Fully enclosed stand

[Sethjamto]

My current 90g tank's stand is open on the back side against the wall. Because of this I can hear sump/pump/skimmer noise in the room as it echoes slightly off the wall because of the open backside. As I'm planning my 300g build, I wonder if I can fully enclose the backside except for small holes for power cables and the return plumbing. Would humidity become an issue in the stand like this? What if I added a couple small fans on each end (the stand is 8ft long) to vent air in and out, but keep most of the noise contained? (like venting fans in canopies for cooling) I'm also thinking of adding sound matting to the inside of the stand to help absorb noise also.

I'm just trying to do this build right from the start as there is so much I wish I did when setting up my 90 but just never had a clue.

[96p993]

Heat and humidity would be my biggest concerns...Im afraid you would have to put fans in there that are large enough that you will hear them. Might be a 6 one way, half dozen the other

[KJAhp098]

I had my previous stand fully enclosed with 2 fans. One blowing air in and the other blowing out and everything was fine. They were only 3" fans and were dead silent.

[rfgonzo]

I had an enclosed stand on a 150gal but my stand was acrylic not wood and heat was a big problem so was salt creep. I had two 4" holes on the back with one fan over each hole (one in and one out) and a 14" fan inside the stand over the sump. I would never do one again. Plus with only one fan exiting, the wall that the stand was up against started to deteriorate from all the salt.

[treetopflyn]

If you are having noise issues maybe you should look at the equipment. A 3 sided tank stand should be very quite. I would never want/have a fully enclosed stand.

[Octobot]

I had a similar issue with noise in my old tank, and it wasn't fully closed. Now I'm rebuilding, fully enclosed, and taking measures against any sound.

I just posted the build thread here: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2350698

I found a neoprene workout mat at Goodwill for $5 that I cut to fit the floor of my cabinet to eliminate noises from vibration of pumps and whatnot. I'll also use the scraps on the side walls and front doors to help dampen any sound.

I hadn't thought of humidity build up and as a problem, but I will be keeping an eye out for this now that you've mentioned it. Worst case scenario, mount a couple very small computer fans into the back panel - cheap, quiet, effective.

I'll also be running the air line from my skimmer outside so that it pulls in fresh air. This has the effect of oxygenating the water better as the air will have a much higher O:CO2 ratio than what is available inside my house. It will also prevent the skimmer from using stale recycled air already stripped of oxygen that is trapped inside the cabinet by sucking air from outside directly into the tank, so this is continually flushing the cabinets air out and replenishing it. If the cabinet's air is flushed out in this manner well sufficiently enough, this will help alleviate elevated humidity concerns.

[billdogg]

Originally Posted by treetopflyn

If you are having noise issues maybe you should look at the equipment. A 3 sided tank stand should be very quite. I would never want/have a fully enclosed stand.

^^What he said^^

[Octobot]

Originally Posted by rfgonzo

I had an enclosed stand on a 150gal but my stand was acrylic not wood and heat was a big problem so was salt creep. I had two 4" holes on the back with one fan over each hole (one in and one out) and a 14" fan inside the stand over the sump. I would never do one again. Plus with only one fan exiting, the wall that the stand was up against started to deteriorate from all the salt.

Salt creep isn't a result of air flow or humidity, but rather droplets of saltwater landing, evaporating, and leaving behind the minerals. So the closed back should not have directly effect the amount of salt creep you experienced.

I think the only thing the 14" fan inside the cabinet over the sump would have really accomplished was to have more of your water evaporate. This also could explain your salt creep issue, as maybe a fan that large would be blowing any small droplets of water that found themselves in the air out of the sump and into your cabinet. For this fan to bring in oxygen, or push out humidity, it needed to have access to the outside. Otherwise the only effect is that you're having to top off freshwater more frequently and likely dealing with more salt creep than necessary.

[Sethjamto]

After much more thought on this, I'm staying with the open back, or at least a mostly open back. With the stand being 8ft long, I may partially close in a couple feet of each side on the back, but might just say screw it and leave it wide open like most stands are.