Flea treatment for the home and having a reef tank.

[bluesy1213]

I know there’s not really a wealth of information on this topic but I am hoping someone here has some experience with it.

I have a German Shepherd that has apparently decided to get fleas (j/k). We have been using a sorresto collar for the last couple years and it was working great. Well it got kind of cold and I thought it may be ok to leave it off after his bath a couple months ago. Long story short, he now has a small infestation of fleas. I also have a cat that probably isn’t helping the problem. So we treated both animals with frontline plus because according to web reviewers that seems to be the quickest short term treatment to provide relief for them.

My worry now is that they are in my house possibly. I’m not getting bitten by fleas and aren’t seeing them everywhere, but my wife did see one on the bathroom floor.

I currently have a 30 gallon long AIO Innovative Marine Nuvo. I am considering using a carpet powder around my house to kill any fleas that may be in the carpet. On the canister of powder is recommends “covering fish aquariums”. It also says that all animals and humans should avoid the space until the dust settles and turn off all hvac and fans. So I’m thinking if I turn off my skimmer, cover and tape plastic around the tank trying to seal it as much as possible I may be ok.

If anyone has experience or thoughts on this please let me know. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[ricky5415]

Anyway u can move the tank somewhere else before u do treatments and move it back after u done? If it on the floor, probably the couch, stair.. other places will be as well. Man, I missed those time

 

[Adam]

My main concern is with vacuuming later on as it will get most anything airborne again. My first thought would be to use a powder like that and not vacuum for a month to be sure that any eggs that hatch get taken care of too. Then wrap the system up again and get the carpets cleaned to pull the dust out. A plus to that is your carpets will be nice and clean afterwards.

Before doing anything I would call Premier. With as much service that they do I'm sure they've run into this before and may have better advice.

 

[skriz]

diatomaceous earth

It rips their bodies apart safely

 

[adamdaniel210]

You can cover the tank with a blanket for the time while you are bombing the house i have done it several times with several tanks i just always replace the carbon after to be safe

 

[enderg60]

I forget the company buy I used one that does "eco friendly" flea treatments with a powder that gets put down and vacuumed up a few weeks later. Was $300ish for a 3000 sqft house and had a 1 year guarantee. DId it with my 300g and went fine. Search around for that, man I wish I could remember the company.

 

[globalbutterfly]

Unless you already have a major household infestation (seeing “A” flea is not a major infestation) I don’t think you need to go through all the hassle of a whole house treatment.

If it were me, I’d put all the animals on a regular, monthly topical flea med like Advantage II (like it a bit better than Frontline) and keep them on it. Advantage II kills the fleas, the larvae and the eggs. It also kills “chewing lice” (you can’t see them, but if your dog or cat gets them and you like to cuddle . . . you will eventually feel them.)

I would NOT treat the house with any powders or chemicals, but I WOULD become a vacuuming fiend. In my experience, 99% of the time if you treat the animals and keep them on a monthly treatment, wash all your sheets and bedding and thoroughly vacuum everywhere, especially areas with carpet or areas where the animals like to lay down or sleep, you won’t have a continuing problem with the fleas.

The fleas are parasites that need a living host. Your furry friends are their preferred host - not you. If they are on a continuous preventative med, the fleas can’t live on them. If you keep vacuuming, sweeping and generally keeping your home as inhospitable to fleas as possible, you shouldn’t need any other household treatment.

 

[bluesy1213]

Thank you everyone for the wealth of experience and opinions offered. Luckily, it seems that the topical treatment is working and we’ve not treated the entire house. The problem seems to be diminishing day by day. If I should ever need to treat my house though, I now know about diatomaceous earth and that it’s natural!