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Kial
Well-Known Member
That would have to be last resort I suppose and something I really would not want to do haha.
Flea bombs and tanks
- Thread starter Kial
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flreef_huskies
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Reiterating what Chris said above salt is the way to go! We had a flea outbreak about 6 years ago and it exploded out of no where to the point where it looked like the carpet was moving. We were using a flea medication, but apparently we had poison resistant fleas...that was a real thing...
Boric acid or Diatomaceous earth is very effective but it is kind of a pain because it can harm other stuff. What the wife and I did was use salt. Sounds crazy, but salt will cut the fleas as they jump and make them bleed to death plus dehydrate them. Not just a sprinkle a good shake. As I shook the container(s) out the fleas massed away from the salt it was great. If you have central air or any air conditioner crank it down as low as is feasible we got the house down to around low 60's and then after a couple of hours with the salt down we used a carpet cleaner and sucked everything we could up. The damp carpet coupled with the cold air and salt did it. Took about 10-12 hours and lots of moving of furniture, but had zero flea survival.
The key is to also kill the flea eggs while treating the source so there is no more introduction. Technically you could treat the animal and as they bite the animal and interrupt their life cycle and kills future eggs the fleas would eventually die, but that's terrible for a couple different reasons.
Dawn dish soap kills fleas in all life stages on animals and is safe to use on them. We used it on our dogs when they were puppies and had a flea infestation, and I've used it on the cats multiple times as well. It's not an overly harsh soap, but it isn't a baby soap either.
Boric acid or Diatomaceous earth is very effective but it is kind of a pain because it can harm other stuff. What the wife and I did was use salt. Sounds crazy, but salt will cut the fleas as they jump and make them bleed to death plus dehydrate them. Not just a sprinkle a good shake. As I shook the container(s) out the fleas massed away from the salt it was great. If you have central air or any air conditioner crank it down as low as is feasible we got the house down to around low 60's and then after a couple of hours with the salt down we used a carpet cleaner and sucked everything we could up. The damp carpet coupled with the cold air and salt did it. Took about 10-12 hours and lots of moving of furniture, but had zero flea survival.
The key is to also kill the flea eggs while treating the source so there is no more introduction. Technically you could treat the animal and as they bite the animal and interrupt their life cycle and kills future eggs the fleas would eventually die, but that's terrible for a couple different reasons.
Dawn dish soap kills fleas in all life stages on animals and is safe to use on them. We used it on our dogs when they were puppies and had a flea infestation, and I've used it on the cats multiple times as well. It's not an overly harsh soap, but it isn't a baby soap either.
My dog brought fleas home once and we had them in our living room and dining room. We did the following to get rid of them..
1. Put flea medicine on dog's back as prescribed and my wife would comb her daily
2. Confined the dog to just 2 rooms of the house so she couldn't spread them any more.
3. Vacuum every part of house where dog goes, every day. This part is essential.
4. Went on vacation for 2 weeks, before we left we sprayed the rugs with flea spray (by hand). When we got home we vacuumed the house again. Since dog was in the kennel this whole time and no one was home, there were no fleas alive when we got back. Problem solved!
1. Put flea medicine on dog's back as prescribed and my wife would comb her daily
2. Confined the dog to just 2 rooms of the house so she couldn't spread them any more.
3. Vacuum every part of house where dog goes, every day. This part is essential.
4. Went on vacation for 2 weeks, before we left we sprayed the rugs with flea spray (by hand). When we got home we vacuumed the house again. Since dog was in the kennel this whole time and no one was home, there were no fleas alive when we got back. Problem solved!
WVNed
The fish are staring at me with hungry eyes.
I have done it 3 times over the years. No casualties. I bagged the tank with plastic and duct tape and ran air from outside and turned the skimmer off. The trick is to create a little positive pressure from outside in the bag.
We gave the dogs and cats Capstar to kill all the fleas on them at the same time.
The Sesrestro collar also works. We have one dog that has seizures and a bad liver and cant have internal flea stuff.
I cant handle fleas. Neither can my friends
We gave the dogs and cats Capstar to kill all the fleas on them at the same time.
The Sesrestro collar also works. We have one dog that has seizures and a bad liver and cant have internal flea stuff.
I cant handle fleas. Neither can my friends
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Awww. Cute animals! Your dog is eating your cat lol
I have done it 3 times over the years. No casualties. I bagged the tank with plastic and duct tape and ran air from outside and turned the skimmer off. The trick is to create a little positive pressure from outside in the bag.
We gave the dogs and cats Capstar to kill all the fleas on them at the same time.
The Sesrestro collar also works. We have one dog that has seizures and a bad liver and cant have internal flea stuff.
I cant handle fleas. Neither can my friends
Dom
Full Time Reef Keeper
Can you move your inhabitants to a temporary tank somewhere and THEN wrap the tank?
I recently had the exterminator come deal with ants using Delta Dust. But that was much easier to deal with as it was deployed behind walls.
I recently had the exterminator come deal with ants using Delta Dust. But that was much easier to deal with as it was deployed behind walls.
Dom
Full Time Reef Keeper
BRILLIANT idea!
If you seal the tank and pump in air from OUTSIDE the house, positive pressure will blow the bag around the tank up like a balloon. Nothing will come in as long as air is coming out.
Also... maybe run some carbon?
Porpoise Hork
Well-Known Member
The best options you have are localized flea treatment for the animals like advantix etc. A high strength yard treatment even professional grade stuff like taurus termiticide, and lastly a low odor spray option for the house like Demon WP insecticide. All of these can be found online or off Amazon. I have used all of them and had zero issues with my reef tank, but I always shower after messing with them before I go near the tank. I have never had to wrap or cover the tank at all.
One thing to note on the Demon product, use it around the baseboards only. And a little goes a long way with this stuff. One application will last up to a couple years.
The important thing with a flea infestation is to break the life cycle. It's a pain to eradicate the adults, but if you treat the pets, and heavily treat the yard especially around the fence line a couple times, as well as keeping the grass cut. Over a couple weeks the infestation will end because the fleas are no longer able to reproduce.
I deal with this every spring/summer. It's a total PIA but it's one of the joy's of being a home owner.
One thing to note on the Demon product, use it around the baseboards only. And a little goes a long way with this stuff. One application will last up to a couple years.
The important thing with a flea infestation is to break the life cycle. It's a pain to eradicate the adults, but if you treat the pets, and heavily treat the yard especially around the fence line a couple times, as well as keeping the grass cut. Over a couple weeks the infestation will end because the fleas are no longer able to reproduce.
I deal with this every spring/summer. It's a total PIA but it's one of the joy's of being a home owner.
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We use Flea spray in the yard once we see them outside. If any get in we use drops on the cats and vacuum regularly, I also learned a long time ago that a flea collar cut into pieces and placed in the vacuum does wonders for ensuring fleas and eggs do not escape the vacuum. There are also some non-toxic flea traps available online that work quite well. They have a light and attractant that draw the fleas for ~30 feet and stick them to an adhesive pad.
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WVNed
The fish are staring at me with hungry eyes.
I have 7 dogs and 2 cats. When my kids come in I have 12 dogs here. We don't have fleas. We don't use anything for fleas on a regular basis. We have gotten them a few times over the years when we had to board the dogs and once from a groomer. I don't want fleas or poisons in my life on a regular basis.
Reefs of Space
Active Member
I have also used bombs in the past. I turned everything off and sealed the tank with seran wrap and tape. I didn't have any losses although my tank was mostly LPS, zoas and softies. Comfortis does work well, but you need a prescription from a veterinarian.
