Fresh Air Systems for basement fish rooms.....

[spotter]

My basement is already sealed up pretty well already which has caused low ph issues for me. My basement is about to get remodeled which will include the creation of a fish room for my new 315g dt and 80g frag. I have been reading about fresh air systems and wanted to see if anyone in the area is using one and get some feed back on them.

 

[The_Codfather]

Can you just add a outside vent into the room?

 

[spotter]

I've inquired about that but I am told that I need a fan to draw air in and push air out like a bathroom exhaust fan.

 

[The_Codfather]

I think any fresh air system will need some kinda fan to draw air in..
Add edit: what about a 2 way air pump.. have one tube going to the outside for the air intake have the pump in the room and have the air exit going directly into the water with a air stone?.. Cheap to buy, cheap to run and easy to set up

 

[The_Codfather]

Something like this but find one that suits your needs... http://www.marineandreef.com/Aqua_Lifter_Water_Air_Pump_Tom_Aquarium_Products_p/RCPR01137.htm

 

[spotter]

This is what I am talking about.......something that will be big enough to change over all of the air in the entire room.

http://www.panasonic.com/business/building-products/ventilation-systems/products/whisper-comfort.asp

 

[The_Codfather]

Yeah i have seen them before.. But i would go the easy and cheapest route first but that's me.. Plus with the air pump you know for sure the oxygen is getting into the water to raise the PH.. It's easier and cheaper to make one or two 1/4 inch holes bigger then adding a fresh air system first just to find it didn't help

 

[The_Codfather]

Also I remember people having the air intake from the skimmer to the outside too.. I'm a big fan of killing two birds with one stone

 

[Jcurry@wesketch]

It depends on what you're trying to accomplish. If you're just trying to raise the pH then feeding the skimmer with outside air is the most effcient way to do this. If you're worried about the humidty in the fish room then I would install the panasonic fan controlled with a humidstat and possibly run it through an HRV.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_recovery_ventilation

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplie...s-ft1_environmental_controllers;pg105425.html

 

[downbeach]

You could use an ozone generator on a timer.

 

[spotter]

My concern is both low ph and humidity. My sump is already in the basement and I have struggled with low ph during the winter and summer. With the renovation of my basement, the fish room will be 24x9 and house over 400 gallons of water between the dt, frag, sump and make up tanks. I'm guessing the room will get pretty humid without any venting. My contractor is suggesting either the panasonic system or the trane fresh air system. I've heard people in different parts of the country on RC that have told me that they've had success with them so I thought I would see if anyone on the local site was using one since we have the same climate conditions. It sounds like an added expense that I should invest in.

 

[The_Codfather]

I would do the skimmer air intake to the outside and run a dehumidifier

 

[Jcurry@wesketch]

Your better off running your AC than a dehumidifer. They work on the same principal except the dehumidifer dumps hot air into the space instead of cool.

Definitely run the skimmer intake to the exterior for the pH and use the panasonic fan on the humidstat controller. Also you should consider using paperless drywall like Densarmor plus for the wall & ceiling.

http://www.gp.com/build/product.aspx?pid=4659

 

[reeferwanabe]

an air conditioner is actually cheaper to run than a dehumidifier plus what curry said is true about the heat

 

[ricwilli]

I would do the skimmer air intake to the outside and run a dehumidifier

This is my setup right now ^^^^^.

My ph use to run as low as 6.9. After running a tube from the skimmers air intake to the outside, it does not go below 8.1. Its even gotten up to 8.3.
I run the dehumidifier only in the winter cause my basement gets cold. And like Jcurry stated, "it dumps hot air into the space instead of cool". I want the hot air for two reasons. 1) Like stated above, my basement gets cold in the winter. 2) Because the skimmer is sucking cold air from the outside during winter time, the water in the sump gets cold and my heaters turns on more. The surrounding hot air from the dehumidifier helps the water in the sump stay warm, so the heaters turn on less.
I remove the dehumidifier in the summer and run a small window ac. If you don't have a window, you can buy a portable ac, but you still need to vent the exhaust air to the outside. I've looked at all these suggestions, but the one I am running now, suits me best.