Fishkeeping hobby is no fun anymore.

Eupterus

Eupterus

The one who takes a different path.
Jul 22, 2007
1,131
1
0
31 Spooner St. Quahog, RI.
There's the "animal shelter" part and then there's ongoing heating problems.
I know the primary root cause is the cold air because the colder the air gets, the worse it gets. I was happy to rule out further actions in another earlier thread before I started to give away fish to empty out tanks.

I submitted to downsizing tanks because I felt my apartment should not continue be destroyed by cold air drawing moisture out of the tanks and causing rust, mold issues and all the other potentially more serious issues that result from condensation.
Not to mention that living with mold contribute to making a person sick.
I think if I want to continue to job fight so I can better myself to get off unemployment, get out of a bad situation and move on with life, daily exposure to mold is a really bad idea.

I have come to the point where emptying every tank here would give me more pleasure then having this hobby except that would involve more destroying fish that don't find homes. The peace of mind of knowing that the rust, condensation and mold isn't accumulating daily anymore would be a greater peace of mind then having a hobby.

I 've done what I can wiping windows down, except I couldn't reach the windows behind the tanks. Not to mention, I don't have a dryer and what do I do with daily piles of wet towels?. I don't even what to think about the mold situation behind the tanks where I can't reach to dry the windows off daily. Other aspects of my life suffer because I spend extra time I don't really have wiping down windows.

I wish I could be involved in a breeding project or something actually fun.
When I first started giving fish away , I was upset that I had to do it because of the heating issues and now I just want it to be over one way or another.
 
Why don't you just find a way to cover the tanks better? An aquarium that's all the way covered (except for a feeding hole) shouldn't have the issues you are experiencing.

If this is really the only problem you are having, then you can switch to covering your tanks completely and trading your external filters for internal ones like sponge filters or internal Fluvals. Sponge obviously being more cost effective. And for all of their bad publicity, undergravel filters make serviceable filters, and are dirt cheap to run.

How many tanks do you have right now? What kind of fish do you keep? Just curious.

I have 6 aquariums running at the moment, none of them particularly well covered, and during the summer when humidity is at its peak and the house gets anywhere from 78-82 degrees, I have no trouble with any of the things you mention. Even in the 55 with a bubble wall, I can't see any evidence of anything except a lot of mineral deposits on the aquarium rim...which is standard.

Even when my central heat WAS working (been out of commission for a couple of weeks and have one more week before the part arrives) and the air handler was working furiously to keep the inside temp 70 degrees, I still didn't see any particular problem except that the tanks needed topping up more often.

I just haven't heard of this problem being common...sorry if I'm being ignorant!
 
I've got over 18 tanks running from 30 g to 250 g and I don't have that problem either. I've never heard of it being a problem. Although if your heart's not in it the best thing to do is cut your losses. I agree with that. It sounds like you've got a lot of stuff going on. Not everyone should keep pets, finned or furred.
 
Sorry to hear that man, but not everyone keeps the same hobbies their whole life. I would think that your lfs would be willing to take your fish. If you were ever interested in a road trip, I am sure my lfs would be willing to take them.
 
I've gone back and forth with fish. I kept them for years, and then quit for a few years when I moved and didn't have the ability to move the tanks with me. Then got the itch again and now I have 4 tanks again... I'm sure eventually I'll tire of it and give it up for a while again, but for now I'm in the enjoyment stage.

Do what makes you happy. If the fish aren't doing it for you, see about putting the tanks in storage and rehoming the fish (I'd recommend that over selling at this point since I already learned the hard way that I tend to want to get back into it later - lol).

Good luck, whatever you decide.
 
that is unfortunate. i'm sorry for your trials in life lately. hopefully things start looking up for you.
 
Try running a dehumidifier..they work in basements to stop them from getting a musty smell from moisture..
 
what fish do you have? depending on what youve got ill take stuff for the price of shipping if your just gonna give it away... ill buy your filters and lights too if you dont want them.
 
I don't see that kind of evap on my tanks, which is odd since my house is 55 at night and 63 during the day and the tanks are 78 or so. My kitchen tank does evap at a slightly higher rate than the other two, but nothing crazy like the OP is seeing here. I wonder why that would be??
 
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