Do Scented Candles Kill Fish?

[Mishri]

Do Scented Candles Kill Saltwater Fish? A couple of people have told me that they can. basically they say the stuff in the candles that puts off the smell goes in the air and then resettles in the aquarium killing the more sensitive creatures.. now.. was wondering if any of you have had Personal experience w/scented candles in the same room as your reef tank.. also wether you have heard of ppl who have lost fish because of it.. (doesn't help me much if you just reply no it can't kill them even though you haven't tried it.. ;)

[bertoni]

I don't have any personal experience, but you could check the chemistry forum to see if there's been any discussion there.

[Zodiac]

does smoking kill fish?
serious questions lol because i do smoke in my room with my fish tanks and had a few fish die

[oerussc]

Bleach will kill fish IME.

[Mishri]

my LFS guy (who knows quite a bit, keeps some nice SPS reefs himself) claims that smoking, scented candles, and incense kills fish/corals... just wanted to know if anyone else noticed it :)

[coralreefer]

Originally posted by Mishri
(doesn't help me much if you just reply no it can't kill them even though you haven't tried it.. ;)

Looks like I'm qualified to say... no it can't kill them ....check my "occupation" :D

Have a "scented" candle burning about 5 feet from the tank right now and my lfs frequently burns our candles on the canopy of his 180.
No problems in the last 6 years.

hth

[i8chicken]

I burn Yankee candles and tarts (the scent is pretty strong, too!) in the rooms with reef and fresh water tanks. I've never noticed any problems. Don't smoke or burn insence though, so don't know about those two.

[bkwudzjeep]

My gf burns candles (strong ones) quite a bit and I've never had a problem.....they are only a few feet from the tanks. I honestly really never thought about it.......

[ssheipel]

Gases, fumes, smoke from regular candles is toxic generally -- YOU shouldn't be breathing it, let alone your fish. Standard wax is a petroleum product. Igniting it releases all sorts of fun things into the air.

As with your health I'm sure any effects from the candles on the fish will be longer term rather than instant death; will depend too on the volume of water and the sensitivity of the fish to toxins in the environment.

There are also candles out there with high lead concentrations in the wicks -- not so good for you at all with more immediate health implications; likely not so hot for your fish either.

There's an entire industry based on selling "toxin-free" candles. If you want to burn candles that's likely the way to go.

steve

[GinaSofia]

I burn incense,scented candles,and my roomate smokes constantly in the same room as my tank and I haven't had any problems(from the scents or smoking) in 3 years.

[Jeremy Blaze]

Incense, and candles in same room as open top reef, not problems. But, how could you accuratly attribute a fish death to a candle anyway? So many factors, I think you would have to send the fish out for an autopsy.

[coralreefer]

Originally posted by ssheipel

There are also candles out there with high lead concentrations in the wicks --
steve


Lead wicks are only a concern from imported candles, China etc.
They have not been available in the US for many years.

Check out this thread (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=328811) for some additional information on the petroleum issue.

fwiw: Our candles are gel (not petroleum wax) with Zinc wicks :)

[Mishri]

alright, thanks for the info guys :)

[tonylamas]

Originally posted by ssheipel
Gases, fumes, smoke from regular candles is toxic generally -- YOU shouldn't be breathing it, let alone your fish. Standard wax is a petroleum product. Igniting it releases all sorts of fun things into the air.
\
There's an entire industry based on selling "toxin-free" candles. If you want to burn candles that's likely the way to go.

steve

ANYTHING you burn will produce reactive by-products. Very few things burn cleanly to CO2 and H2O. The idea of a "toxin-free" candle is kind of amusing.

[H2OLUVSME]

my favorite place to smoke is right in front of my tank. i hope it doesnt do anything bad. ive been keeping FW for years with no apparent effects. i also burn tons of candles (darn smoking stinks so bad). :lol:

[ssheipel]

Yes of course burning is going to produce by products and smoke is toxic. But do you want to breath the fumes of burning leaves or of burning plastic?

A "toxic candle" is made of something which releases toxins (dioxins most specifically given their petro chemical origins) secondary to the "toxins" produced as part of the combustion taking place.

It's like having a home fireplace and then deciding to burn treated lumber. You breath the smoke (and all it's many "bad for you" ingredients), sure, but you also breath the gasefied chemicals used to treat the lumber, which you might reasonable not want while enjoying a roaring fire and a glass of wine....

steve

[Scott Joniec]

The only thing I can add to this is I have watched my tank from the side seveal times when having a few people over that are smoking and noticed that it appears that all of the smoke is being drawn into the canapoy (probably due to the fans) and I'm sure some of it must be settling on the water.

[ssheipel]

I know my corals like to have a smoke after releasing gametes into the water :)

[shacleve]

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=328811

Mishri,

Please check this out. I posed the same question in the spring & did some research. Some of the replies from RC members were helpful.

HTH,
ShaCleve

[Mishri]

yeah.. thanks for the link.. i did a search on candle and scented but couldn't find anything.. i guess i forget to dredge up the older links hehe :)

[shacleve]

I did a search on the same thing after I read your post. I came up w/ zilch. I was like, hey, I know I'm not crazy! I know I asked the same question & got replies. Then I looked a little closer @ the search area & was able to figure it out. I'm glad I did b/c I never went into the "archives" b4. LOL

As my SW tank isn't set up yet, I'm still enjoying my candles. I only use soy with essential oils. I do have a few of the parrafin left over from b4 I made the switch. (elcheapo jawns LOL). I am just counting the days until I can finally dive in & get started.

Later,
ShaCleve :)

[coralreefer]

I did a search on the same thing after I read your post. I came up w/ zilch. I was like, hey, I know I'm not crazy! I know I asked the same question & got replies

Originally posted by coralreefer
Check out this thread (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=328811) for some additional information on the petroleum issue.
[/B]

And it was here for you all along :D

Quick tip if you know you've posted in a thread you're looking for search your username. That's how I found it :)

[shacleve]

Originally posted by coralreefer
And it was here for you all along :D

Quick tip if you know you've posted in a thread you're looking for search your username. That's how I found it :)

exactly! thanks for sharing! :)

[Jack04]

a lfs where i live smokes in his shop and he also lets others smoke in there as well, there are a few ashtrays, he has had no prob with sps, clams, softies, inverts, fish, and everything else