saltwater tanks and allergic reactions for kids?

[apollothesun]

i was wondering out there if anybody has kids and have any allergic reactions with their saltwater tanks for them. ive been noticing that my kid tristan has been having some nasal congestions. also before that some skin eczema. could it be that the chemicals and the saltwater air in the room can do some harm? basically my tank is in my living room which seperates the kitchen. anybody else out there have problems with saltwater tanks and your kids?

 

[russellaqua]

I don't personally have any kids but I have heard of people having reactions by just touching tank water. Some people are very sensitive to the chemicals put off by corals, especially the soft ones. I'd imagine that these chemicals could evaporate into the air with the water, and if your child has a sensitivity to any of these chemicals some issues could arise. I don't know that there are any allergy tests for marine life, but I know there are allergy tests for other things. A doctor should be able to test for other allergens, and if those aren't the cause then the tank could be. I personally suffer from occasional eczema and asthma (both auto-immune disorders), but both of these occurred long before I ever got into saltwater. A good talk with your child's pediatrician should help pin down what is causing the problems. Could be the tank, could be something unrelated. I'm sure you love your tank, but love your child more.

 

[apollothesun]

thanks russel for responding. ive gone to the pediatrician and even got the allergy tests done. my son is alergic to milk and chicken. we went the soy milk route. my wife is arguing with me that the tank is causing the problems do you think a humidifier will help the house air? i got one of those hamilton beach air purifier and change and clean the filters weekly.

finding out what other reefers do to keep the air clean.

 

[apollothesun]

i also exhaust the output of the canopy into a window attaching a air dryer hose you use for a clothes dryer.

 

[returnofsid]

I've got a young child in the home and 2 SW aquariums that are not vented in any way. Haven't had any ill effect at all. Nor have I heard of anyone who has. That's not to say that I haven't had ill effect from contact. At times when I've had my arms in the tank for long periods of time, such as re-aquascaping, I have noticed myself becoming mildly sick later that day. Not sure if this is a coincidence or not.

 

[krisfal]

A dehumidifier is definitely a good investment. While the moisture put out by your tank is only freshwater (no salt, my husband had me test the water my dehumidifier collects and it has a sg of 0) and is unlikely to be causing an allergic reaction in itself, the increased moisture in the house could be causing mold and mildew spores which could cause an allergic reaction, especially in our area of the country where the weather already causes the air to be moist. When I started running my tank I began to have issues with my windows sweating, these are newer highly insulated windows, however the humidity in the house was up to about 86% once the tanks were running. We bought a dehumidifier which we run in the fall, winter and spring and keep the humidity in the house down to around 45%. In the summer we run an air conditioner which also helps reduce the humidity in addition to keeping the house and tank cooler.

 

[returnofsid]

Kris makes a great point. In fact, when I first read your post, my first thought was mold spores. That can cause some serious health issues.

 

[apollothesun]

kris, thanks for the insight of the problem. i do notice sometimes that there's mold in the window sills and its an old house, built in the 1930's. have to clean up every so often. gonna purchase a dehumidifier tonight. thanks everybody.
hey kris, what brand and model do you have?

 

[krisfal]

It is a Kenmore . Not sure on the model, it was the smallest one sears had at the time (last fall). As our house is a two story that is pretty spread out, we did not feel a bigger one would add much value since it was unlikely it would effectively control the whole house no matter what size it was. We use it downstairs where the tank is and it has been real effective, although I do use even more top off water as it seems to pull more moisture from the tank. I think we will end up buying another for the upstairs, we moved this one up and down during the winter to keep the humidity under control (and stop the windows from sweating).

I hope you find that this helps your kid! I do not feel the tank itself is likely causing the symptoms you are describing (respiratory) as I don't think they are really adding anything to the air, other than water. My husband gets a rash if he gets the saltwater on his skin, but that is by direct contact. I would be suspicious that it was psychosomatic (so he doesn't have to help me) except it happens when we go to the beach also

 

[apollothesun]

my wife gets rashes or a heat rash too when we go to the beach. when we went to cancun a couple years back she had it bad. being out of the country we couldn't find a place that sells rash medicine. she was not a happy camper.

 

[MikeS]

I would also look at the mold issue...an aquarium can dramatically raise the humidiy level in your home and make prime conditions for mold growth...

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

How old of a kid are we talking about? I mean, I don't know of many 6-12 month olds that don't have one form of eczema or another. And with the nasal congestion... the pollen is pretty darn thick right now.

If you had a new house that's sealed up tight as a drum, then I might think that humidity could be an issue. But with a 1930's house, I'm guessing humidity isn't the problem. Do you have access to a hygrometer so you can actually measure the humidity? I've had a fairly accurate one in my living room before and after fish tank, and my tank is in my living room. I've only seen just a slight increase in the humidity of my place. But each house is different...

I've got a 7 year old, and a 11 month old. The 7 year old had eczema issues as a baby, and we didn't have the tank then. She grew out of them. The 11 month old now has similar eczema issues, but I have no concern about it being from the tank and I'm sure he'll grow out of them too.

 

[apollothesun]

he's a year and 2 months. his eczema cleared up, used alclometasone dipropionate ointment and it cleared right up. whenever we see signs of eczema we put a dab on. gotta be careful cuz its a steroid. i know kids these days have all sorts of ezcema.
as for the nasal congestion, my wife had the cold and passed it down to the kid. but after a week my wife was cleared he was still fighting the cold. we brought him to the hospital last wed because he had the sniffles for 2 weeks now and was giving us hell during the night. doctor said he has an earache and his thyroid was tender giving him the sniffles. prescibed antibiotics and that was it. next day after the antibiotics he was running around and playing.
so i found a deal off of craigslist on a amana 40 pint dehumidifier. 80 bucks , 6 month old. score! previous owners said they were moving to queen anne in a condo, said they didnt need it anymore. practically looks brand new. gonna hook it up and see if it pulls any water in the air and keep the house nice and dry.

 

[apollothesun]

I would also look at the mold issue...an aquarium can dramatically raise the humidiy level in your home and make prime conditions for mold growth...

ever since i vented the output of the canopy towards a window with the air dryer duct there has been no condensation and no mold issues. it looks tacky on the rear of the tank, but the wifey's not complaining. probably because it doenst feel like a suana anymore when you walk into the house. i usually get condensation bad by the front door. it would make these ghost like figurines on the window. kinda scary. anyways, its okay during this kind of weather to leave a small window open. but in the winter, thats another story. thats why i opted to get a dehumidfier, hopefully it will work wonders during the winter time. i also got some backup styrofoam where i can makeshift a vent from the window if it comes down to it.

 

[MikeS]

That should help...make sure you go through the house top to bottom and clean up any dried mold spots with a bleach solution...