Termite Control

[Eyeless Potato]

Greetings

Looks like my house has some extra inhabitants crawling around inside the walls (it's very common here in So. Cal.) and we are going to need some treatment.  Tenting and fumigating has been recommended.

Anyone have experience with how this may affect aquariums?  I have two planted tanks established.

Thanks!!

[Brandy]

Oooh, yeah, this is a tough one.

Basically, anything toxic enough to kill termites will likely decimate fish. I would tape a large bag over the entire tank...but then I am at a loss for how to provide enough air to the fish to not suffocate them. I hope someone else has an idea--do you know how many hours the fumigation will last?

I think moving the tanks to a neighbor might be the very safest. You wouldn't leave a cat in there, the fish are likely MORE sensitve.

[Eyeless Potato]

Yeah, that's my concern.  Looking into it, the gas is supposed to not be water soluble. So, IN THEORY, it should not enter the water column.  But the lack of oxygen is a big deal.  The tent is supposed to cover the house for something like 36 hours.

[Maggie]

Is it possible for you to pick up a plastic tub and keep them outside or at a friend's house temporarily? 

[lefty o]

3 hours ago, Maggie said:

Is it possible for you to pick up a plastic tub and keep them outside or at a friend's house temporarily? 

this would be ideal, and upon returning to the house, adding some carbon to the filtration.

[Ryan F]

This has been discussed a few times on the facebook group.

The consensus was to have an air pump well outside the tent and run a long tube to a sponge filter in the tank. (remove any external filtration in the tent) Then seal the tank with stretch wrap. while the toxin isn't water soluble, it's an easy precaution in case..."oh yeah in this case it's water soluble!" after all your fish are dead. Lights out to keep fish sleepy and slow down metabolism and generation of ammonia. Reducing feeding before hand will also help keep ammonia low.   

[Will Billy]

Im not sure how big your tanks are, or how big your fish are, or if you are capable of transplanting your plants. I have made a make shift quarantine / hospital tank out of a $5 tote. I drilled holes in the top and a slit in one corner for airlines and wires. If possible set one up at a friends house or neighbor. Here is a picture of mine. 

Edited January 15, 2021 by Will Billy
Forgot to add photo lol

[Wes L.]

Been there done that. I used to live in San Diego and I had my house tented once. I had a 10 gallon freshwater, and a 37 gallon reef tank. The 10 gallon I can easily lift when the water is a little over half drained, so I just carried it across the street to a neighbors, but the 37 gallon was impossible to lift since it was a reef tank. I did the exact same thing as suggested above. I drained the water into a plastic tote, then carried that also to my neighbors because I didn't want it around my house while they were spraying the toxic spray. I dropped an airstone in and the intake and outtake hoses from my canister filter, and everyone survived just fine. I did wrap my tank that had to stay in the house with several layers of plastic tarps and taped it really well. After the tenting was over I added new water to my tank and added everyone back in, and I didn't have any deaths in either tank.