wood boring beatles in my stand

[LeslieS]

I did not think my first pest problem would be OUTSIDE OF THE TANK!

Last week, I found a 1/8" perfectly round hole in the side of my wood stand. NO idea how it came about. Today, B. noticed another one and looked inside.

THERE WAS A WOOD BORING BUG!

I called the fish store, but the owner is not in today. What a bummer. I can't exactly douse the area with pesticide. Of course, the nearest piece of furninture to the tank is my 100 year old chinese wedding bed - also made of wood :-(

Ugh! Anybody here work for the USDA?

 

[charile1]

It could be the asian longhorned beetle.

http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/trees_greenstreets/beetle_alert/beetle_alert.html

 

[scarf_ace1981]

say it aint so. that is horrible. wish i could be of some help. hopefully you can exterminate them.

 

[LeslieS]

I only spelled it beatle instead of beetle because it was actually singing and dancing when it came out of the hole

 

[jhale]

wtf Leslie? What happened to beginners luck?

There has to be something that will kill them that won't hurt the tank.

Once they are gone I can recommend people to make the stand look like new. If you can get the store to pay for it that would be good, it's not cheap.

otherwise there are cheaper things you can do to make it look okay.

 

[LeslieS]

I guess my beginner's luck is waiting for poker night.

I have a tank full of algae and a stand that is being eaten by beetles.

My reefing skills are at an all time newbie low...

 

[simike]

did you get it out?? you should be able to hear it chomping at the wood, how deep does it go . maybe flush it out with some water. what type of wood?

Wierd

 

[LeslieS]

The holes tunnel around inside the wood. I cannot tell how far down or how many there are. If there are enough to compromise the strength of the stand....big trouble!

 

[LeslieS]

I could vaguely here them...it sounded like Octopus's Garden or maybe Yellow Submarine...

 

[jhale]

oh man, that is a really scary thought.

try knocking on the wood in different spots to see if there are
hollow spots. I can't imagine they ate that much of the stand.

that store best take care of this right away, that is really messed up.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Ok Check this out. It's from Stan and Debbie Hauter at about.com.


FAQ - How Do I Protect My Tank When My House Is Being Tented?

[SIZE=-1]Q. I have a 55 gallon salt water tank FOWLR and I wanted to tent my house for termites... my question is can the tank remain in the house while is being tented???[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]A. You pose an excellent question. We had our home here on Moloka'i tented for termites and had to deal with our tank, also.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]We took the air pump outside, about 10 feet from the house and ran 2 airlines back to the tank (under the tent and through a window) to the tank and hooked up an air stone, with the other airline going to a device we use to reduce the phosphates. We then took a heavy duty trash bag and duct taped (yep, good ol' duct tape) and sealed the trash bag over the top of the tank and down the sides. We also left the powerhead running (aimed 45 degrees down and across the tank) to maximize gas exchange in the tank.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]The incoming air from the air pump provides positive air pressure to the "sealed" tank, keeping the gasses from the house tenting from entering the tank.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Kinda spooky the 1st time you do it, but if the plastic trash bag is well sealed with the duct tape, and the air pump is away from the house, it works great. We use this method when we do our annual 4 hour "flea bomb" treatment for the house, too.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Tell the "tenters" what you are doing and they should help you out, making sure that the airlines aren't crushed with the weights they use to hold the tarps on the ground and that you are getting fresh air to the tank. It is in their best interest to find ways to help you as they can use the experience as a selling point for their services.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Stan[/SIZE]

It may be able to work for you.

 

[loismustdie]

Leslie, since I have tennants in my house and really have no control of how they live their lives (they can accidentially bring in roaches in cardboard boxes, bags, just like any one of us can), I religously have an exterminator visit my house once a month to spray. I've never seen a roach in this house and would like to keep it that way.
He sprays around my tank, around my sump (which I will admit in 2 feet off of the ground) and I haven't had any problems. Pesticides are under tons of scrutiny right now due to health regulations of not only tennants and homeowners, but consumers who buy fruits and vegetables. Find an exterminator, talk to him about his products. He should be very liberal in giving info, if he's not, use someone else. You may be able to get away with only removing your sump for the day.
As for the algae, even guys with experience get a healthy bloom at first.

 

[LeslieS]

Great to know that I can have it exterminated!! I will definitely do that regardless of what happens to the stand. I don't want the bugs eating everything in the apartment!

Thanks for the support on the algae

 

[jenniebutterfly]

that is crazy! maybe it was in the stand already. i would definately call the tank manufacturer. make a complaint. maybe if you can prove that the only thing eaten is the stand then they will replace it..

 

[LeslieS]

Jenny, It is definitely coming from inside the stand - we actually caught one of the bugs so we can show them

 

[prattreef]

Well nearly a dozen years in this wonderful hobby and I've never heard that one before. Congratulations you get the award for weird newbie problem of the month The stand manufacturer should really take care of this.

What kind of algae are we talking about?

Randy

 

[jhale]

Jenny, It is definitely coming from inside the stand - we actually caught one of the bugs so we can show them

take a pic and post it!

I want to see the bug that's eating your tank.

Maybe there's another bug that will eat the tank eating bug?


I know it does not seem like good news, but your lucky you discovered this now before the tank was fully stocked, or in your downstairs neighbors apartment :irked:

 

[cali_reef]

Some hitchhiker you got there, all the way from China.
I would ask them to give you a new stand, no need to take a chance with this one.

I used to get a lot of parts shipped back from China in wooden crates, US Customs required a certificate of fumigation for all of the wooden crates at that time, you should find out if that is still required and ask the store about it..

 

[jf2381]

You should try and get your tank off that stand asap. You don't the know the extent of the damage that the beetles have caused. I'm sure you don't want to take the risk that the stand will break and everything come crashing down. Also you don't want the pest to spread in your house...get the stand out of the house before that happens.

 

[charile1]

So, does it look like the asian longhorned beetle?

Jenny, It is definitely coming from inside the stand - we actually caught one of the bugs so we can show them