Mold in fish room

[CarpCharacin]

My fish room is in the basement, it used to be a kitchen since the house was built as a duplex, but now it's my fish room, and I noticed mold growing inside of the cabinets. The cabinets are on an outside wall with no insulation, so they get cold. Any idea on what I should do? Not sure if a dehumidifier would help, because I already keep the heat running in the basement most of the time.

 

[fishhead0103666]

I have had 179 gallons running at one point in a rather small hot room and never saw any mold due to my dehumidifier.
The way I see it is this, if you’re a serious fish keepers with serious dreams about large fish tanks and whatnot like me then a dehumidifier is inevitable. It is a vital piece of equitment, it is like a lung is to your body, your fishroom can not function without it or it will break down.
What I’m trying to say is that a dehumidifier can only help you, it can’t hurt you to get one.

 

[tlindsey]

My fish room is in the basement, it used to be a kitchen since the house was built as a duplex, but now it's my fish room, and I noticed mold growing inside of the cabinets. The cabinets are on an outside wall with no insulation, so they get cold. Any idea on what I should do? Not sure if a dehumidifier would help, because I already keep the heat running in the basement most of the time.

Treat the mold asap you don't want it to spread. A dehumidifier is the best option.

 

[CarpCharacin]

What is the best dehumidifier to get? What should I use to treat the mold with?

 

[fishhead0103666]

I’ll try to find you the information on the dehumidifier I use, I still have the pamphlet that came with it somewhere. Got it from walmart.

 

[fishhead0103666]

Ok so I couldn’t find the manual but I did do a bit of searching and found it online.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-30-pt-Dehumidifier-ADEL30LW/300734665
I recommend it since it has a place where you can attatch a garden hose and have it drain 24/7 without having to dump the water yourself.

 

[fishhead0103666]

I forgot to mention you can change what humidity you want the room at


As you can see I have mine set to 40% humidity and it does a pretty good job of keeping it around that but it isn’t 100% accurate as you’ll be able to tell from the next picture.



As you can see the room is currently registering at 48% humidity. Not too bed but if accuracy is a must then I would not get this one.
4.5 stars I’d give it.

Not sure about the mold, bleach?

 

[Niki_up]

You can try a vinegar to kill the mould, but bc it is on a porous object you probably won’t be successful in getting it all and it will continue to spread because of the high humidity caused by the fish tanks.

If the mould is not too much I would first try to kill it and if it you find it returns you might might want to look at the option of removing the cabinets.

Mould has some serious health hazards. I would definitely add a dehumidifier as previously suggested.

 

[phreeflow]

+1 on the dehumidifier.

Also, be careful not to disturb the mold when it’s dry as the spores will spread to other areas of the room and will grow if there’s enough moisture. Always make sure it’s sprayed down and wet before you attempt to scrub it clean. Bleach won’t kill the roots...don’t think vinegar will either. Look up a product call Concrobium and follow the directions. If all else fails...tear out that cabinet. Not worth having mold issues. Also, make sure there is no leak or seepage behind those cabinets...it may or may not be from just the humidity in the room. Check all possibilities

 

[duanes]

I had about 1000 gallons of tanks and a pair of kiddy pools (400 and 800 gal) in my house before moving to Panama. I should have had those recirculating fans constantly pushing humid air out. But of course, was lazy, and didn't, also wasn't expecting to ever sell, just die there and leave the problem to someone else like any old codger.
Things change, 2015 decided to move to Panama, the entire house needed to be remediated for mold before the sale could go thru.