Habitat - Indoor :: Does anyone else have a large indoor tank? - problems

[littlecakes]

We've had a large indoor stock tank for a little over a year now and we are really having problems with mold in that room. I have a small dehumidifier running in there now that helps a tiny bit but we are thinking we are going to have to enclose the whole darn tank somehow to make a separate "mini room" inside the actual room. Another option in the Spring would be to figure out how big/deep of a pond outside would work but can you over winter RES in Upstate New York? (We are zone 5 gardening wise....)
Anyone have any suggestions?

[jozzep]

I have 4 tanks that total 250 gallons of water in my living room. No sign of mold or humidity. I always open the windows because my apartment is always so darn hot, so i guess that helps.
Are you sure the tank is causing the mold and humidity?
I advise building some kind of lid on the stock tank that locks the moisture in the habitat. that will def help.

RES can live fine outdoors in the north east. They live in the wild in NY so that should confirm what i'm saying. The pond should at least 3' deep to allow the turtles to live under the ice. A deicer should be used as well to keep an opening in the ice to allow air exchange and nitrate escape during the winter.

[littlecakes]

Thanks for your reply Jozzep. I'm certain it is coming from the large stock tank mainly. (We have another aquarium but the surface area is much much smaller) Unfortunately we can't blast our heat and open the windows since we pay for our own heat and it already costs us hundreds of dollars a month in the winter to keep it close to 70.
Will there be any issues in terms of turtle health if I enclose most of the tank? Will the higher humidity inside pose a problem for her shell or respiration?

I am not sure we will be able to dig a 3 foot deep pond outside since we are renting our house, even though our landlord is a very sympathetic animal lover. I was hoping it could be smaller/shallower........

Hmmmmmm......

[4711]

think of it like a bathroom. if it has no window it needs a fan.

I would invest into another dehumidifier and a fan to keep the air in that room moving.

but really you need to vent the humidity to the outside.

[BullDog]

I've got about 185 gallons total water in my room, and I don't have a problem with mould on the walls or anything, but I do notice a bit of mould in the windows. I have double windows, and I find the inside layer sometimes get a bit of black mould around them. The windows themselves get a slick of water on them, so much that it drips off.

If you can crack the window open even a bit, maybe even just for a short while it'd help.
Also, a second dehumidifier would probably not go amiss either.

I like 4711's idea of a bathroom-type fan too.

As for the mould, just keep on top of it so it doesn't spread. I wipe my windows with vinegar from time to time.

[4711]

well, heater on and window cracked really isn't good for the heating bill, I had a landlord who very much frowned upon it (it was all inclusive, a basement apartment with aluminum windows, the mold just crept up the wall...one of the more unpleasant experiences in life, but oh well, live and learn)

get the place nice and warm then ripp all the windows open for a few minutes then close up and repeat the next day or so....

if the fan can not be installed.

In the long run, save for a down payment on your own house and add a sunroom with installed indoor pond...

[jozzep]

Thanks for your reply Jozzep. I'm certain it is coming from the large stock tank mainly. (We have another aquarium but the surface area is much much smaller) Unfortunately we can't blast our heat and open the windows since we pay for our own heat and it already costs us hundreds of dollars a month in the winter to keep it close to 70.
Will there be any issues in terms of turtle health if I enclose most of the tank? Will the higher humidity inside pose a problem for her shell or respiration?

I am not sure we will be able to dig a 3 foot deep pond outside since we are renting our house, even though our landlord is a very sympathetic animal lover. I was hoping it could be smaller/shallower........

Hmmmmmm......

Again i'm referring to natural situations, and around here the humidity is horrible in the summer and turtles all survive fine.
The bathroom fan idea is great, and you can install it on top of the lid i suggested to build and vent it directly outside (if possible).

The pond cannot be less than 3'. The ice line in the cold winter is about 18" thick and you don't want your turtles to freeze like Walt Disney do you?:)