Pesticides

[BIO-Linist]

Last year (January 2008) my house was treated for termites. I did research and the active ingredient (fipronil) is extremely toxic to fish, with a LC50 (lethal concentration-half of all test subjects die in 96 hours at this concentration) of only a few parts per billion for a certain fish that was tested. Yes, billion. I covered all my tanks (they're all outdoors) with plastic, etc. and went all out on the carbon. The stuff is supposed to last for years (the warranty on the treatment is 5 years, it supposedly lasts 10) The pest control guys pumped hundreds of gallons of it into the ground and sprayed some on the walls too. The products formed by the breakdown of fipronil are even more toxic than fipronil itself. Now I read lots of bad stuff about using carbon. Is it safe to stop using carbon yet?

[BIO-Linist]

anyone????

[Dave66]

Carbon does remove volitive gases, but should be replaced every two weeks in your case, with the abundance of toxins in the area.
People have been using carbon in filters in aquariums for more than 60 years. Only in the last few have I heard it called 'bad', and only on the internet. I've never seen it in any book. Ever.

Dave

[BIO-Linist]

Thanks Dave, I'll keep on using carbon. The risks of using it are tiny compared to the risks of pesticide contamination.