Home being fumigated, QUESTIONS!

[Gotcha!]

I never stated anything about flea foggers or whatever, just going off of about 14 years of giving this advice to others w/out one single incident.
The op has already made a decision he is comfortable w/ in case you did not read that.
I understand gas will get into wood, but a well sealed tank it will not.
I don't give advice unless I'm certain it will help, saying I don't know what I'm talking about is uncalled for, I speak from years of experience, and experience of many fellow reefers.

Gas will not penetrate glass yet any gaps present in wrapping means all the fish/livestock dies. If the customer is wrapping a tank there are much greater risks then if it was you or I wrapping the tank. The knowledge you give is like you are wrapping his tank for him which would be fine yet you are not. Any person wishing to cover any losses they may have from wrapping a tank should have the fumigation company wrap it and get the guarantee like I stated above. You may not have seen wrapping fail yet I have. Wrapping a tank takes large amounts of care and many people do not understand that the smallest gap present means everything is dead.

Sorry if I offended you, that was not my intention yet I own a company and understand all the risks. I understand the liability issue of these issues and stress these issues to every customer that attempts to wrap a tank. Thats why Companies that do fumigations let customers know it needs to come out. There is a risk. Whats the risk to the person trying to wrap his/her tank since the Fumigation Company (unless they are wrapping the tank) will take no responsability for anything in the tank which may be 10's of thousands of dollars. I know you understand what I am saying. You worked with fumigants. You understand the complexity of sealing yet people that read these forums are not you. They have never worked around fumigants. Just like someone posted above they bring up insect foggers. See where I am going with this.

Sorry if I upset you, that was not my intention. If someone has 20k in livestock in a tank and wants to wrap it thats fine. They need to know the risk of the smallest gap being present and coming home 72 hours later to find a 20k loss in livestock.

 

[IDrawFish]

Good luck with the bombing for both the bugs(dead) and fish(alive) sake, let us all know how it works out

 

[davocean]

What I gave as advice is pretty common.
Tenting here in So Cal is very common.
I don't know anyone that breaks down a large established system and moves their tank for a tent.
This topic has come up often here, I have not seen anyone come back w/ a neg comment, and I'm sure I would have at least on times when my advice was given.
Of course it must be well sealed, that's obvious.
It doesn't mean everything is certain to die.
Yes, I know about company's liability fears, I was an inspector.
They just want no part of any liability.

 

[SpencerG]

You know, not many folks tent and fumigate down here anymore, and formosan termites are a fact of life in New Orleans after DDT was banned. You should see the spring swarms. Anyhow, everyone is using termidor or sentricon. Too many people used the tent only to have the buggers come back since they were underground. Maybe your situation is different or you have a different type of termite where that is the best treatment option. Maybe a second opinion?

 

[davocean]

Formosans are a totally different kind of termite, they cause way more damage too.
Drywood termites eat about 1/10 of a lb wood per year, subteranean's eat about a lb per year, and Formosans eat like 11lbs per year.
Those have just recently been spotted here in the states, I believe they originate in Hawaii.
Here in Cali drywoods are by far the most common, and that calls for tents on heavy infestation.
Subs are treated in the soil around perimeter of homes, and I suspect Formosans are as well but I have no exp w/ them directly.

 

[125mph]

Digging up an old thread...

I'm having termite fumigation soon and need some help.. They suggested moving the fish and said the corals will be fine without moving.. But from what you're saying, my fish will be fine too? I have an open glass tank... so If seal the top with thick plastic and turn off the system but leave the PH and heater on I will be good? I have a sump below the tank and its connected via an overflow and pipes. How would I seal that part of otherwise the gas will just creep into the overflow and into the tank.

Also, I have a hadonii anemone.. Will he have an issue?

Here's a pic of my tank from the early days if this helps see what I'm dealing with.

I worked for a termite company for 3 1/2 years and always gave same advice as I have here.
That was over 10 years ago, and I've given this advice to club members or here over the years, and so far never heard a negative result.
As long as it's sealed, no sweat, done this several times myself.
It's the same vikane gas that has always been used, that has not changed.
This is a pretty common thing here in Cali.
Just use painters plastic, good thickness, 2mm or better, blue tape so it doesn't become a pain to remove.
As long as you're not introducing air/gas into tank you are fine.
Air house out well when done, maybe use fans.
If you ask termite company, yes, they will suggest removal so they don't have to deal w/ liability issues and cover their butt.
Almost always the tent crew is seperate and sub'd out from the original termite company that inspected, and that is why I suggest being there as tent goes up to make sure there is no confusion, like i said I have seen them pull small tanks and just set them in the yard, so you want to make sure.

 

[Shawn O]

fogging my house real soon

fogging my house real soon

While not tenting for fumigation, I need to bug bomb my apartment for fleas. The sad part is that the cat had did not have a single flea when we got it. The fleas had to have come in on our clothes after visiting family who have fleas in their houses. Dipping the cat and powdering the carpets has done nothing so we're dropping a bomb on them. If it were in the 70's in my area I'd move the tank to the balcony for bombing but it's getting down to freezing overnight lately.

My tank is running all HOB equipment. My plan is to remove all equipment from the tank except the powerheads and heater and taping up the tank with plastic sheeting. I intend on drilling a small hole in the frame of the sliding door and running an airline from an air pump, located out on the balcony, inside to the tank creating positive air pressure within. Does this sound safe enough?

 

[anbosu]

Yes. If it's just for a few hours, as long as you have a reasonable number of fish you probably don't even need the air pump. I've never used one and I've never had issues.

 

[Shawn O]

Yes. If it's just for a few hours, as long as you have a reasonable number of fish you probably don't even need the air pump. I've never used one and I've never had issues.

Good to hear. Will give it a go.

 

[jacyn]

You should be just fine. I recently tented my complete house for termites and nothing died. The tent was on the house for a full 24 hours and then another 24 sitting with no AC ( living in south Florida in the middle of July can be a real issue with heat). I removed nothing from the tank live stock wise or equipment wise.
What I did was buy industrial clear plastic at home depot in the largest size available. Then hung it over the complete tank and canopy to where it reaches the floor. Then taped it sealed to the tile floor using duct tape. I ran two air stones with tubing lines to the back yard with an air pump. I also ran a closed loop of hose from the sump into a ice cooler packed with dry ice and regular to act as a sort of chiller to keep it cool. Worked like charm! so a few hours of flee bomb should be a breeze. Just be sure to seal the tank off well.