Toxic fumes

[Karen B.]

Greetings 
So my landlord will be coming to my apartment to check for rodents (in the walls). He will also disinfect my kitchen cupboards with some products (bleach or another of the kind). Can it poison my fishes? My aquariums are in the living room but it’s right next the kitchen. Of course I will open the window but I was wondering if there was any danger and, if yes, what can I do? 
Thank you!

[ange]

A lot of pest control/cleaning agents are toxic to fish. You can minimize the risk by making sure that there is a tight fitting lid to prevent the vapors from getting into the tank. This is also a good read. 

 

 

[MattyIce]

Activated carbon can help remove chemicals, I would put some in my tank as a precaution if I was in the same situation.

[Fishmonger_X]

I had this situation about 15 years ago. I draped big plastic garbage bags over my tanks and made them as air tight as I could by taping them. I left the filters on and I didn't lose any fish.

[StevesFishTanks]

I think limiting any surface agitation during the time where the fumes are most present would greatly reduce the risk of introducing airborne contaminates into the water.

[tolstoy21]

I think it all depends on how they are spraying for pests. If they are fogging your rooms, then yeah you need to cover up tanks. If they are spritzing around the baseboards and cleaning inside kitchen cupboards and whatnot, you probably don't need to worry so much unless your tanks are under or near the cupboards in the kitchen.

Years ago, I lived in an apartment in Brooklyn that sprayed regularly for cockroaches/pests and they just sprayed stuff around the baseboards that didn't get up into the air at all. From your description, I'm going to guess that's what they are more likely to do than fumigate. Really, in the end, it depends on how fine a spray they are using and proximity to aquarium. 

Draping plastic over the tanks is probably a good, easy, safe option. But if the pest product is completely aerosolized as a fog, then you'll probably need to seal them up somehow. 

If you don't need to leave for a while when they come to do this, and they don't show up with respirators, I'd guess your fish will be fine.

Edited November 24, 2020 by tolstoy21