Latex paint vapors killing fish?

[Yenko]

We've been painting our basement with latex paint, and although my tanks are very far from the basement, I can smell paint in the room where the tanks are. Since we started painting, my guppies have been steadily disappearing - they look fine one day and cannot be found the next.

I'm wondering if anyone has had experiences with latex paint killing their fish?

I know that latex paint releases formaldehyde vapors, but I don't know if formaldehyde is water-soluble.

 

[WILDER]

Are the fish gasping at the surface for air.

 

[Tolak]

I painted my basement family room with all but 1 of my tanks in a room next to it. Never lost a fish. I just left the door to the fish room closed. I'll be painting the floor in a few weeks, I don't anticipate any problem, as it's the same area as the ceiling.

Tolak

 

[RandomWiktor]

Formaldehyde is water soluble; many fish meds actually have it as an ingredient (scary, no?). However, I think the amounts would be so very trace that it probably wouldn't do harm, esp. since I'm assuming there's a hood and all?

When you say dissapearing.... do you mean you're not recovering bodies? If so, I would start giving a wary eye to a few fish in the tank if they are housed with fish who might eat others on occasion. The other possibility is that some illness that doesn't have overly apparent symptoms is killing them, and the tank mates are eating them before you can find them.

Mmm, tricky stuff. Hope you find what's hurting th fishies. Perhaps in the mean time, it wouldn't hurt to do something to the tone of covering the tank with plastic wrap so air isn't circulating as freely? So long as you have a bubbler, I don't think it would adversely affect them (If I am wrong about this, please do correct me! I've never kept guppies). Though you'd have to keep the hood lights off so the plastic wrap wouldn't just melt, I reckon.

 

[Fish Buddy]

Just these past few weeks we have been painting a room in laytex paint. I have also had fish die on me- the tank surface would go 'foggy' and fish would become ill with 'fungus' on the tail and body. Lost about 25 or so fish. (didn't cover the tanks : (

Last summer we were painting another room and I covered my tanks with sheets and closed the doors that they were in. Lost 5 fish.

As for the bubbler- the idea would not work because the punp takes air from the 'contaminated' room and would pump it right into your tank.

Good luck with solving the problem- water changes every day help too.

 

[Spyder]

Did you add fresh charcoal before painting. I have two tanks in my office at work, we have hard wood floors and redid the floors, I was worried sick about the tanks. I did fresh charcoal the day before the floors were done and replaced it every three days for two weeks. All my fish survived, even all of the fry.

 

[Fish Buddy]

sheesh, now I should have done that

 

[Iron Man]

I know a guy who had the whole room painted where his saltwater tank was.....even though they covered the tank....every creature in the tank died.

 

[candy]

my whole house has been painted .my fish have been in the rooms we have painted and none have died or even appeared ill. maybe its the type of paint ur using
strange