A family member had a fish in an aquarium. The fish died, however the tank has still not been cleaned with the water just sitting there. It's now going on months, I beleive the dead fish was removed but the water is still there. Other people in the house have now began to cough and think it may be related to the water. I know this is nasty, but I did a search and couldn't find anything on line. Thanks for any and all help.
2007-03-25 18:06:35 · 11 answers · asked by Rex 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
This can be VERY dangerous..the water should be disposed of NOW! If the fish died..it could have been of TB..which is a species-passing disease..and can pass to humans. Other dangerous things include bacteria breeding..and other parasite growing in it. The water may also include fungus..which gets to the lung, and clogs the air passage, consider the coughing..get rid of the water NOW!!!
2007-03-26 08:19:23 · answer #1 · answered by evil_loony_leo 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I would suspect mold, and mold can cause respiratory problems in humans and other animals. If it's been months, then a large percentage of the water has most likely already evaporated during that time, leaving a small amount of residual stagnant water, which could be a breeding ground for any numbers of things...primarily mold.
In closing, you really don't need a reason for telling these people to clean up the fish tank. It's just nasty to have stagnant water sitting in one's house anyways. West Nile Virus? And where do mosquitoes breed? It would seem that there's some bigger issues at play here, besides just a fish aquarium with some residual stagnant water. If the family member still has the pump running on the tank, it's most likely that s/he hasn't been doing either regular water changes or filter replacements, and that signals some sort of underlying mental/psychological issue that will ultimately have to be addressed...and pretty soon.
2007-03-25 18:24:51 · answer #2 · answered by Fozzie-J 2 · 1⤊ 3⤋
There is of course a health hazard when it comes to very dirty aquarium water. When the dead fish died, most likely an ammonia buildup in the tank. Ammonia alone is dangerous to humans (I.e. household cleaners). Since the water was untouched and assuming stagnant (no moving current), bacteria, fungus and algae would start growing. Theres also a chance of mold. From there, people nearby can get sick. Furthermore, not to mention the stench of dirty water. It is like sewage water.
What i would do is to siphon out all of the water.
2007-03-25 18:28:56 · answer #3 · answered by flipnotik 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There are no known or documents reports of people getting sick from fish tank water. Especially if the tank is running. Ammonia smells are possiable but are not in high enough quantities for harm. Bacteria doesn't jump out of the water and on to you. Chances are the family has spring allergies
2007-03-25 22:30:04 · answer #4 · answered by danielle Z 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Ummm yuck!!!
The only real health effect would be the smell, and breeding mosquito's.
Why was an empty aquarium left so long???
Just empty it out, rinse everything in hot water and allow it to air dry. Very simple solution.
Good Luck .
E.
2007-03-26 02:31:50 · answer #5 · answered by > 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes you can catch a skin rash from all the bacteria in the water; If your hand is in the water too long just to clean it.
2007-03-25 18:22:42 · answer #6 · answered by Shant B 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I never heard of anyone getting sick from old aquarium water unless they were drinking it or cooking with it. Now that's what I call conservation.
2007-03-25 20:34:52 · answer #7 · answered by Joe Mamma 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
when i had an aquarium i would clean it and take the water and water tomato plants with it . that was the best tomatoes i ever had
2007-03-25 18:11:12 · answer #8 · answered by kelly r 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
How can people live with an aquarium and stinking water in it, I would deffinatly say it should be removed, if anything happens with any of the people's heath it is just because of this.
2007-03-25 18:15:29 · answer #9 · answered by sun*red 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Infections caused by all kinds of bacteria. Clean it out. It's like not flushing the toilet after dropping in waste.
2007-03-25 19:35:08 · answer #10 · answered by DAGIM 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋