Mold

[FollyFish]

I found mold around my windows and wondered if my tank might be part of the problem. 

 

Background: I live in a 1bedroom apartment aprox. 600sq feet and have lived here for 3 yrs. I also have 21 house plants in the same room and 2 small indoor hydroponic veggie/herb gardens. But I've had these for the past 3yrs as well. This is the first time I've seen mold in the windows. Last Jan I upgraded my tank from a 25G to a 50G and added a larger sump for the new tank. Over the summer I changed the top from glass to mesh, so I know I now have more evaporation. 

 

Would these tank changes be the cause of mold? If it is, is there anything I can do to mitigate or stop it?

[Murphs_Reef]

It's entirely possible. Do you have any ventilation in your apartment? I have a pretty big house and the back rooms upstairs always get some mildew around the windows as those rooms are unused and therefore not aired as often as the rest of the House.. simple solution and free, crack a window open half an hour a day. 

[seabass]

I run a dehumidifier for my tanks in the basement.  Air conditioning can also help in the summertime.  Plus, humidity often gets lower during the winter months.

 

I might consider trying to lower evaporation (like using a solid top).  However, I agree with Grimes, some air movement and/or exchange could help too.

[FollyFish]

I bleached all of the windows and I got a dehumidifier to run at night. I will see if the mold  comes back. If it does then I will switch the mesh top on the tank back to glass since my current lineup of fish are less jumpy. 

[mcarroll]

On 1/12/2021 at 2:41 PM, FollyFish said:

I found mold around my windows and wondered if my tank might be part of the problem. 

 

Background: I live in a 1bedroom apartment aprox. 600sq feet and have lived here for 3 yrs. I also have 21 house plants in the same room and 2 small indoor hydroponic veggie/herb gardens. But I've had these for the past 3yrs as well. This is the first time I've seen mold in the windows. Last Jan I upgraded my tank from a 25G to a 50G and added a larger sump for the new tank. Over the summer I changed the top from glass to mesh, so I know I now have more evaporation. 

 

Would these tank changes be the cause of mold? If it is, is there anything I can do to mitigate or stop it?

All of them add up.  

 

Sounds like going to mesh top was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak.  

 

Running a dehumidifier is one option, but it costly to acquire and to run.  If nothing else can be changed, then that's what I'd do though.  But sealing up the tank and possibly making some other changes might be a better way to go...depending on your whole situation.

[geekreef_05]

Agreed. Check the humidity levels in your home and aquarium room. 

 

Humidity monitoring devices are cheap on amazon. I have a few all over my home. 

 

If your humidity is over 70% all year long... might want to take action.