Aquariums and personal health....

**Tjones** · 02-12-2008, 04:46 PM

ok so for about the last month my personal health has been up and down and it seems now looking back it started right after i setup my 2 other tanks in my bedroom so i have all 3 listed in my signature in my bed room which i spend alot of time in because its what my mom and girlfriend call my "cave"

my question is could having my tanks in the same area that i sleep be causing any of the health issues i have been experiencing....

it includes a nasty viral infection in my tonsoles high fever and alot of crap being coughed up and also a mild sore throat i think is related to the infection i had early on.

just a thought.... i doubt they are related but looking back i just wanted to ask the AC what they thought of this theory.

**Tooch** · 02-12-2008, 04:53 PM

I can't imagine there being any way it is connected. The only thing tanks could possibly do is add humidity in the air from the water evaporating. Hope you feel better though!

**Fishalicious** · 02-12-2008, 04:55 PM

I change my water the old fashioned way which is sucking on a tube really hard and letting the water run into a bucket at the other end... I always end up with some in my mouth - every month or so I would end up with swollen tonsils etc. I went to my doctor thinking I maybe needed my tonsils out... we worked through my daily life and her husband also keeps aquariums and has the same problem... she gave me an anti-bacterial mouth/tonsil spray which I use now everytime I have changed water and I am now 7 months on and never had an infection since...

Also having a lot of tanks in a smaller room can cause a lot of humidity which is not healthy for people with asthma for example...

So maybe there is something tied into it with you getting ill or it is just a coincidence that it started at the same time...

**jbeining75** · 02-12-2008, 04:57 PM

I can't imagine anything like that happening. In Hawaii I had a 125 gallon in my dining room, a 55 gallon in my living room, 30 gallon in my living room, and 10's ans 20's in my bedroom and never had any problems.... Unless you are injecting the tank water I really see no problem....

**Levi** · 02-12-2008, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by Fishalicious

I change my water the old fashioned way which is sucking on a tube really hard and letting the water run into a bucket at the other end... I always end up with some in my mouth - every month or so I would end up with swollen tonsils etc. I went to my doctor thinking I maybe needed my tonsils out... we worked through my daily life and her husband also keeps aquariums and has the same problem... she gave me an anti-bacterial mouth/tonsil spray which I use now everytime I have changed water and I am now 7 months on and never had an infection since...

Also having a lot of tanks in a smaller room can cause a lot of humidity which is not healthy for people with asthma for example...

So maybe there is something tied into it with you getting ill or it is just a coincidence that it started at the same time...

akk, don't do that

just get some water in the siphon and raise one end of it above your head

the bubbles will go to the top, and you can dip it in again and let the air bubble out

tada, a siphon

**jwurm** · 02-12-2008, 05:49 PM

I change my water the old fashioned way which is sucking on a tube really hard and letting the water run into a bucket at the other end... I always end up with some in my mouth - every month or so I would end up with swollen tonsils etc.

There are also a good number of "self-starting" siphons/gravel vacs on the market these days for a relatively cheap pricetag. I bought a 6 dollar one for my 10g.

The only thing to note is that I have trouble getting mine to start if the tank is less than half full and seeing as I only have a 3g bucket that I use for WC, if I stop the siphon to empty the bucket, I can only do about a 50% change. (but I rarely do a WC more than 50% anyways so it's okay!)

**Tjones** · 02-12-2008, 05:55 PM

i have a python so its not that.... and i have never had respitory problems
i do live in a desert so i wonder if the humidity change in my room could mess with me....

i did get sick the last time i traveled to the new england area and it was very similar to this!

**Fishalicious** · 02-12-2008, 06:20 PM

I have been doing it this way for more than 10 years - old habits die slowly.. cannot be bothered with all the battery operated, juggle up and down self starting thingies... a quick suck and I am good to go