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Hi everyone

I was just wondering whether anyone know whether paint fumes will affect fish tanks when painting a room.

Obviously the oxygen that gets dissolved is from the room, so do the paint fumes become an issue? Of course you would try to keep the room as ventilated as possible, but overnight with the house shut up and the paint drying (ie giving off more fumes) would that cause a problem to the fish?

It's better to keep the tank lid tightly closed & the room well ventilated. Maybe you can switch a fan at night to keep the room air moving.


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it will..and as jason said..make sure the room is well ventilated.

Paint fumes and fish do not mix well. Best do your decorating in the Summertime when you can have doors open to let the fumes escape from the room to the outside.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks for the feedback. I am thinking of running an airline from a pump outside the room to an airstone in the tank. Any thoughts on that?

Sounds like a good idea - pump clean unpolluted air into the tank, and in the process create a pressure differential that will keep the fumes out. If you can handle the logistics of this arrangement without accidents such as tripping over wires or tubes, then I'd go for it. Oh, if you have kids in the house, I'd take extra precautions in casse they run around and trip up over said wires/tubes.

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Prepare some water change water well beforehand and keep it sealed and/or well away from the painting. So long as the temp, pH, hardness of the new water is the same as the tank water you can do practically as large a water change as you want. Obviously, a 50% water change after you are done working will immediately lower the concentration of any fumes that may have gotten into your tank by half.

batman

Paint fumes are extemly dangerous I have spent the last three weeks in bed because of it. I was house painting outside, and a little inside.

I have painted the lounge room with my 5ft tank, several times.
My tank is basically fully glass covered except less than one inch each end.

I covered over the top with heavy plastic and an old sheet only when I was in that area above and close to one side only.

I had four windows open a large ceiling fan as well as a large portable fan going all the time. As well as the heater going.

Not a problem at all I have done this several times and never lost a fish.

It might sound silly but regardless of the season have a heater going in the room as well this dries the paint quicker and reduces the time of the paint fumes.

Keith

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I think then that I will wrap the top completely in Glad Wrap (60 metres of it) with an airline run into the tank.

I'll cut a couple of little slits in the top to basically create a "tent" thereby not allowing the fumes into the airspace above the water.

Does anyone think there will be problems there? The only one I can think of is the fumes actually penetrating the Glad Wrap seal due to molecule size. Kind of leaching in through the membrane. I'm no expert, so I don't really know. This is about the best idea I can come up with though.

"Unfortunately" I have 8 gouramis (all pretty much adult size now) including a gorgeous Moonlight about 12 or 13 centimres long. Being fish that breath atmospheric air, I am a bit worried for their safety.

When I painted near my tank, I got some plastic drop cloths, the ones made for keeping paint off the floor. They were very cheap, and large enough to cover the whole 75 gallon tank with one.
I had snails and gouramis, which both breathe air, and I didn't have any problems. Just keep the room well-ventilated.

Batman, your previous idea about running a long tube from an air pump sited in a room not affected by paint fumes into the aquarium should well and truly keep your beloved Gouramis safe. You'll be pumping air into the tank from a safe location, and thus setting up a positive pressure differential that will keep the paint fumes out. Especially if the air pump has a decent output.

But, as I said earlier, plan ahead for trip hazards.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks for the reassurance everyone.

By the way, the only trip hazard will be me - single, no kids, no four legged friends to worry about. /:'

batman
I think then that I will wrap the top completely in Glad Wrap (60 metres of it) with an airline run into the tank.

Go ahead and do that but personaly I think it is a waste of time and effort. Running the long air line will be plenty. I have never even done that and never had a problem.

I can assure I would never put any of my fish in any danger.

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

I heard someone reccomend instead of plastic covering a tank to get a wet towel to put over the tank. Because it's wet and heavy it creates a good seal with the edges and because it's wet it makes a kind of barrier against toxic stuff.

I don't know or have experience with this stuff, but that's what I heard from someone who was clearly convinced that wet towels were the very most effective way to go. Perhaps a wet towel with plastic over it even...

Good Luck, if you're not done already!

Melissa