Am I overly Paranoid?

[RyanCSGO]

My Wife has this obsession with candles and other scent releasing products.
I forbid her to place any on "my half" of the living room lol (where the tank sits)

I know we have had topics about hair sprays and lotions and things of that nature.
Would candles or other scent releasing items pose any type of threat to a tank?
they are all at least 15+ feet away from it, but i cant help but think about it immediately when i walk into the house and get slammed with a strong fruity smell of some kind.

 

[SalinFL]

No you are not paranoid nor overly cautious.

Scented candles are a huge source of indoor air pollution and they put off chemicals that are considered just as dangerous as second-hand smoke. Paraffin is a petroleum waste product and has to be deodorized and chemically bleached before it can be made in to wax.

Most candles are made of paraffin wax, which creates highly toxic benzene and toluene when burned (both are known carcinogens). Never mind the artificial chemical scents they then add to that soup. You're not paranoid at all.

 

[RyanCSGO]

No you are not paranoid nor overly cautious.

Scented candles are a huge source of indoor air pollution and they put off chemicals that are considered just as dangerous as second-hand smoke. Paraffin is a petroleum waste product and has to be deodorized and chemically bleached before it can be made in to wax.

Most candles are made of paraffin wax, which creates highly toxic benzene and toluene when burned (both are known carcinogens). Never mind the artificial chemical scents they then add to that soup. You're not paranoid at all.

Oh good. Now I get to battle with the wife about her toxic obsession lol!
I never really thought about it until I set up a tank.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

This would be best covers in the chemistry forum imo.

I believe your more asking about the organics that cause bacterial blooms etc.

IMO , a candle compared to the buisy street or city one lives in or near is splitting hairs.

 

[SalinFL]

I won't even use my essential oil diffuser near my tanks. Tell her to do her research and not to buy into the marketing hype. Your tanks and your family's health will benefit greatly.

 

[RyanCSGO]

This would be best covers in the chemistry forum imo.

I believe your more asking about the organics that cause bacterial blooms etc.

IMO , a candle compared to the buisy street or city one lives in or near is splitting hairs.

yeah I thought about posting it there as I was typing it out.

I was questioning it for the same reasons i have not run my skimmer air line outside. The tank is right next to a window/external wall. but we have ORKIN come and spray outside monthly, plus we have friends and family that come over and are smokers. I dont want to run the air line out doors and have the bug guy accidentally spray close to it or on it, plus the smoke from cigarettes or the BBQ, anything really. which is what let me to thinking about what is used inside the house. candles, cookware, cleaners, cologne, perfumes...the list can go on forever.

 

[SalinFL]

All artificial carcinogens. Not good for anyone/any animal.

 

[Scurvy]

Ive recently dealt with this in our bedroom tank. Corals were periodically expelling a black stringy mucus for days on end when it finally clicked after returning from a week away and seeing everything happier than ever.

Perfumes, bodywashes, hairsparys amd whatever else my gal uses and sprays was the contaminant. Now nothing is sprayed outside the bathroom, bedroom door stays closed and the exhaust fan runs until one of us gets home from work. So far so good.

That said candles havent affected us though i can only let them burn for maybe 30 minutes before gettting a headache myself.

 

[Flippers4pups]

We have that rule here. I have a hall bathroom across front the tank. Doors closed and exhaust fan running when "fu fu's" are sprayed in there. If I smell something in the living room, I'm like okay, where did that come from and start my search. Ceiling fans come on and if need be, windows start opening!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yup. Concentration of the contaminant is an issue for sure.

I've had my carbon monoxide alarm go off in the house when the street was under construction and the trucks were lined up at the stop light.
For those in los angels or under an air port , Sorry.

 

[Tahoe61]

I am not risking my small fortune in corals and taking that chance. My BF used Axes body spray, I forbid him to use it in any other room other the bathroom with the door closed. Aerosol transmission of marine ich and other pathogens is a real risk so why would one not think products specifically designed to be aerosol would not make it into a tank?

 

[Scurvy]

Yup. Concentration of the contaminant is an issue for sure.

I've had my carbon monoxide alarm go off in the house when the street was under construction and the trucks were lined up at the stop light.
For those in los angels or under an air port , Sorry.

Wow! I would have thought youd need a much more imediate source to trigger.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I am not risking my small fortune in corals and taking that chance. My BF used Axes body spray, I forbid him to use it in any other room other the bathroom with the door closed. Aerosol transmission of marine ich and other pathogens is a real risk so why would one not think products specifically designed to be aerosol would not make it into a tank?

Agreed, they can and do. As with dust in your home. I'm a "vacuum" nut at our house! Lol Wife thinks I'm OCD. Lol

 

[lou dog420]

No you are not paranoid nor overly cautious.

Scented candles are a huge source of indoor air pollution and they put off chemicals that are considered just as dangerous as second-hand smoke. Paraffin is a petroleum waste product and has to be deodorized and chemically bleached before it can be made in to wax.

Most candles are made of paraffin wax, which creates highly toxic benzene and toluene when burned (both are known carcinogens). Never mind the artificial chemical scents they then add to that soup. You're not paranoid at all.

If they are known carcinogens then they wouldn't be for sale !! I find this hard to believe.

 

[RyanCSGO]

If they are known carcinogens then they wouldn't be for sale !! I find this hard to believe.

not to turn this into a crazy debate, but even processed meat is labeled as a carcinogenic, wouldn't surprise me if candles are as well.

 

[reeferfoxx]

But but...are we being overly paranoid? I don't do any of the previously stated risks however, an experimental tank should put this to rest. Or at least I would like to see it to further believe it.

 

[Flippers4pups]

But but...are we being overly paranoid? I don't do any of the previously stated risks however, an experimental tank should put this to rest. Or at least I would like to see it to further believe it.

This would be a awesome test, but you couldn't name any products by name. One other thing, how can you test for these chemicals that would be in them. Benzene, ethylene......etc?

Here's a run down on perfume:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfume

This one scares me!

"ToxicityEdit
Certain chemicals found in perfume are often toxic, at least for small insects if not for humans. For example, the compound Tricyclodecenyl allyl ether is often found in synthetic perfumes[60][61]and has insect repellent property."

That's just perfume, house hold cleaners next.

 

[SalinFL]

If they are known carcinogens then they wouldn't be for sale !! I find this hard to believe.

Please do your own research and be mindful of who's paying for what you are reading. I have nothing to benefit by making it up. There are too many things to mention that we eat, drink, breath, put on our skin, that are toxic to ourselves and our animals. The FDA doesn't protect us from them - but that's a discussion for another platform.

 

[reeferfoxx]

This would be a awesome test, but you couldn't name any products by name.

Why not?

 

[reeferfoxx]

And i'm not suggesting an everyday contaminant or the over the counter 6 month bug spray and flea bombs. I'm just talking a once a week window cleaning, dusting, vacuum, the popular fe-bre-ze(in case i really am not suppose to say it, lol), and plug-in air freshener. Candles I think are silly. Calming, but silly(just my opinion). But, maybe the once a week 2 hour burning of a candle with daily cig smoking.