House Renovations and How it Affects My Tank

[bwmalloy]

Ihave a 180G AG reef with a custom stand/hood. Its a pretty mature tank. The stand/hood is almost completely encloses the tank. The only opening for air to get in is 2 Icecaps in the top (or, if I leave a door open). I plan to do some house renovations soon. My question revolves around tiling. What to do with the tank when the tile guy is doing demo in the house and there is tile dust EVERYWHERE?

Any thoughts?

 

[Anonymous]

You could make sure they use limestone tiles so it raises your pH. (j/k)

 

[Anonymous]

You're screwed.

You have to shut down all your water flow, take of the canopy, use plastic to seal your tank and sump away from any air.

You could leave some internal powerheads to keep water moving in the tank, but without any contact with the outside air, O2 levels would drop quickly.

Temperature might also be a problem for you without proper circulation, particularly if your heater is in the sump. You could move a heater into the tank.

As for the O2, you could get very creative and purchase a serious air aquarium air pump...like the most powerful you can find, and put the unit outdoors, run a line from it into the tank through the plastic covering it and then drop it in with an air stone. Fresh, chemical and dust free air from outdoors would bubble in your tank and keep the water oxygenated.



All that might be paranoid though. :lol:

 

[Nautilus1]

I had the same situation. I wrapped the tank in plastic and used an inline airfilter for the air pump

 

[The_Big_Fish]

You have to shut down all your water flow, take of the canopy, use plastic to seal your tank and sump away from any air.

If you do this then it will only be hours until every thing in your tank is dead. 8O
MAKE SURE you aerate it like Nautilus did and Manny sugests, or you will have one VERY expensive pea soup brewing.

 

[Anonymous]

Bah...

Is the actual room with the tank getting tiled?

get some plastic and some tape and tape a tent over to a window, that's what I did with mine while I sanded the floor in the room the tank is in.

I had dust everywhere, the tank was sealed off though so it was fine. You do need to make sure there is some way to get air in the tank though, the creatures depend on oxygen

 

[Anonymous]

Oh, I left my whole system running just like it normally is except for I left the lights off.

Less heat that way and less chance of melting the plastic.

 

[Anonymous]

Listen to Knucklehead - he smart.

You could also put a fan blowing into the tent from the window so there tank is under positive pressure.

More details about whats going to be happening would be helpful, but you are prolly far from 'screwed'.

 

[trido]

Tile dust? I install tile a few times a years and have to wonder how messy your installer really is.. The tile setter should be cutting the tiles with a wet saw in the driveway or back yard. He will mix the thin set in a bucket in the yard. He will mix the grout the same as the thinset. Other than the backer board (which should also be cut out side) getting nailed in there will really be very little dust.

Sincerely,
Triangle Construction

 

[Anonymous]

Tile dust? I install tile a few times a years and have to wonder how messy your installer really is.. The tile setter should be cutting the tiles with a wet saw in the driveway or back yard. He will mix the thin set in a bucket in the yard. He will mix the grout the same as the thinset. Other than the backer board (which should also be cut out side) getting nailed in there will really be very little dust.

Sincerely,
Triangle Construction

He is asking about the tile guy doing demolition.

That can be dusty, specially if there is plaster and lathe behind the tile like in my nice old house....

 

[trido]

I was wondering....Thanks for clarifying. If it isnt in the same room Id shut the door and wouldn't worry about it at all. I would agree about not to worry too much though. I'd shut off the skimmer intake and lights. Create a simple tent and call it good. Open a couple windows to let the house breathe and set a fan in one to suck the dust out quicker. After that. Your back in action. Knucklehead is right.... The demo guy is very dusty. The installer is not so bad.

 

[bwmalloy]

Thank you all for the responses.

More details: The area is all open. I have basically one big room that is a family room, kitchen and living room (does anyone REALLY know the difference?!) and dining room. High ceilings. Most of that has and will get tile. The specific floor that the tank sits on is carpet. Nothing happening to that. I do have a fairly large window ~20' away. However, building a tent to that window will be challenging because of the high ceilings. To be honest, I believe the guy plans to do the demo in one day, with help.

So, the recommendation that sounds the least complicated is build a tunnel to the window, place lots of fans in it that day and don't run the lights that day. :roll:

 

[Anonymous]

I would just build the tent, turn off the lights not worry. You could get a decent airpump, put it outside and use that to supply your skimmer. Or, if you are really worried, you could pick up some dryer ducting, run it from the outside the window to the tent and stick a fan in the duct (from outside to in) - but I think an airpump is cheaper and easier.

 

[trido]

You can, if this helps. Wrap the tank in a tent and force air from the window into the tent. Do this by using a large box fan, get a piece of plastic (9'x?'). Use and extra ten feet or so, so the demo guys can move the whole hose that you are going to build out of the way. unroll the plastic the long way in the room, unroll one end the short way by about six feet. Use some good masking tape and start wrapping and taping it around the box fan. (remember, you are building a pipe i really dont know how else to explain) turn the fan on and it should want to unroll more of the roll. Turn the fan off, tape it together in the same manner it is around the box fan,. You should have about two full wraps around the fan. Use lots of masking tape and seal the whole outer seam. Repeat this process untill the whole lenght of the plastic pipe is finished. Attach it to your tent. turn it on low and secure your pipe with stuff in several locations so it doesnt snake itself loose on one end. This way you are guaranteed to force 100% fresh air to your tank. I have used this method (reversed) for grinding concrete in peoples houses with miraculous results.

 

[trido]

:lol: Righty. Same idea. Different approach.

 

[Anonymous]

What do you think? Does he really need any 'pipe' at all?

 

[trido]

Probably not....Just as many options as we can think of for the overly paranoid. Not saying you are that person bwmalloy. Alot of us reefers are. A person sure can get alot of $$ tied up in livestock real fast in this hobby :wink:

 

[FragMaster]

Honsetly if all they are going to do is rip up flooring,and lay down tile there shouldnt be very much dust at all. ( unless I missed somthing and they are tearing out dry wall or carpeting?)If its dry wall or carpet then your going to have a SMALL problem.

Otherwise I would just open all the windows in the vacinity and place a couple fans in them as pushers pushing "dirty" air outside.
Tile demo on walls or flooring usualy isnt that dusty ( as in free floating airborn) Even if they have to score and snap a few pieces in house there will be no dust from the tile air born.
Like Trid088 says they"should " do all the cutting/mixing outside, if they come inside to do it say no. If they need out of the rain to do it for some reason let them in your garage. some even do it right out of their van.
You should be fine
If you hired professionals your home and your tank will remain dust free.