Huge warning.... Febreze scented candles

[Bigjacko]

I am in the midst of a tank crash. SPS stripping all over the place. LPS melting.

I can't find a reason why. My tank paramaters are fine. Nothing is showing out of whack.

After a convesation about my tank with a friend, he asked if we burnt candles in the house.

Yes we do, the wife has in the past few weeks started buying Febreze scented candles and guess what. They are toxic to aquatic animals and her buying these candles ties in with when my tank started having issues. £1000 worth of SPS and LPS destoyed.

She's not on my xmas card list right now.


Please do not burn Febreze scented candles in your home!!!!!!

They can and will kill your tank.

[colinmac]

FFS mate,was she burning them in the kitchen or living room?

[Bigjacko]

Livingroom Colin. I have the fan blowing across the top of the tank. It will have been drawing the fumes onto the water surface.

The candle is/was no more than 8 foot from the tank.

[megalodon]

OH NO !
Sorry to hear that Alan, we are always burning scented candles and have plug in air fresheners about the house but just not that close to the tank.

Get a big bag of carbon in there to see if that helps save anything.

[Bigjacko]

I changed out my pearls yesterday for active carbon Marcel.

Maybe we could have a sticky on the forum somewhere to detail the dangers of these products and if anyone finds a product like these candles that will be detrimental to a tank so that they can be listed?

We have always had candles in the house.....the Febreze one is a new one and I have just googled the thing to check the warnings......found my culprate.

[Bigjacko]

Safety instructions

Retain carton and safety instructions until candle is finished.Never leave a burning candle unattended.Burn candle out of the reach of children and pets.Always leave at least 10cm between burning candles.Do not burn candles on or near anything that can catch fire.CAUTION: Failure to follow instructions could result in fire hazard, personal injury or broken glass.Do not place candles in a draught.Trim wick to about 1cm before lighting.Do not move a burning candle.Never use liquid to extinguish.Do not use if jar is chipped or cracked.Keep wax pool free from foreign objects e.g. Matches, paper, other debris.Stop use when less than 1cm of wax remains.Contains Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Coumarin, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citrus Lemon Fruit Extract. May produce an allergic reaction.Harmful to aquatic organisms; may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment.People suffering from perfume sensitivity should be cautious when using this product. Air Fresheners do not replace good hygiene practices.

[stibbergribber]

Not good news but glad you at least got to the bottom of what was causing the problem. Thanks for the heads up Alan cause Sandra uses scented candles by the bucket load and had fabreze ones in the bathroom. Luckily the bathroom is the opposite end of the house and I use a chiller instead of fans but warning heeded bud!

Hope you get the tank back to it's best (and it was stunning) very soon.

Cheers
Stewart

[Dazlin2]

So sorry to here this, heartbreaking, never ever thought about the adverse effect of scented candles as my misses uses them all the bl###y time, luckily far enough from the tank.

[porter_painter]

Sorry to hear about your nightmare! Lots of carbon and water changes needed.

I've always been told it's a big no to use air fresheners or aerosols around a tank.

Can I suggest you as a mod to change the title of this thread to clearly mention the frabreeze candles... it would be more helpful for other reefers that may just glance at the section rather than read this thread

ATB

[Bigjacko]

Good idea.


I will ask.