20 Gallon Tank Apartment fumigation bed bugs

Hello,

I sadly found out I have bed bugs in my apartment and today the company I hired is coming to fumigate. They told me to cover the aquarium with plastic bags and seal it with tape, and that’s what I did, but I don’t know if I should turn off or not the filter and air pump. I covered everything with bags and tape, even the plugged wires. My aquarium is 20 gallons and it will be very hard and stressful for my fishes to move it out the apt. I really don’t want to lose any of them. Can somebody guide me on this? Thank you

 

The filter can and should stay running, the airpump has to be turned off.

How long will the whole thing take?

Otherwise fingers crossed. That's all you can do if they start today.

 

The filter can and should stay running, the airpump has to be turned off.

How long will the whole thing take?

Otherwise fingers crossed. That's all you can do if they start today.

After they’re done, I can come back to the house within 5 hours ok, I’ll turn off the pump. Thank you

 

The filter can and should stay running, the airpump has to be turned off.

How long will the whole thing take?

Otherwise fingers crossed. That's all you can do if they start today.

So this is what I did. I turned off the pump, lights and I left only the filter and heater working. I’ll be good to go inside the house within 5 hours after the spray treatment for bed bugs is completed and dried. I asked the person who fumigated to take off just the blanket before he leaves the house to avoid warming up too much the fish tank.
I didn’t find useful information about this, so I’ll post about the results of what I did for anybody who may need it later.

 

is it sealed? the fish are gonna die if its sealed because no light for plants and no oxygen they will die because you left the light off. all you can really do is pray

 

So this is what I did. I turned off the pump, lights and I left only the filter working. I’ll be good to go inside the house within 5 hours after the spray treatment for bed bugs is completed and dried. I asked the person who fumigated to take off just the blanket before he leaves the house to avoid warming up too much the fish tank.
I didn’t find useful information about this, so I’ll post about the results of what I did for anybody who may need it later.

I'm not sure why a blanket would warm the tank? Heaters are set at a certain temp.
I would now open every window and door to air out the place before turning on the air.

is it sealed? the fish are gonna die if its sealed because no light for plants and no oxygen they will die because you left the light off. all you can really do is pray

Die because of no light for 5 hours??

 

I'm not sure why a blanket would warm the tank? Heaters are set at a certain temp.
I would now open every window and door to air out the place before turning on the air.

Die because of no light for 5 hours??

plants wont grow and they wont oxygenate so the fish will drown

 

Fish won’t ‘drown’ without light. Some people keep tanks without any plants and they’re fine.

I do hope everything goes well though. Watching this thread because there’s talk of bug bombing the entire apartment building and I’m nervous!

 

Fish won’t ‘drown’ without light. Some people keep tanks without any plants and they’re fine.

I do hope everything goes well though. Watching this thread because there’s talk of bug bombing the entire apartment building and I’m nervous!

without oxyen, that the plants make. in a sealed enviroment fish will die

 

Even if the tank was sealed completely air tight (which is unlikely) it would take days or even weeks for the fish to use up all the oxygen enclosed.

Unless a large blob of spray gets in there, they'll be fine. I'm sure the people doing this are skilled and careful.

 

is it sealed? the fish are gonna die if its sealed because no light for plants and no oxygen they will die because you left the light off. all you can really do is pray

There is air space above the water surface that will contain sufficient oxygen to keep the fish alive for several hours. The critical thing is keeping the fumigant out of the tank. If the poison can kill bedbugs and is harmful to people, it will kill fish and probably beneficial bacteria. Thus, keeping the tank completely sealed is critical.

I hope your the fish survive.

 

plants wont grow and they wont oxygenate so the fish will drown

What about every night when the sun is down?
Also, I've read plants actually do grow at night contrary to popular belief. In fact they grow faster at night. Very interesting.
Do Plants Grow At Night? - Smart Garden Guide

 

Your success will depend on what chemical the company uses. I can’t recall what the common chemical is, but I remember researching that it was supposedly inactivated in water (don’t quote me, it’s been awhile).

When we fumigated for termites a few years ago, I taped up my tank like you did. However I did two different layers of plastic just in case the first one was poorly done.

When the company came, they required me to remove the fish. I netted out as many as I could and left the rest, including shrimp, and hoped for the best.

After 3 days, the fish and shrimp left in the tank were fine (some are still alive today). The ones I brought with us, in a cooler with air stone, looked horrible and were so stressed out. I no longer have any of those fish that came with us.

Good luck and hoping for the best.

 

I happily let you know guys that all my crew are alive!! They were even asking for food Lol it’s very important to mention that the type of fumigation I had was in spray and not fog or anything like that. They were covered for not longer than 5-6 hours. Thank you for all the pieces of advice

 

I happily let you know guys that all my crew are alive!! They were even asking for food Lol it’s very important to mention that the type of fumigation I had was in spray and not fog or anything like that. They were covered for not longer than 5-6 hours. Thank you for all the pieces of advice

Glad it worked out!

 

Glad to hear. What an ordeal