Sump Ventilation Question

[Guns286]

I’m in the process of building a tank (50g Acrylic), tank stand, and sump (20g long). The sump will have a refugium (including a light) along with a protein skimmer and return pump. The sump will be located under the main tank, in the stand, enclosed by 3 wood walls.
I hadn’t considered ventilation or cooling of this area until I read about it in another post. A standard 20g long is 30x12x12. The area that it will be in is 36x18x20. The sides and front of the stand will be closed in, but the rear of the stand will be left open.
My thought is to install 4 small, computer type fans. 2 on one side pulling air into the space and 2 on the other side sucking air out. Considering the size of the space and the equipment that I’ll be running, do you guys think that this plan will provide adequate ventilation?

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

That sounds like more than enough to me.

 

[Guns286]

Ok, good. Thank you. It was a part of the build that completely slipped my mind.

 

[Lavey29]

Is the fish room not climate controlled?

 

[Lavey29]

I keep one small fan on top of my ATO to prevent humidity and odor. Temp not a concern because the house temp is always reasonable.

 

[Guns286]

Is the fish room not climate controlled?

It is, but it’s in the basement, which is usually cooler then the rest of the house. That should keep everything cool and mean that I have to use a heater in case the temperature goes too low. But, I’m a big believer in contingency plans and want to have the fans in place, just in case.

 

[Guns286]

I keep one small fan on top of my ATO to prevent humidity and odor. Temp not a concern because the house temp is always reasonable.

Ok, so the dans in a sump area can be used for more then just climate control. Preventing humidity, stagnant air, order, can also be mitigated with a good air flow. Got it. Sorry, I’m a noob to this.

 

[Lavey29]

It is, but it’s in the basement, which is usually cooler then the rest of the house. That should keep everything cool and mean that I have to use a heater in case the temperature goes too low. But, I’m a big believer in contingency plans and want to have the fans in place, just in case.

Honestly seems like overkill for a 20g sump cabinet in a climate controlled room but fans are not expensive either and running them 24 7 means new ones every 6 months or so.

 

[Lavey29]

Ok, so the dans in a sump area can be used for more then just climate control. Preventing humidity, stagnant air, order, can also be mitigated with a good air flow. Got it. Sorry, I’m a noob to this.

My main reason would be stagnant air and humidity that's why I have a small one running. My sump is 15g.

 

[Guns286]

Honestly seems like overkill for a 20g sump cabinet in a climate controlled room but fans are not expensive either and running them 24 7 means new ones every 6 months or so.

Ok. Maybe I should install them, but monitor temperature and other things, prior to running them. I can get a better sense of how much they need to be on, as opposed to 24/7.

 

[Guns286]

My main reason would be stagnant air and humidity that's why I have a small one running. My sump is 15g.

Seems very reasonable. I’ll definitely keep that in mind. Thank you.

 

[Lavey29]

Ok. Maybe I should install them, but monitor temperature and other things, prior to running them. I can get a better sense of how much they need to be on, as opposed to 24/7.

If your tank is in a climate controlled space the sump area temp is going to be controlled also and the water in your sump will be virtually the same temp as the tank. I run temp probes in both so I know.

Now people that live in areas of high humidity, no AC, house gets hot etc... they have different requirements for their system. For me because there is water and skimmer odor in a 3 sided box well a small fan helps eliminate odor and any possible condensation humidity that may occur.