health (lung) problems due to fishtank

[swordfish]

My husband has had a very bad cough for the past 8 months along with other lung problems. He has been tentatively diagnosed with a autoimmune condition called "sarcoidosis". Our doctor (who has no pet experience of his own) thinks that our tank could be causing it. He thinks this is because having "standing" water around is causing bacteria or mold to grow and is having me bring a sample of my tank water to the hospital to have them run tests to see what will grow in it. I keep my water at 1.026 I find it hard to believe that any mold could exist at this level of salinity. It sounds like the dr. thinks that all fishtanks are some smelly uncared freshwater fishtank (alothough I have come across those at some homes).

Has anyone heard of or had any experiences with this?

Thanks for your help.

[reef-man_d-man]

Your Dr is not to bright on fish tanks, most tanks dont have any "standing" water its always being turned over. Ask the doctor what he means by standing water and also show him a water test then he will know (throught pH, nitrates nitrites and Ammonia) that there isint anything wrong with the tank

[Samala]

Very sorry to hear about your husband's ill health, but I join you in bewilderment for the tank to be the root of the problem.

Its possible the tank could be helping to locally increase the humidity in your house and encourage a little mold/bacteria within your house.. but.. as you said, unlikely it would be actually in the water. (Not to mention it would have to be aerosolized along with the water vapor from pumps/spray/skimmers and then breathed in.) Have you had any tank spills where the carpet was drenched? Could be a good spot to check for mold.

Otherwise, I've never heard of someone suspecting a fish tank for respiratory distress. And I havent been informed to stop keeping fish either, and I'm a leukemia patient. Just warned about sticking my hands into the tank if I have cuts and not to drink the water.. stuff we are all well aware of. The doctor is doing his job in considering all potential sources, but I would have sent someone to do a full review of the actual house first to test for mold and bacteria before asking for water samples from the reef.

Best wishes for you and your husband's health. I'm certain you'll find the cause and remedy the problem soon.

>Sarah

[smleee]

Originally posted by Samala
The doctor is doing his job in considering all potential sources, but I would have sent someone to do a full review of the actual house first to test for mold and bacteria before asking for water samples from the reef.
>Sarah

I agree; even if the sample of water could cause or harbor bacteria and/or mold growth that doesn't mean that is where it is coming from (if it even is bacteria/mold that is causing the ill effects). I think a mold inspection for the house would be in order if the doc thinks this could be the cause of bad health.

Hope you guys get it worked out.

eee

[reefpod]

Originally posted by reef-man_d-man
Your Dr is not to bright

too?

[OldDawg]

Sorry to hear about this ,,, I can give you some input though,, As my wife has multiple Autoimmune diseases ( Lupus, sarcoidosis, & MS i can tell you from years of research that the causes of these diseases are unknown & most are genetically linked, From the research we have done throughout the years we have discovered that enviroment has very little to do with the severity & progression of these diseases, most are triggered by something Enviromental but noone knows what that trigger may be. The bad news is from what research is known once these diseases are triggered you will have them for the rest of your Life, yes they may go into remission, but they will always be lurking to kick you just when you think you have them beat. If you have any questions dont be afraid to PM me as my wife & myself can possibly point ypou to research that has been & is being done in regards tothese diseases.

\

[musty baby]

He might be half right (at best).

Tank -> ^humidity -> ^mold and mildew in your house.

Get your house checked.

[Gudwyn]

I agree with ryan.

My wife and baby were having asthma problems due to the fishtank increasing humidity in the house and mold was growing on the windows.

We had an HRV installed which solved the humidity problem. Then my wife and kids stayed at my parents house for a couple days and I washed down all the windows and walls with a bleach solution. No problems since then.

[swordfish]

Thanks for all the replies. Trying to explain the workings of a reeftank to someone who hasn’t even kept a pet rock can be extremely difficult.

Samala – Yes, I have spilled water on the carpet probably every time I do a water change and will check the rug. You would think that if fish tanks caused lung problems, every fish storeowner would be sick. I wish you strength and good health in your future; my husband had kidney cancer and has been cancer free for 6 years now. I think pets are key in staying well. You can look at them and clear your mind for a while.

Smleee – Exactly! You can grow anything water – it doesn’t mean that it’s already there. I’m looking for a mold inspector – fortunately mold problems are extremely rare in Utah (2nd driest state and #1 in jello/prozac consumption!). People have to install humidifiers here. The air is very dry here (30% winter, 15% summer). Natural tears and nose spray are hot selling items here.

OldDawg – yes, unfortunately autoimmune diseases are not necessary caused by anything specific as it is more of a response problem with the body. Funny, not one of the doctors he has seen has made any mentioned of eating/not eating specific foods. If a fish tank could set off something, why wouldn’t eating something do the same? I will PM you when we find out more info; hopefully I can provide you with some info as well.

To everyone that replied, thank you! I was feeling sad that I might have to say goodbye to my friends as well as feeling guilty about being sad! I’m really glad that no one has responded with health problems due to their tanks. If anything, having pets is good for your health. Hope you all have a great healthy day!

[reefshadow]

Sorry to hear about your husband's health!

I notice in your signature you state: My mini zoo; weims, cats, tarantulas,geckos.

I would be alot more likely to blame the cats and "weims"- weimeraner dogs?

Cats and birds are often blamed for terrible respiratory problems. Allergies can develop suddenly as well, with a pet in the household being fine for ages until suddely an autoimmune response kicks in. Bird dander is apparently very, very bad. Have any of those? Not sure about reps, but I know when I had my iguana it did produce alot of dander type dusty stuff

I would blame any and all of these animals before I blamed a fish tank.

Humidity = mold may be a factor, though 110 gallons is not that big. No way in heck is it the tank itself, imo.

Best of luck to you both.

[swordfish]

Fortunately it's not an allergic reaction to the other pets. His lungs do not show a typical allergy response to any kind of pet (he's had cat scans and biopsies to check that). They said his lungs look like as they call it "hot tub lung". I've had the house checked and there is no mold, which I'm told is very unlikely when the humidity is below 70% (the humidity in the house is at 45% now, with the summer humidity getting as low as 25%). Birds (their droppings especially) cause a lot of problems, but we don't have any). Currently several people at my husbands work have come down with a cough (how his problems started) so they are looking into checking the building he's in. Who knows, Legionnaires' disease started in a hotel ventilation system.

[Biggie]

Originally posted by swordfish
My husband has had a very bad cough for the past 8 months along with other lung problems. He has been tentatively diagnosed with a autoimmune condition called "sarcoidosis". Our doctor (who has no pet experience of his own) thinks that our tank could be causing it. He thinks this is because having "standing" water around is causing bacteria or mold to grow and is having me bring a sample of my tank water to the hospital to have them run tests to see what will grow in it. I keep my water at 1.026 I find it hard to believe that any mold could exist at this level of salinity. It sounds like the dr. thinks that all fishtanks are some smelly uncared freshwater fishtank (alothough I have come across those at some homes).

Has anyone heard of or had any experiences with this?

Thanks for your help.

I cant tell where you live but if its anywhere below the Mason/Dixson you may have a mold problem. Living in FL we deal with this all the time or know of people who do. Because of condensation in the duct work and the AC running all the time it can buid up mold which can cause health effect. I suffer from it myself and it sounds like what your talking about. Get your ducts looked at and have someone get in your attic and look for mold. Could also be the other animals. I tend to lean towards the mold though. Buy a humidifier and have your husband sleep in a room with it and see if his symptoms are better. This might give you a clue to the cause. Thats how I found my problem. Hope I was a help.

[dmirza]

My wife started coughing due to the mold that built up on my windows from the humidity. I bought an air purifier and it stoped the coughing while the purifier was on, then she started coughing again when it was turned off.

Although the cuases of the coughing might not be the same, you might want to try an air purifier to see if the problem goes away when t he purifier is on

[swordfish]

I'm in utah (desert and 2nd driest state). Humidity in the house is a mere 40% at the moment. It's not an allergic response from animals. People at his work have come down with a similar cough, so we are looking into getting the duct system looked into at his work.

[Samala]

Swordfish.. I'm so glad to see you post an update. Sorry to hear the situation isnt greatly improved. No allergens is a major plus, but sounds like we all flaked out on realizing that very few people spend all their life inside their own home. It sounds awful, but its lucky that the other coworkers are showing some problems as well.. otherwise this could have gone on for quite some time with no leads. I hope you've found your source now, and can remedy the problem. Perhaps your husband can work from home for a week or so and see if his symptoms lessen while they screen the workplace. At the very least, I'm thankful to hear that the tank has been mostly ruled out. I was worried I would have to give up my own tanks! (Personally, I think the therapy they provide outweigh any risk.. )

>Sarah

[cherubfish pair]

Have you considered a second opinion; another doctor? My wife was diagnosed with sarcoidosis and had a lung tissue biopsy. Now the diagnosis is Usual Interstitial Pneumonitis. The allergy specialist said she's allergic to mold in the house. Montana is a dry state too but with the way our house was built it is very air-tight and holds humidity. The DEhumidifier helps.
I'm sure you get more humidity from the bathroom than you do from the tank. Just out of curiosity I'm going to measure the amount of water I use for top-off for a given amount of time and compare it to the amount of water we empty from the DEhumidifier over the same amount of time.

[DanielMar]

Check all ventilation ducts, machinery and A/C condensing coil=(very important) water(mold) present there, furnace area and under living quarters for animal/rodent populations in or around them. This may be your problem. Unfortunatly I had to donate one of my cats I found to be allergic to. So if you have animals you may want to send them to a relatives for a month or two.
Hope this finds you getting well and wish you the best.
Daniel

[stevebydac]

I'm not going to tell you that the doctor doesn't know what he is doing, for he has far more knowledge about health than the rest of us do. As with any illness, you need to examine every possibility. So let him look at this tank issue, and disqualify it if no real evidence is found.

What is likely is that it is something else. After all, all of us have tanks. Many of us have had them for decades, and I've never personally heard of such a connection.

[crazy 11]

You might do some research or contact your heating & cooling contractor and ask about installing an ultra violet light in your furnace ducts. It is supposed to kill most of the air born mold partials as the air passes the light the spores are captured by your furnace filter. Here is a coupe of links that might be of some use for you. Maybe they could use this at your husbands work? http://yourhome.honeywell.com/Consum...Air+Treatment/
http://yourhome.honeywell.com/Consum.../Air+Cleaners/
I wish you the best!!