Are too many Aquariums in 1 room harmful?

[JNDN99]

I need advice. My 12 year old son is really into Aquariums (Fresh and Salt) and over the course of a year has acquired over 6 of these ranging in size from 29 gallons to 40 (I think that is right). He has 1 salt water and the rest are freshwater. He has coral in his Salt water with 1 fish. The freshwaters he has plants and various fish. The question is: How many are too many? I am very concerned these are all in his bedroom and I worry about lung infections from the moisture and I worry about mold. He is very careful, but the room is very humid and stinks like a lake. This smell has been a little better since he did a filter pad change in all the tanks, but still there. Is it unreasonable to tell him to choose 2 tanks and get rid of the rest? I am so worried about his health. I hate to break his heart as this is his passion, but I just do not know what to do. Any advice is appreciated

 

[Supra]

I'd be worried about the floor collapsing
Supra

 

[Supra]

Couldn't you spread them out throughout the house?
supra

 

[jetajockey]

You could also tell him that if he wants to keep so many tanks in a room that he'll need to get a dehumidifier.

 

[CleverBs]

I agree on just finding another place for him to put his tanks, A 12 year old with a passion for fish keeping is rare id think and I wouldnt want him to lose his passion because of a, lets call it 12 year old rebellion not fully understanding that its for his own good he will probably view it more so as a form of control or punishment. Id say to see if you can move them throught the house or at least find another room he could put half of them in. I really wouldnt think it would be a problem as long as the tanks stay clean.

do the tanks have glass lids or plastic? I find with glass lids there is alot less evaporation and less smell. I have 7 tanks myself a 75 gallon and 29 gallon in my bedroom these have glass lids and my room stays smelling fresh. then 2x 10 gallons, 40gallon, 90 gallon, 29 gallon in my basement these are a mix of plastic lids and lidless tanks and it smells like a lake in the room they are all in. They all get weekly 50-75% water changes so they stay fresh but still get a bit of a smell.

 

[iheartmyed9]

Make some kind of deal with him. Get rid of the extra tanks and you will buy him one big one. Just a idea.

 

[Morgie]

Mold really doesn't cause any health problems unless the person has some preexisting respiratory issues.. So like the others have said it's more an issue of the weight and your personal beliefs on how many is "too many". I also think it would be a good idea to spread them around the house. That would lower the humidity in his room and they wouldn't smell anymore..
I have three aquariums in my room (ranging from 10-55g) and two reptile vivariums (ranging from 10-29g). My room is definitely the hottest and most humid in the house, but we're pretty used to humidity since we live in the southern marshlands, and our house was built with that in mind.

 

[Pleco11771]

I'm 15 and I have 3 tanks in my room but idk about 6. I wouldn't think it would be to bad. I would also think a room with moister would be better than totally dry but not sure

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

There is some cause for concern. Having so much moisture will up the humidity. If he has any sensitivity towards mold or any breathing issues, then it can be an issue. I am supposed to not have any tanks due to my allergies, but I love my fish enough to deal with headaches, running nose, sore throat, etc. I would watch for anything like that because it could be linked to all that fish-ness. Also, some people will have problems with their nasal passage closing in while laying on their back when in a high humity area.

I would recommend you do some research. That's a lot of gallons.

 

[HN1]

Are you on a slab or raised floor? Weight may be a concern, but doubtful if the tanks are relatively small.

Have your son add some carbon to his tank filters for the odor (don't change filter pads, for why see "cycling" on this site) after doing good maintenance and water changes. Unless you are seeing mold or "dry rot", the humidity shouldn't be a concern.

 

[ashleynicole]

Mold most definitely does have the potential to cause medical issues such as breathing problems and even a fungal based pneumonia. Ideally a strong immune system should be able to fight off any mold spores in the lungs, but if he is continually sleeping in that environment there is a much higher risk for complications.
You could put a HEPA filter in his room to minimize the amount of circulating mold spores and other potential airway irritants.
First off, it is O.K. for you as the parents to set limits. He is your 12 year old child, living in your house. If you are ok to move some of the tanks around the house and as long as he maintains them, I would say go for it. They can be beautiful works of art and really nice conversation pieces for guests. However if this is not an option for you then I would say that it would be fine to limit him to two tanks in his room. One SW and one FW.

Its hard being a kid, but this will also teach him that in life you sometimes have to make difficult decisions. If he's an adult he might have to move to a place that doesn't allow pets. What if he goes to college? Who is going to maintain the tanks then? Kids have to learn to be able to set limits and priorities,it may sound mean, but that's how you learn about life.

So don't feel bad about setting limits on your childs hobby. Sometimes it has to be done.

 

[mamahuberty]

I have six 10 gals, one 20 gal and three 3 gal tanks in my bedroom with no smell and no moisture problems I do pwc every week and never ever let my door get shut, we also have three 20 gal and a 10 gal in the hallway across from the bathroom in the rear of the house, a 35 gal in the living room, a 22 gal in the dining room and the RO water storage tank in the kitchen and this means a tank in every room on the first floor if we don't do pwc every week then the house will smell like a lake, he needs to make sure he does pwc every week and not let his door shut, or a humidifier I would worry more about the electricity use on one or two circuits we specifically had to rewire my bedroom to handle the electricity usage of all the tanks

Oh before you ask why? we have this many tanks because there are 3 hobbists in one house and we sell snails, fish some live food and soon shrimp and we also supply our LFS who also supplies other LFS and I delivered 500 snails today and that pays for our habit for quite a few months lol and 1/2 the tanks are 4-H projects oldest daughter is looking for her own place and then I'll be down the 35, a 20 and a 10 and one less child haha

 

[HN1]

Not sure what this thread will end up being about, BUT...

While there can be valid medical risks with SOME types of mold without other prior complicating factors, most molds are harmless and simply a sign of too high humidity.

Oh, and we have had 60+ (now, close to 80) tanks in a 500 sq ft room with a water heater for a year and a half or so.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I would say no matter how many tanks he's got in there, it should be aired out when ever possible. ANY mould spores are bad for you when in high numbers.

 

[siva]

A dehumidifier is the best option IMO. I run one in my bedroom, only during the summer, because it's a small space housing about 200 gals of water, and it works great. If you cut the humidity, I think you will have eliminated any possiblity of health risk. Somewhat of an earthy smell is common with planted tanks and isn't a health concern. Make sure he's doing weekly partial water changes and it should keep the smell to a minimum.

 

[Desastre]

I live on a tropical island so it is always humid here. I have 4 tanks ranging from 10-55g in my dining room/living area but after the first tank went up we bought a dehumidifier to deal with the humidity and it works quite well. We had some mold issues for the first couple months when there was only one tank although id like to think it wasn't the only cause but since the dehumidifier went up no mold problems at all. It's an overall great investment imo.

 

[ashleynicole]

Different people will have different sensetivities to different kinds of mold and general allergens. I had a hamster cage in my sons room and he kept getting congested. I moved it to my daughters room and she's had no issues.

I'm just saying that where you sleep may not be th best place to have more than 2 or 3 tanks. That's why I suggested a hepa filter and limiting the tanks.

I only told my story about limitations because it seeme like they were afraid to say no because it would limit their child. A lot if parents have that worry, but personally I think it is a good thing to set limits. I didn't mean to go off on such a tangent. It's just a sensitive point with me ...

If your kid isn't sick or having any problems then its probably ok, but if your concerned those are some things you can do.

 

[siva]

Different people will have different sensetivities to different kinds of mold and general allergens. I had a hamster cage in my sons room and he kept getting congested. I moved it to my daughters room and she's had no issues.

I'm just saying that where you sleep may not be th best place to have more than 2 or 3 tanks. That's why I suggested a hepa filter and limiting the tanks.

I only told my story about limitations because it seeme like they were afraid to say no because it would limit their child. A lot if parents have that worry, but personally I think it is a good thing to set limits. I didn't mean to go off on such a tangent. It's just a sensitive point with me ...

If your kid isn't sick or having any problems then its probably ok, but if your concerned those are some things you can do.

I didn't get the impression from the OP that they are afraid to say no. I think they want the child to be able to have the tanks, provided there isn't a real risk of health problems. As in why crush the child if there is not a real good reason. Atleast that's how I took it.

 

[Wy Renegade]

I have 12 to 14 tanks running in my classroom at any given time, and have had for the last 20 years or so. They range in size from 100 gallons down to 10 gallons. In that time period, I've never had any mold issues of any type, nor any health related issues in regard to the tanks. I do not run a dehumidifier. I do not do weekly water changes. While some students tell me the room smells, most do not, and I don't notice any odor. water weight is not an issue (classroom is on the second floor) ~ while I understand that the structure of a public building is different than that of a home, I find it highly unlikely that there are any weight bearing issues given the small size of the tanks the OP mentioned.

I'm I saying that you may have none of these issues? Not at all, simply saying it is possible to have multiple tanks in a room and not have any issues. I agree that the room should be open and aired out as much as possible. However, if there are not obvious signs of mold or mildew, nor any health related issues in evidence, then I wouldn't be concerned too much. Eventually, he will get older, he will discover girls, and the aquariums will most likely slowly fade away or be reduced. For now, why not?

 

[ashleynicole]

The difference from a classroom or even living room or designated tank room is that you don't sleep there. When you sleep the lungs aren't cleared like they are when you are sitting up and walking around. That's why I would be concerned is because it is that many tanks where he sleeps.