# "Bombing" my House. What precautions to take?



## Leighfost (Feb 23, 2011)

Hey there,

Im planning to bomb my house and wanted to be sure I took enough procautions were the fish are concerned. 
I plan to cover the tank with a large black trash bag then over the top i'm going to but a sheet as well. I will also be turning off the power to the tank.(rena filter, and powerhead mainly. will keep the heater turned on?)

Is there anything else I should do to keep my fish safe?

Thanks a bunch!


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## jordanroda (May 4, 2006)

run a pump with a air stone & run your pump from outside the house with a real loooooooong airline hose :zz:


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## Leighfost (Feb 23, 2011)

thats a good point. I didnt even think of the oxygen levels. I wonder... what is the time frame on that?


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## Flippercon (Mar 5, 2011)

Make sure you remove the filters and keep feeding oxygen to them so you don't lose bb. You are going to be a couple of hours with no flow to the bb so it can go anaerobic and that can harm your fish once the filter is restarted.


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## xxbenjamminxx (Jan 22, 2011)

I know by us they make these tablets that are meant for minnow buckets that will fizz to provide oxygen for up to 8 hours. Maybe tossing a couple of them in there might help and still allow you to keep the tank top sealed up to prevent any contamination getting in there. Also i would take some duct tape and tape the plastic on top tightly just to be safe.


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## Leighfost (Feb 23, 2011)

Flippercon- Thanks for the good advice!

Ben- thank you too! Sadly i did not think to duct tape LOL. Good point. I wonder if I could leave my powerhead running? So that there is flow. Also, My rena is inside the stand with door that is closed. Maybe I should wrap it with trash bag too? Keep it safe?


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## Flippercon (Mar 5, 2011)

If you are not going to run your filter I would remove it just to be safe. keep it somewhere there is no chemicals preferably outside the houseand running with oxygen. Just in case something bad happens ,you still have a filter with bb so you don't have to start over. not to jinx but %#@* happens.


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## Leighfost (Feb 23, 2011)

Thanks for all the advice!

I dont think my hoses are long enough to work outside though... ugh! Maybe I shouldnt bomb the house LOL.


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## Flippercon (Mar 5, 2011)

You can always remove all the fish and put them in a bucket with oxygen. I would remove all the equipment then cover the tank as best as possible then bomb. Then I would do a 100% wc to be sure and reintroduce the fish .


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## frank1rizzo (Mar 14, 2005)

I have done this before a long time ago. (Parents wanted to bomb a new house we moved into because they found fleas)

The tank is fine w/o movement for a few hours. You don't need to run hoses. If you have HOB filters, remove them, if you have canister filters, you can leave them.

Cover the tank with a wet towel (almost dripping). And make sure to get the towel in there good if you have canister hoses going into the tank.

Remove nets/food, or anything else that may go into your tank from your cabinets.

That's it. :thumb:


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I think of the tank as if it were a box being shipped. Seal it and leave air space. Leave the powerhead running to move the water around and you will be good for at least a day. The powerhead adds some heat. Fish are shipped for much longer than that with the box totally sealed. If it is a 55 or larger, I would also unplug the heater as the water will stay warm enough for the 12-18 hours and it is better to be slightly cool than too warm. You will be getting no evaporative cooling while it is sealed.


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## RRasco (Aug 31, 2006)

I have bombs at my house which I've had for months and been planning to use. I'm too scared to do it though.


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## xxbenjamminxx (Jan 22, 2011)

Just wondering if you did go through with the bombing or not? If so how did it work out for you and what did you end up doing to protect your tank while doing it?
opcorn:


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## Anthraxx8500 (Feb 11, 2011)

umm my only question is what is so bad as to need bombs? cockroachs? fleas? ticks? unknown?!?! i KNOW there is other remedies u can use. IE natural bug repelents (that **** the exterminator guy uses on tv) carpet powders etc.. GL in w.e u choose.


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## matthew1884 (Jul 24, 2009)

I did this about 8 months ago I turned off all filters and air pumps and put towels and sheets over my tanks. I set the bombs as far away from the tanks as I could. the bombs I used took only 4 hours.

I went home and turned everything back on after airing the house out for about 20 minutes. everything was fine I had 15 tanks at the time and did not loose any fish.

Do not worry about the oxygen levels sometime power outage last longer than 4 hours.

like some others said to put an air pump outside I could not do that because of the 15 tanks.


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## kingdave (Mar 9, 2007)

Is bombing the only way to remove the pest that you are targeting? Many pests can be eliminated using other methods of pesticide application. If you can tell me more, I might be able to point you in the right direction as I have some experience in this area.


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