Fiberglass particles in fish tank

[Liam]

Hello! So today I finally got air conditioning which is the best thing ever since my house has been 90 degrees for the past few weeks. Today the company was finishing up the ducting and some of the fiberglass from the installation got released into the air. One of my tanks was cover but the other wasn’t. I hope that the particles in the water don’t hurt my fish. Does any one know what the particles will do to the fish if anything at all. Thank You in advance!

[Streetwise]

I would filter it all out. As a sailor, I have dealt with fiberglass scraps, and carbon fiber splinters, and they are the worst. Wear gloves and get rid of it all! Then throw out the gloves!

[lefty o]

if they are big enough to be seen, id take your fish nets and swish it around in the tank like a big sieve , back and forth over and over, and net out what you can. maybe an extra water change with a light surface gravel vac too after a day or two so you can get what settles to the bottom. long term will probably cause no harm, but the less foreign objects floating around an aquarium the better.

Edited July 1, 2021 by lefty o

[DaveO]

Years ago I used to install fiberglass insulation. It is an extreme irritant to both skin and lungs. The company's pretended it was not a concern, but they used to say that about asbestos too. All I know is anything this irritating to me physically should probably not be in your aquarium. I would do what ever is necessary to remove it.

[NanoNano]

I *think* that fiberglass and rockwool use similar production methods (different materials obviously).  Both are heavier than water,  so the chances that a fish would somehow ingest some or get injured/impaled seem low.  I'd echo the advice to:

* Give your tanks a good gravel vac to pick up any stray strands.

* Wear gloves (maybe multiple pairs if latex).  My experience with fiberglass splinters has been that they're extremely difficult to see and locate once in the skin and that unlike wood splinters the body seems much slower to create an infection or swelling around them to force them up and out of skin.

Edit- I just remembered that in a former life I learned to do "in the field" fine strand fiber optic splicing.  When doing so we were *required* to wear fine chain mail gloves to avoid the possibility of fiber->skin penetration,  so be cautious. 

Edited July 2, 2021 by NanoNano

[Liam]

Thank you guys.

 

[Streetwise]

I have had to use sandpaper on my hands to get fiberglass and carbon fiber splinters out. I pay others for my boat repairs so that I don’t have to touch either unless coated with epoxy or some other resin.