ANTS!

[ddenora]

Have a bit of an ant problem in my basement this year. Keep finding them in my sump. Cant find much information on them in a reef tank anywhere. I know they are full of formic acid which I assume is not good for the tank. Been doing 20 gallon water changes every week on my 90. Id say 70% of all coral seem unaffected, but the 30% mostly euphyllia, mushrooms and zoas aren't open as big as they normally are or have melted. Anyone have any experience with this issue and how did you solve the ant problem and the problem they caused in your tank? Starting to affect more and more everyday I look. TIA! PLEASE HELP!

 

[JoshH]

When did you start doing the WCs? When you realized you were getting ants in the tank? Or is this your normal schedule? I have no personal experience with ants in the tank but I can't see them doing much harm chemistry wise.

What are some current parameters of your tank? I feel you're stripping a lot of your nutrients out which is why your euphyllia are cranky.

Also do you have any poison out to kill them? This might be getting into your tank if these ants are carrying it back to there nest and fall into your sump.

#Reefsquad any other ideas here?

Oh also you can spread baby powder around your sump itself and the ants will steer clear of it. This is how ant keepers keep them in there homes when changing out food.

 

[Anthony Kochevar]

A good ant poison is plain baking soda. You could sprinkle some around the sump, that way you don't have regular poison near it.

 

[Goose91]

If you dont have any other pets in the house spray some doctor doom around the base of the tank, the ants will not cross that barrier and your tank will remain ant free without having to put any ant poison in the sump area. Also hit them buggers in the spot they are coming out of with some foaming spray, did a solid nunber on em in my garage

 

[ddenora]

When did you start doing the WCs? When you realized you were getting ants in the tank? Or is this your normal schedule? I have no personal experience with ants in the tank but I can't see them doing much harm chemistry wise.

What are some current parameters of your tank? I feel you're stripping a lot of your nutrients out which is why your euphyllia are cranky.

Also do you have any poison out to kill them? This might be getting into your tank if these ants are carrying it back to there nest and fall into your sump.

#Reefsquad any other ideas here?

Oh also you can spread baby powder around your sump itself and the ants will steer clear of it. This is how ant keepers keep them in there homes when changing out food.

Been doing the once a week changes for around a month now versus the every other week 20 gallons I normally did. Haven't really checked the params other than alk so that could definitely be the problem. I do have poisons out which could also could be another issue. Im not really sure what to do to get rid of them being poison seems to be the only option. I'm at a loss. I haven't been able to find anything online stating that the formic acid in ants wouldn't bother the tank which is why I'm going nuts. If that was the case I would take up the poison and take the extra time to try more natural less effective options to get rid of them. My issues started when the ants showed up before the poison and water changes so I'm convinced they're the problem. Like I said I'm at a loss lol but I'm about to go spread some baby powder right now!

 

[JoshH]

Been doing the once a week changes for around a month now versus the every other week 20 gallons I normally did. Haven't really checked the params other than alk so that could definitely be the problem. I do have poisons out which could also could be another issue. Im not really sure what to do to get rid of them being poison seems to be the only option. I'm at a loss. I haven't been able to find anything online stating that the formic acid in ants wouldn't bother the tank which is why I'm going nuts. If that was the case I would take up the poison and take the extra time to try more natural less effective options to get rid of them. My issues started when the ants showed up before the poison and water changes so I'm convinced they're the problem. Like I said I'm at a loss lol but I'm about to go spread some baby powder right now!

Are you running any carbon right now? Might be worth it to check your parameters and see where they are at. There are a few other natural ways to get rid of ants to try as well.

 

[Crabs McJones]

A good ant poison is plain baking soda. You could sprinkle some around the sump, that way you don't have regular poison near it.

^^ this. Ants will avoid baking soda

 

[ddenora]

Are you running any carbon right now? Might be worth it to check your parameters and see where they are at. There are a few other natural ways to get rid of ants to try as well.

I do have a small bag in there right now. Figured if the ants were putting any poison in the water that would help remove it.

 

[ZipAdeeZoa]

If they are climbing the glass of the sump and falling in that way you could get some baby powder and mix it with water into a paste and smear it around the outer edge of the sump. Ant keepers use this to keep ants from escaping their set ups and to keep undesirable ant species out.

Hope this helps!

 

[Anthony Kochevar]

^^ this. Ants will avoid baking soda

It solved my ant issue.

 

[rkpetersen]

I've had ants in and around the house intermittently for years.
This is by far the best ant bait and killer that I've ever used.
Squeeze out some lines, let the ants at it, and 24-48 hours later, no more ants.
For a while, anyway.

 

[flchamp89]

Post a picture and we can ID. Have to ID first.