Mold growth in the room I keep my tank

[Aaron88]

Hello, all of my beloved reef keepers.

I am having an issue with black mold popping up on my ceiling in my dining room where I keep my tank (65g). My tank has a glass lid, and it all 98% of the time, but it is an AIO tank, so the backside has no cover. I am thinking from the natural evaporation that occurs plus living in NW Washington state where it rains almost all day every day this time of year, plus my new to me house (110 years old), that all of this may be leading to the issue that I am having.

The dining area is the only place that is having this issue. Do any other reef keepers have this issue? If so, what do you do about it? I have sprayed it with 100% vinegar to kill off the "roots". If I do not get a handle on this soon, it can lead to larger issues.

Thanks for your all ya'll help.

 

[Brewski262]

I used to live in Washington state. Absolutely loved it.

Maybe try a dehumidifier first and see if that helps? A cheaper option would be to have a fan just circulate air in the room but wouldnt be as effective compared to actually removing the humidity from the air.

The dehumidifier would probably be money well spent either way for living out there.

 

[dimitrinivo]

I have 3 tanks in my bedroom, I had, and am still battling a mold issue. Keep your tanks covered as much as possible, clean any water you spill immediately, keep the room well ventilated (use fans if you need to), and last resort get a dehumidifier.

What you can do right now is buy a mold - killing product and spray it everytime it comes back.

 

[dimitrinivo]

I have 3 tanks in my bedroom, I had, and am still battling a mold issue. Keep your tanks covered as much as possible, clean any water you spill immediately, keep the room well ventilated (use fans if you need to), and last resort get a dehumidifier.

What you can do right now is buy a mold - killing product and spray it everytime it comes back.

I live in Vancouver, B.C., this could be a Pacific Northwest problem too

 

[Aaron88]

I used to live in Washington state. Absolutely loved it.

Maybe try a dehumidifier first and see if that helps? A cheaper option would be to have a fan just circulate air in the room but wouldnt be as effective compared to actually removing the humidity from the air.

The dehumidifier would probably be money well spent either way for living out there.

The air flows through that room rather well. The HVAC air intake is in there, and I also have 2 large space air purifiers in both opposing rooms that keep all the air on the bottom floor moving nicely. I lived in Fla for 20 years and never had a mold issue, and the humidity is 90+ daily. I also did not have a large tank in the house.

I think I will see about a dehumidifier for that room. Honestly, it is a touch dry over here for me, my eyes are always dried out from the lack of humidity, so I am surprised to be having this issue.

 

[dimitrinivo]

The air flows through that room rather well. The HVAC air intake is in there, and I also have 2 large space air purifiers in both opposing rooms that keep all the air on the bottom floor moving nicely. I lived in Fla for 20 years and never had a mold issue, and the humidity is 90+ daily. I also did not have a large tank in the house.

I think I will see about a dehumidifier for that room. Honestly, it is a touch dry over here for me, my eyes are always dried out from the lack of humidity, so I am surprised to be having

The air flows through that room rather well. The HVAC air intake is in there, and I also have 2 large space air purifiers in both opposing rooms that keep all the air on the bottom floor moving nicely. I lived in Fla for 20 years and never had a mold issue, and the humidity is 90+ daily. I also did not have a large tank in the house.

I think I will see about a dehumidifier for that room. Honestly, it is a touch dry over here for me, my eyes are always dried out from the lack of humidity, so I am surprised to be having this issue.

try a product thats specifically designed to kill mold instead of the vinegar

 

[Brewski262]

The air flows through that room rather well. The HVAC air intake is in there, and I also have 2 large space air purifiers in both opposing rooms that keep all the air on the bottom floor moving nicely. I lived in Fla for 20 years and never had a mold issue, and the humidity is 90+ daily. I also did not have a large tank in the house.

I think I will see about a dehumidifier for that room. Honestly, it is a touch dry over here for me, my eyes are always dried out from the lack of humidity, so I am surprised to be having this issue.

I currently live in a 90 year old house.. has its typical old house problems. Mold can be strange and hard to fight. It may not be directly related to your tank. A mold/mildew resistant ceiling paint may be worth it if it keeps happening.. at least it would make it easier to clean.

 

[Aaron88]

I live in Vancouver, B.C., this could be a Pacific Northwest problem too

Do you know of any animal-safe products? I have 3 dogs running around, and if anything drips down, they will be there sniffing and licking it in a moment. I read that 100% vinegar is really good for killing the mold deep into the drywall.

The only issue I have had with humidity is when I lived in Fla, and the only issue there was everything rusted from the humidity and saltwater in the air.

 

[leptang]

Living in Oregon i have to keep the ceiling fan on 24-7 to combat moisture. I tend to see slight less moisture on Windows in the morning after cold nights, keeping a 67°f temp in the house. Around 65°f the tank heaters struggle to keep the tank to 77°f. Keeping the house warmer might help but the power bill might be a little high.

 

[Aaron88]

I currently live in a 90 year old house.. has its typical old house problems. Mold can be strange and hard to fight. It may not be directly related to your tank. A mold/mildew resistant ceiling paint may be worth it if it keeps happening.. at least it would make it easier to clean.

That would be a great idea I did not think of that. It would be a pain in the backside for sure with the tank in that room. I wouldn't want any vapers or even paint getting in or on it, you know.

 

[Aaron88]

Living in Oregon i have to keep the ceiling fan on 24-7 to combat moisture. I tend to see slight less moisture on Windows in the morning after cold nights, keeping a 67°f temp in the house. Around 65°f the tank heaters struggle to keep the tank to 77°f. Keeping the house warmer might help but the power bill might be a little high.

I don't do warm or hot. I work nights so when I go to bed in the morning around this time of year I turn off my heater and just keep the HVAC fan blowing. When I wake up it is set to heat the house to 72 (I have others that live here that can't stand the cold).

 

[krash7172]

If it's only on the ceiling, maybe the moisture is coming from above and not the tank. HVAC intake should be enough IMO.

 

[Aaron88]

If it's only on the ceiling, maybe the moisture is coming from above and not the tank. HVAC intake should be enough IMO.

After I posted, I looked harder and found some on the walls around the tank. Most of the mold is on the same 1/2 as the room is on, and with no other parts of the house having this issue, I find it easy to conclude it's most likey the tank. I am sure there is some draft the comes in from around the 3 windows in that room that is only helping the issue along.

 

[leptang]

This stuff works well the smell is strong at first but it goes away in a day or two. I just spray it directly i mean directly on a rag the wipe the mold away.

 

[Aaron88]

This stuff works well the smell is strong at first but it goes away in a day or two. I just spray it directly i mean directly on a rag the wipe the mold away.

Awesome. I will see if Amazon sells it.

 

[krash7172]

You can get low gloss bathroom paint if the problem persists.

 

[leptang]

Also dont have the tank in the north east side of the house. I keep my tank on the southwest part of the house. Northeast side of houses tend to have the most moisture in the PNW.

 

[Aaron88]

Also dont have the tank in the north east side of the house. I keep my tank on the southwest part of the house. Northeast side of houses tend to have the most moisture in the PNW.

Well, I did not know that. But there is no way I am moving this tank.

 

[Brewski262]

You can get low gloss bathroom paint if the problem persists.

Krash brings up a good point, the paint currently in that room may be old (knowing that your house is 110 years old) and prone to allowing mold to grow versus a newer more advanced paint with a different texture or finish on it may be better.

 

[Aaron88]

Krash brings up a good point, the paint currently in that room may be old (knowing that your house is 110 years old) and prone to allowing mold to grow versus a newer more advanced paint with a different texture or finish on it may be better.

I bought the house from flippers. They redid all the siding on the outside new carpet on the inside new paint the full 9. But I am sure they did not use the best paint they could have.