Epiphanaea Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 I have a 124 year old house, ants get in, it’s unavoidable. I’m vehemently anti-pesticide, don’t use it outside at all, but inside my one exception was ant traps. I haven’t put them down since I got the fish tanks, for fear of poisoning the fish if a poisoned ant gets into a tank and gets eaten. Unfortunately, the ants are out of hand, I need to do something. I do sometimes see an ant in a tank, though. The active ingredient in the traps I’ve always used is 5.40% Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate (Borax). (Copied and pasted that, I don’t know why the font is copying weird). The internet is telling me it can be toxic to fish depending on dose. Does anyone know how much would be dangerous - as in, would the gut load of one ant kill a betta or Borneo loach? A medium-size goldfish? What do I do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Cory Posted April 8 Administrators Share Posted April 8 I've never had a problem making my own ant bait with borax. I haven't seen any problems from it. I'm not saying it could never be a problem, but it hasn't ever been one for us. We get ants in the store and sometimes in my fish rooms over the years. They seek out the warmth and water during the cold months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epiphanaea Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 Thank you! That’s good to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLFishChik Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 (edited) We use the Terro ant baits. Never had an issue and they are phenomenal at getting rid of ants Edited April 8 by FLFishChik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katherine Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 On 4/8/2024 at 2:10 PM, FLFishChik said: We use the Terro ant baits. Never had an issue and they are phenomenal at getting rid of ants Same here, but our ants don't tend to be in the same room as the fish tank. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 On the plus side, borax bait stations tend to work fairly fast. Within 3 days of placing them you tend not to see ants anymore. So you are talking roughly a three day window of avoiding ants in the fish tank… perhaps using tape saran wrap around tank openings for this period? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mynameisnobody Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 Adopt an anteater 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 On 5/20/2024 at 8:31 AM, mynameisnobody said: Adopt an anteater Ooh, can I? My daughter would love that. 🤣 and my wife would love a giraffe. But they have temperature minimums of 50 degrees, so that’s a no go 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepere Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 I ran across this article https://tankneeds.com/is-borax-harmful-for-fish-heres-what-you-need-to-know/ In it it states concentrations less than 10 mg per liter are fish safe. I cant see the occasional ant getting you anywhere near that level… 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoryWithAKatana Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 On 5/20/2024 at 4:38 AM, Greatorco said: Dealing with ants can be a real hassle, huh? One safe and effective way to tackle them is by using diatomaceous earth. It's like kryptonite for ants! Just sprinkle it around where you see them marching, and it'll take care of the problem without harming your fishy friends. If the situation gets outta hand, it might be worth giving a shout to your local pest control experts for some backup. Good luck keeping those pesky critters at bay! I was going to recommend this. Brown algae is also made of diatoms but, Diatomaceous earth is like barbed wire for the ants as they walk along it it shreds their exoskeletons and make it impossible to retain water and they die of dehydration...bit inhumane but hey if it works it works. MAKE SURE NOT TO INHALE THIS STUFF Like I said its microscopic barbed wire it will hurt your lungs. KEEP AWAY FROM YOUR PETS/CHILDREN 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 On 5/20/2024 at 11:03 AM, CoryWithAKatana said: MAKE SURE NOT TO INHALE THIS STUFF that is very correct. in the lungs of mammals is where it can do the damage. otherwise usually very safe for them. vets recommend against it (for possible lung damage) but it can be used as a treatment for ticks and lice on the skin of pets 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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