 to 900 if I do a 30 minute run and lift a bit. It goes back down in time, but it doesn't take much respiration to make a small room rise.

Im going to try a few things

 

[theMeat]

Mini split

Mini splits are great for many reasons but offer no fresh air exchange. Running an air tube from outside to the protein skimmer will help the tank but at 1500 ppm would look to lower it for other occupants with an hrv

 

[eggie]

Mini splits are great for many reasons but offer no fresh air exchange. Running an air tube from outside to the protein skimmer will help the tank but at 1500 ppm would look to lower it for other occupants with an hrv

Yeah My PH is not my main concern as I run a scrubber from the outside and PH is around 8.2 I guess with a little more air in the room it would work even better

 

[theMeat]

Yeah My PH is not my main concern as I run a scrubber from the outside and PH is around 8.2 I guess with a little more air in the room it would work even better

This is a video of how an ERV works. An HRV works the same way except it doesn’t recover humidity, only temp. Would think HRV is the way for you to go given you’re in a tropical climate and probably don’t want more humidity. Can’t explain how much this improves time spent indoors