Has anyone had allergy problems?

[Candy803]

I just purchased a 75g tank that had LR, LS, 1 clown, 1 blenny, 1 psuedochromis, 1 sand sifting star, 1 brittle star, 2 snails (so far) and some soft corals.
Since the tank was installed me and my husband have been having allergy attacks. Has anyone ever ad this problem and is there a solution? I did notice some mold on the inside of the hood. It's not a lot but, could that be the cause?

 

[snorvich]

Well, you can clean the hood with bleach, obviously being careful not to get any in the tank. I have never heard of an allergy problem related to fish tanks from an airborne perspective.

 

[inachu]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13036626#post13036626 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by snorvich
Well, you can clean the hood with bleach, obviously being careful not to get any in the tank. I have never heard of an allergy problem related to fish tanks from an airborne perspective.

I agree on this.


I would for health reasons on your next major tank cleaning move the tank and clean the area and spray the area with lysol or a water mixture than contains some chlorine.

After it dries then place the tank over a water proof floor mat.

I am highly sensitive and allergic to molds and mildew.

The next stage is when it infects your nasal passages and messes up your sense of smell. One day all I smelled was straw berries and this can eitehr be nasal infection (use hot salt water to clean out ) or you have brain cancer.

Lucky for me it was just nasal infection.

 

[Sk8r]

It could be. Use a q-tip moistened with bleach to get any remnant of mold, and if there are recesses you can't get to, you might need to remove the hood for a thorough cleaning.

Molds tend to spore on a very definite cycle relative to the light/s. Say you get an attack at the same time every day---mold.

Also: did you use towels and leave them lying somewhere? Did you use a drain, say, in the basement, that you haven't used in a long time? Did you use a sink long unused, that could be leaking underneath the cabinetry? Look under all your sinks with a flashlight. If you have leaks, this, rather than your tank, could be your source.

Mold allergies are quirky. There's a black mold that I react to by extreme lethargy and depression; a friend of mine reacts to the exact same mold by fits of ungovernable rage. I figure a certain portion of the violent prison population is in there because they didn't clean under their sinks.

Can UV light get mold? can't remember.

 

[Sk8r]

Just an additional note: what it probably ISN'T is any sensitivity to the salt water or what's in it. I have kept reefs while suffering from extreme allergies (7 years of shots) and never reacted to anything about the tanks except if mold got started somewhere.

Also: the super-high humidity caused by the natural evaporation off a reef can activate molds in the room. You might, if all else fails, get a dehumidifier (Sears) or just do a general thorough hospital scrub-down of the area, while shielding the tank with a plastic drape (and watch heat buildup). The problem you have I thoroughly sympathize with. Use your husband in a search for the problem. Have him sniff suspect areas. If he reacts, you know you've found one.

 

[snorvich]

I know that the last posting was serious and good. But using your husband as the tester is sort of funny.

 

[Sk8r]

Lol! But effective...send in the mine canary. They'll find it.

 

[Candy803]

Thanks for the replies.

My husband did spill a lot of water while we were setting up the tank that I am still trying to get from under the floor boards. Maybe that has (is) stirring up something.

The canary, I mean my husband, starts sneezing anytime he is in the house. It is a small house, so there is no where to escape. Plus we have a cat and dog in here. I guess the vacuum will get even more of a work out. I will try and get the mold out the hood without having to take it off.

The tank is located next to the air intake. Should I move it?
Thx

 

[ser_renely]

addition of humidity, so that would be dust mites or mold.

Just find out what you are allergic to.

how long has the tank been there?

 

[Allanira]

I get allergies to mold and mildew also. I could really be cause of the humidity there that makes things mildew faster. You might want to move the tank completely and really get under those floor boards. Also you can use some primer paint called killz to kill off and keep mold and mildew from coming back. I used it back in Texas and it worked great. My allergies went way down. When I go visit my mom again I need to do it again. Just to make sure that its all gone. If you've had a dog and cat for a really long time and havent reacted theres a slight and I repeat a slight chance that you might have developed an allergen to them. I've had cats and dogs all my life and I was allergic to 1 of them in all my 28 years. It could be the dander from 1 of them is settin you off or you might have some dust particals in your ac unit that might be setting off your husband. Have you had any storms over there where you are lately? It could be an allergen to some kind of wildflower or ragweed kinda thing out side if so. Good luck finding out what your allergic to. I hope its not your pets. Any of them.

 

[Sk8r]

I wouldn't move the tank yet. It could be mold 'waked up' in the room from general increase in humidity. THat's why a BIG dehumidifyer might help you. I'm talking not a tabletop model.

You're going to have to balance cleaning with protection of the tank, because most things that get mold (Lysol and bleach) also kill tanks. If you're really going after it, shield your tank with a plastic drape for a bit and ventilate the room via windows. You may have to do a nose-against-the-carpet search and you may have him on antihistimines before you finish this. So sorry you're having this trouble: it's a major pita, and a risk of subsequent bacterial infection for the sufferer...which can cost as much as the dehumidifier, if it comes down to a point of choice. I don't say it'll cure all, but it might help.

Plus---it IS ragweed season. Be sure it's just the room.

Kilz is great stuff: not tank-friendly: shield it and ventilate. But it is good stuff.

 

[Candy803]

to ser-renely... the tank has been here for 3 days.

 

[Candy803]

Allianira,
We have had rain off and on. I hope it's that.

I am going to do a good dusting today and try to get that mold out the hood like sk8r recommended with a q-tip. I will change the air filter too.

 

[ser_renely]

Hmmm, that seems so quick to have a mold reaction, but no where near impossible!!!

I would just get checked on what you are allergic to. One of the best things I ever did. I ended up being very allergic to dust mites! I always thought it was pine, mold or animals... I was way wrong.

 

[Candy803]

Thanks for all the great ideas. My husband just informed me he has a dehumidifier so, we will put that in here too.

I am going off topic here but, I was reading a thread about moving already set up tanks (about 4 days to late) and sk8r said some things that made me come up with some ??'s.

So Sk8tr,
When I moved this tank I did away with the LS and have black Tahitian Moon sand coming Thursday. I believe you told some one to run their filter without the baffle balls or filter media, why and should I do this? I will look for the thread again so I can give you a reference to my ???'s

Also, I have read opposing opinions on rinsing the new sand. To rinse or not?

This tank has hair allgea in it also. I have pulled some out and I have found that one of the snails is doing a fine job of removing it. I am thinking of scrubbing the rock when I put the new sand in but, not sure about this.

Sorry for the long post.

 

[Candy803]

found the post I was referring to:

"tips for transporting an "established" tank?" it was posted on 6/30/08

I am running my tank with the same filter media that is in it. I rinsed out the blue spongey stuff but, not the balls. We were moving as fast as possible to set every thing up and get it in the tank.

When the new sand comes should I remove everything, put the critters in a bucket (w/ aeration of course) and clean everything really good? I was planning on buying new filter pad when I pick up the sand.