Can dust be harmful to fish?

[Guppylover3x]

A question that I have asked many pet stores who have all adviced that this is not harmful. Unless of course if this is seriously affecting water quality and in large amounts. By dust I mean actual dust, unfortunately due to having black furniture I’m my bedroom there is naturally a lot of dust. No matter how much cleaning I do! Due to open parts in my tank for wires and feeding etc it’s difficult to make sure this always stays out. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Ryan_F]

A question that I have asked many pet stores who have all adviced that this is not harmful. Unless of course if this is seriously affecting water quality and in large amounts. By dust I mean actual dust, unfortunately due to having black furniture I’m my bedroom there is naturally a lot of dust. No matter how much cleaning I do! Due to open parts in my tank for wires and feeding etc it’s difficult to make sure this always stays out. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

From my understanding I don’t believe that room dust will harm fish as the filter will just suck it up, if you ever get like your roof of your bedroom knocked out, i would tape up any gaps because there would most likely be a lot that gets in if you don’t, gravel dust is quite bad for fish, which is why you should clean it well before adding to a tank


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[Byron]

You want to keep dust from getting into the water, and the easiest way is to have a full cover over the aquarium. This is where open-top tanks are problematic; the dust settles on the water and can impede surface gas exchange. It can also clog the filter.

 

[Colin_T]

Black furniture has nothing to do with creating dust, you just see it easier on dark furniture.

Most dust in houses is from dead skin cells that flake off people and land on things. Clothing is particularly bad and if you wear a T-shirt to bed at night, the dead skin gets rubbed off and settles in the clothing. If you take the shirt outside the following day and shake it, you will see a cloud of dust come off it.

The second reason houses get dusty is from dust being blown around outside. I live near the coast and the sea breeze blows huge amounts of dust over everything and it leaves a layer of fine dust that needs to be removed every couple of days. Unfortunately lots of stupid people around here spray herbicide and that leaves a residue behind that also gets blown around, and that is toxic.

As to which dust is toxic and which isn't. If the dust is toxic to people and animals it will be toxic to fish. The same deal if it causes irritation to us, then it is better to keep it out of the tank.

 

[Guppylover3x]

From my understanding I don’t believe that room dust will harm fish as the filter will just suck it up, if you ever get like your roof of your bedroom knocked out, i would tape up any gaps because there would most likely be a lot that gets in if you don’t, gravel dust is quite bad for fish, which is why you should clean it well before adding to a tank


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Many thanks for your feedback!

 

[Guppylover3x]

You want to keep dust from getting into the water, and the easiest way is to have a full cover over the aquarium. This is where open-top tanks are problematic; the dust settles on the water and can impede surface gas exchange. It can also clog the filter.

My current aquarium doesn’t have an open lid style like my last tank it’s quite old fashioned but it still has the gaps as stated above. I did have this problem in my last tank put I ordered a clear condensation cover that covered the majority of the top. Apparently these are also beneficial as they add natural moist to the aquarium but I got mine for the reason of dust. Many thanks for your advice.

 

[Guppylover3x]

Black furniture has nothing to do with creating dust, you just see it easier on dark furniture.

Most dust in houses is from dead skin cells that flake off people and land on things. Clothing is particularly bad and if you wear a T-shirt to bed at night, the dead skin gets rubbed off and settles in the clothing. If you take the shirt outside the following day and shake it, you will see a cloud of dust come off it.

The second reason houses get dusty is from dust being blown around outside. I live near the coast and the sea breeze blows huge amounts of dust over everything and it leaves a layer of fine dust that needs to be removed every couple of days. Unfortunately lots of stupid people around here spray herbicide and that leaves a residue behind that also gets blown around, and that is toxic.

As to which dust is toxic and which isn't. If the dust is toxic to people and animals it will be toxic to fish. The same deal if it causes irritation to us, then it is better to keep it out of the tank.

Many thanks for confirming this. I am pleased to hear that it won’t be causing much irritation as it’s just normal dust. The most it does to me is make me sneeze ever now and again. Thanks for confirming how this dust is being caused. You sound like you have a nightmare on your hands too with the herbicide in your area! I hope this sorts out. Many thanks for your advice.