Does cigarette smoke affect fish?

Question

After getting 4 fish last week, I noticed that the water has started to become murky and the fish were acting lethargic. We have a filter, etc, so we're thinking the cigarette smoke from our apartment is being filtered into the tank. Also, two of the fish just died of ich, could this also have a correlation to the smoke?

Answer 1

Yes cigarette smoke can and will affect your fish tank. It contains amonia, which is bad for the water.

That is probably not the only reason the fish died though. I'm assuming you didn't "cycle" you fish tank ahead of time, and thus have a case of new tank syndrome.


I will give you a quick lesson on tank cycling, and links to further explain it. Basically when a fish poops, it creates amonia. The amonia is VERY bad for fish. But with time, and proper care, amonia can be turned into nitrites. Which are still bad for fish, but better then amonia. The nitrites then get turned into nitrates which are not great for fish, but better then amonia and nitrites. In simple terms it creates a good bacteria that eats the bad bacteria.


I might be able to help you create a healthy and safe enviornment for your fish. First I need to know what kind of fish are they? Secondly what size tank do you have? This does matter. Even if the fish are small now, many fish as you may or may not know don't stay small. The general rule of thumb is 1 inch of full grown fish per gallon of water. But there are exceptions. You probably wouldn't put a 10 inch fish into a 10 gallon tank. but depending on the fish you could put 10 1 inch fish into a 10 gallon tank. Also, some fish need different water enviornments. Some need wamer water, while others need cooler. Some can stand dirtier water, while others are very sensitive and need cleaner water.

Fishless cycling is the easiest on the fish, since you do it with no fish in the water. However, since you already have the tank, and fish, there are ways to speed up the process without harm to the fish. There is a product called BioSpira (sp?) that you add to the water and it gets the "good" bacteria growing immediatly. It can be costly though. There are other products on the market that claim to help with the nitrogen cycle, but many don't work. bio spira is the only one I know of that is prety much guranteed.

I have spent alot of time studying fishtank setups, and do know a thing or to. If you'd like to talk more feel free to e-mail me. [e-mail]

Answer 2

I suppose it's possible, smoke goes everywhere in a house. I doubt that's what your problem is. How long's your tank been running? Did you cycle it? There's more to fish keeping then just having a filter. Here's some links for starting up a fish tank and cycling a fish tank. The ich probably came about from the stress of a new tank, and possibly an uncycled tank(if it's newly set up). The smoking didn't cause the ich. Read all the articles/links on the pages, they're all relevant.

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/startupcycle/Step_5_The_Cycle.htm

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/aquariumstartup/Aquarium_Startup.htm

Answer 3

This is a good question for smokers. without a doubt smoke (well second hand smoke) will affect your fish. if an air pump is used it is being pumped directly into the water where it is collected. if its an outside filter turning the water over that where the smoke is being mixed into the water just like us a health concern. but in this case not the cause of your problems THATS all cased by the tank being so new.

Answer 4

NO. I smoke, and after 5yrs I have no problems with the tanks(just my lungs). I run a small fishroom downstairs with a small air pump that runs 12 air powered sponge filters. The air pump takes air directly from outside pump(although filtered). Ive never had a problem. I even smoke when I'm doing maintenance. Its all hogwash. But its not good for you or other people in the room. Your problem lies in water peramiters, not outside tank smoke.

Answer 5

If you're planning on keeping goldfish then please remember that they need a LOT of room per fish! They also produce a lot of waste so you'll need a decent filter setup which will keep the water clean and healthy. Please don't just get some and chuck them in a bowl or tiny tank! Your grandmother shouldn't be smoking inside the house. It's a fire hazard and unhealthy for you. Make sure you get some smoke detectors in case the ol' girl falls asleep in bed with one in her hand.

Answer 6

All pollutants in the air get into the water via the filter. However.frqeunt changing the filter media charcoal would help.So would weekly partial water changes. The smoke is not good for you,and definitely not for fish who need clean water and oxygen.Their gills are delicate. Smoke reduces the oxygen level in the air and and water. The ick wasn't caused by the smoke,but was the main cause for them to die. Ick is highly contagious and usually is introduced by putting in newly purchased fish.

Answer 7

I dont think that smoke is your problem. As long as you have a hood on the tank it should be fine. Paraguard works the best for ich. When you buy it its about $8. Make sure to remove your carbon filter when you put it in because all medications are useless when you have the carbon filter in.

Answer 8

The water absorbs oxygen, logically it will absorb components of smoke too. But thats ok, if your fish get addicted you ca always drop a patch or two in the water, that should fix them

Answer 9

more than likely it was new tank syndrome. you put fish in a tank with no ammonia then you have lots of ammonia and no bacteria to take care of it-- suddenly your water is cloudy with bacteria all sorts of bacteria but not the kind you need and the ammonia spikes and kills your fish. good times in intro to aquariums 101.

Answer 10

Yes the nicotene in the air might be absorbed by the water, and it might make the water more acidic. so i recommend that if some1 is going to smoke around the tank you should check the pH regularly and add the right amount of pH increaser/decreaser