Silly but Serious Question

[ThatPhillyReefer]

Hey all! So my girlfriend wants to get an Aroma360 Oil Diffuser. I am hesitant because I don’t allow candles nor plug in wall scents anywhere near the tank, only in bedrooms. She wants to put the the oil diffuser in the living room which is about 15ft from the tank. What do you think?

I stopped candles and plug in all scents because my corals were randomly dying. I asked around and a buddy asked if I used candles. I said yes and he said DONT! I stopped and corals stopped dying. Now this may have been a freak coincidence but since I don’t allow them near the tank.

Whats your take on any candles or scented things in the house or near your tank?

P.S. My tank is open, no canopy

 

[JumboShrimp]

I'm convinced the scented Holiday candle used by our office staff for about a week killed the fish in our 24 gallon tank, about 8-10 feet away.

Do I have "Proof"? No. But they won't be doing that again this year!

 

[Reef Jedi]

This has always been a big no no in my house. My wife knows not to spray anything near the tank. We will occasionally light a candle in the kitchen, about 15 feet away from the tank. I don’t think I notice any real difference in the tank other than co2 levels. She always opens two windows when she burns them for cross flow. We do have a larger house so I do believe it’s not very concentrated as well.

I’ve always been super cautious of anything aerosol and I’ve always stayed away from it.

 

[rayadog]

I don’t even think they’re good for us humans but apparently that doesn’t trump them in our house. None in the tank room.

I’ve also had people say they’ve kept the outlet things right next to the tank running carbon with no issue. . I will avoid it if I can. It does say cruelty free though..

I’ll say, if it seems like not something you can say no to, y’all should have a contingency plan. Like, we can try it but what are we going to do with it when our fish or coral start dying? I imagine neither of you have an oil diffuser hobby to even compare to the tank hobby. Side note, I wonder if there’s a simple and observable way to measure how far the droplets travel; I’m assuming not too too far. Paper and lemon juice? I’m just making stuff up, but it sounds legit. Not quite what they did in National Treasure.

P.p.s., are they saying the tank stinks? Cause a lid might be a healthier option.

 

[GJW]

It’s likely fine assuming the room is well ventilated.

 

[Australian_Reef]

It would be a flat no from me. Not worth the risk.

 

[winxp_man]

The only spraying anyone will do around my tanks, is on some cotton balls to plug their nostrils with! Spraying chem trials near my tanks are fightin words ladies and gents!

 

[RabidDragon]

I would be less worried about increased CO2 levels in my tank by burning scented candles than the other potential chemicals that would introduced into it. In the past I've seen filtration systems that bubble air into water as filter medium claiming it filters out all sorts of thing out of the air including smoke and chemicals. Our skimmers in our tanks do exactly what this filter system did, they would concentrate any chemicals in the air and into our tank water.

Measuring the distance of how large of an area the oil difuser impacted would be EXCEEDINGLY easy.... if you can smell it... thats how far it traveled.

You want to burn a scented candle, incense stick, oil burners and other fragrance difusers?? sure... in your own house, not mine.
The number of people in my life that have tried to convince me that candles burn up cigarettes smoke is too high. The lack of logic in this statement is mind boggling. This is a bit of a "sore spot" for me if you can't tell.

 

[JonasRoman]

Hey all! So my girlfriend wants to get an Aroma360 Oil Diffuser. I am hesitant because I don’t allow candles or plug-in wall scents anywhere near the tank, only in bedrooms. She wants to put the oil diffuser in the living room, which is about 15ft from the tank. What do you think?

I stopped using candles and plug-in scents because my corals were randomly dying. I asked around and a buddy asked if I used candles. I said yes, and he said, "DON'T!" I stopped, and the corals stopped dying. Now, this may have been a freak coincidence, but since then, I don’t allow them near the tank.

What's your take on candles or scented things in the house or near your tank?

P.S. My tank is open, no canopy.

I would be less worried about increased CO2 levels in my tank by burning scented candles than the other potential chemicals that would introduced into it. In the past I've seen filtration systems that bubble air into water as filter medium claiming it filters out all sorts of thing out of the air including smoke and chemicals. Our skimmers in our tanks do exactly what this filter system did, they would concentrate any chemicals in the air and into our tank water.

Measuring the distance of how large of an area the oil difuser impacted would be EXCEEDINGLY easy.... if you can smell it... thats how far it traveled.

You want to burn a scented candle, incense stick, oil burners and other fragrance difusers?? sure... in your own house, not mine.
The number of people in my life that have tried to convince me that candles burn up cigarettes smoke is too high. The lack of logic in this statement is mind boggling. This is a bit of a "sore spot" for me if you can't tell.

I am quite convinced that this will have zero effect on the tank. We are talking about oils, and those are not soluble in water. So the interface of oil in air and water would probably not affect the tank at all. I think you're exaggerating your concern, to be honest. But, as no one know this for sure as its not tested in a proper way, do not blame me if I am wrong. Just tell you how I would think. Its your decision.
Sometimes we exclude even unlikely thing to have a good sleep, even lack of evidence.

Jonas

 

[ccole]

I burn candles all the time and haven’t noticed a difference! But I’ve never tried oil diffusers.

 

[Reefer Matt]

That will likely add the oil to the tank. I’d email the manufacturer and see if they will tell you it’s toxicity to fish and coral. I highly doubt they will say it’s “reef safe” though.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Tagging @Randy Holmes-Farley!

 

[Australian_Reef]

I wouldn’t want to breath it myself, never mind the fish tank.

 

[JumboShrimp]

https://www.acs.org/pressroom/presspacs/2025/february/scented-wax-melts-may-not-be-as-safe-for-indoor-air-as-initially-thought.html

 

[KrisReef]

If she gets excited and freaky when the oil gets hot then it makes sense that one might need to reevaluate hobbies and priorities in the house.

Can you post a clear picture of the tank and a video of the girlfriend under white lighting so we can see what you’re working with?

(Asking for a friend )

People put oil on water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding, it interferes with their surface breathing. I don’t know what is released into the breathing space from electric candles but it cannot be as breathable as clean fresh air.