Roach poison?

[rlpardue]

Hi everyone. My townhouse complex was recently renovated, and it seems to have driven a large number of roaches into our home. We keep food sealed up, etc. I have a 29g seahorse tank and a 75g SPS tank, and I need to kill the roaches without poisoning my tanks.

My wife has been largely quite tolerant of the hobby until now. This may change if I can't find a way to make our house roach-free. I've tried sprinkling baking soda along the cabinets; this actually seemed to work for about a month. They're back now though. Does anyone have any experience dealing with a roach problem safely?

 

[sirreal63]

Boric Acid, commonly sold as Roach Prufe. You can also hire a professional exterminator to selectively treat the house, which does work as well. In one of the places I lived in while in St Louis had a problem after a questionable group of people moved from next door and I was covered with them. The exterminator placed a drop of something under the sink and within a week I never saw another one. It was just one drop and he came back every 6 months and repeated it. I have no idea what it was, but it worked.

 

[scapes]

Exterminator? I just tell mine not to spray behind my tanks.

 

[KCombs]

eww...roaches....

They're back now though. Does anyone have any experience dealing with a roach problem safely?

....not that I/we would admit... :lol2:
...in any event sounds like its time to move

seriously; yeah boric acid, plain ole flour, cuke peels (supposedly), diameteous earth, and/or anything that will get in thier carpace and dehydrate them

 

[mariahcolleen]

I recently hired Terminex to do our house and he did a great job. I just covered my tanks with plastic and they have been fine. The guy even sprayed near my DT because it is right next to our entertainment center and we had noticed bugs around the electronics. Just cover them well and do what ya gotta do! I would keep them covered for the rest of the day though just to be sure everything has settled. Good luck with your bugmageddon!

 

[Spyderturbo007]

I have a wooded area behind my house, which was built in the 50's an isn't air tight. My wife and I decided to hire a local pest control company to come out on a quarterly basis and spray for spiders, centipedes, etc. They have been here two times since I got my tank and I haven't had any issues.

We just remind him each time of how careful he has to be around the tank.

 

[PStanley]

Chemical methods of killing roaches are the most effective but those poisonous substances can be dangerous. The other disadvantage is that the roaches build up a tolerance to those chemicals. You can cover your tanks with something to protect it from chemicals. If you use chemical repellents the tank must be isolated for at least 10 days. But it's still risky, however. One can use mechanical methods of fighting roaches, all of them are described here. There are also some tips on how to prevent the appearance of roaches in your house.

 

[JWClark]

I'd be willing to bet it wasn't the renovations that drove roaches into your home, but that others in the complex have had treatments done. Residual sprays really are not the best method for targeted roach control--more of a broad spectrum method. Best control option would be the liberal use of bait stations or a gel specifically designed for roaches. Boric acid in common in ant bait stations but probably not the best for roaches--you want a fast kill.

The key with these is to eliminate all other food sources. Easier said than done in a townhouse complex. If you pay for treatment it is much better to get everyone in the complex on board. Using bait stations/gels poses no risk to your tank but make sure any other pets can't get to them and eat them (or children).

 

[WVfishguy]

I've had a fishroom in this house for the past 35+ years. I got a bad roach infestation from bringing home bags from the LFS's in my area which were infested. So I know roaches. We used to bomb on a regular basis, but when I married my wife 20 years ago she had me use roach killing pastes and gels. I now use boric acid roach killing gel, and we are roach free. Believe me, a fishroom is the perfect roach habitat. Some gels also contain a substance which sterilizes and kills roaches, and that's the best way to go. I place the gel in or around places where electrical currents and heat seem to attract roaches, like the motors of hang on filters, in light fixtures, etc. It is impossible to eliminate other foods in a fishroom. The gel works.