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Unread 12/13/2006, 10:52 AM   #1
kawasaki
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burning candles bad???

Might be a stupid question but I had never heard about it. I just recently read in a thread on RC that burning candles in the same room as your tank is hazardous to it. Is that true & why?


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Unread 12/13/2006, 11:23 AM   #2
techreef
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that was news to me too when I read that thread. specifically, I think it was scented candles that were bad.


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Unread 12/13/2006, 12:00 PM   #3
kawasaki
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I just read that thread the other day and now I can't find it, but I am really curious because I love to burn candles....


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Unread 12/13/2006, 12:49 PM   #4
D659600
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I have heard the same thing. I was told that they were burning candles right by the tank, open top tank, and it was the oils the candles put out in the air. I burn candles in the same room with my 2 larger tanks with open tops and have never had a problem with either of them.


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Unread 12/13/2006, 01:04 PM   #5
BurntOutReefer
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hmmm...might be a wife's tale....the "old school" (really old) aquarium heaters used candles.....
I've never had any problems....


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Unread 12/13/2006, 01:14 PM   #6
rdnyva
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Just a thought but perhaps burning candles will use up oxygen which will lower your PH.


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Unread 12/13/2006, 01:48 PM   #7
D659600
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That would have to be alot of candles to deplete oxygen to lower the ph. Dont you think?


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Unread 12/13/2006, 02:01 PM   #8
lilprincess
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I used to burn 15+ candles in the same room as my tank (for heat) for many years and I've never had a problem.


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Unread 12/13/2006, 02:46 PM   #9
keinreis
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My girlfreind burned a candle on a shelf right above the tank once and the wax dripped all into the tank and that still didn't harm anything.


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Unread 12/13/2006, 02:56 PM   #10
dippin61
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heh.. had my wife one time burn a candle on top of my old hood. at the time i had a HOB remora, well.. lets just say the candle melted INTO my remora and filled the whole bubble chamber with wax. The WHOLE thing! it hardened as well, by the time i knew what the hell had happened.

so... if the wax didnt do anything, i highly doubt the fumes from the candle will affect anything. Didnt have a single problem in my tank. I didnt even do any water changes.


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Unread 12/13/2006, 02:59 PM   #11
barbra
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The problem with candles burning is not oxygen consumption, it is the lead content in some wicks. There are cotton wicks and then there are cotton wicks with a lead wire embedded in them, they came from China years ago. In the last couple of years all that has been pretty much cleaned up and it was listed as a hazard to humans, not aquariums, the story seems to have been adapted to cover unexplained aquarium death though. Some people claim that there are toxic releases from parafin and that you should use soy or beeswax instead, and that does seem sensible, but the science isn't as solid as the lead wick business.


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Unread 12/13/2006, 03:20 PM   #12
cubber
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You are probably referring to this thread:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=992073

She was having a problem and I suggested that it may be caused by airbourne pollutants. In the list of examples that she asked for I put candles meaning scented candles the ones that give off a heavy perfume smell when burned. There are different types of scented candles, some give off a lot of toxins in the air and some don't. The ones that are the more "aquarium safe" candles are the ones that are made out of soy. My wife loves to burn scented candles and my mother happens to own a shop that sells scented candles. She sells both the yankee and the beanpods. The yankee candles are pretty toxic where as the beanpod candles are made of soy and are far less toxic and are biodegradable. She has all the info at her store, but feel free to check beanpod's website (http://www.beanpodcandle.com/) if you want more info on soy candles. If you have perfumes floating around in the air and your tank is sucking that air in somehow I would think that it is putting toxins into the tank. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong. My allergies know the difference, the soy candles don't bother me nearly as much as the non soy ones. I will never get my wife to stop burning candles near the tanks, but at least I can be a bit more comfortable that the ones she is burning are fairly safe.


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Unread 12/13/2006, 03:25 PM   #13
cubber
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Here is a bit of info from their site about soy candles for those who don't want to venture there:

Created for discerning candle consumers like yourself who seek a safer, non-polluting candle that keeps home and environment beautiful.

Soy wax is:

* biodegradable
* environmentally friendly
* water soluble for easy clean up
* non-toxic
* made with homegrown soybeans and supports America’s farmers

Soy wax does:

* burn at a low temperature, providing you with long burn times and, therefore, greater value
* burn clean, leaving minimal wax residue on the sides of the jar, thanks to our acclaimed clean-burning technology

Soy wax won’t:

* produce the petroleum-based paraffin black soot residue known as “ghosting” on furnishings or walls
* release noxious petroleum pollutants


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Unread 12/13/2006, 03:47 PM   #14
rdnyva
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D650600 - I was thinking more along the lines that in winter when windows are closed oxygen levels are depleted in the house just from lack of fresh air and sometimes PH cannot be maintained. Many people have this problem, I had it before I moved my sump to the garage with plenty of fresh air. I tried the test myself - open the windows for a day and see if your ph rises - and it worked. So I was thinking that burnng candles just compounded the problem. Anyway it was just a thought, as I said.

PS - just before I read this thread I bought the wife a set of scented candles for Xmas. She loves that stuff. Oh Well.


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Unread 12/13/2006, 04:06 PM   #15
coralreefer
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I've burned candles in the tank room on a daily basis for years with no problems. Got a nice Christmas Memories burning right now.

Quote:
Originally posted by cubber
Here is a bit of info from their site about soy candles for those who don't want to venture there:

Created for discerning candle consumers like yourself who seek a safer, non-polluting candle that keeps home and environment beautiful.

Soy wax is:

* biodegradable
* environmentally friendly
* water soluble for easy clean up
* non-toxic
* made with homegrown soybeans and supports America’s farmers

Soy wax does:

* burn at a low temperature, providing you with long burn times and, therefore, greater value
* burn clean, leaving minimal wax residue on the sides of the jar, thanks to our acclaimed clean-burning technology

Soy wax won’t:

* produce the petroleum-based paraffin black soot residue known as “ghosting” on furnishings or walls
* release noxious petroleum pollutants
As a gel candle maker of many years I won't comment on the soy "hype".
Mine burn clean, leaving no residue on the sides of the jar and burn 5 times longer than paraffin too. No soot either
Quote:
If you have perfumes floating around in the air
I don't have a doubt the beanpod candles are better than Yankee, that wouldn't take much, but from looking at the scent list they apparently use synthetic fragrance oils so the "perfume" is no different than Yankee's or Old Orchards.


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Unread 12/13/2006, 04:18 PM   #16
kawasaki
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Cubber - thanx, that is the thread I was talking about. I don't think it has to do with oxygen depletion as that would take a heck of alot of candles to actually make a significant impact. I would tend to think it would have more to do with airborne pollutants and toxins from the candles. Thanks


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Unread 12/13/2006, 05:22 PM   #17
SCR
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As long as you don't burn them from both end, you should be ok.


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Unread 12/13/2006, 05:32 PM   #18
merseyman
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... the greatest danger candles pose to your tank is the possibility that you forget to blow them out when you leave and burn the house down that houses your tank. You'd have to be burning some major amount of candles on a daily basis to worry about airborne pollutants. Even then, I'd worry about my lungs first.


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Unread 12/13/2006, 05:36 PM   #19
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I'd also be a little antsy about people spraying Lysol, WIndex, using furniture polish, Murphy's Oil Soap, using aromatherapy, tons of potpourri, Glade Plug-ins, or in general loading the air with lots and lots of scent. I'd add in filling the house with smoke from the kitchen, and using dryer sheets of fabric softener...If something's going on in your house that's really, really thick and airborne, it's probably a good thing to close the tank room door until it clears out.


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Unread 12/13/2006, 06:34 PM   #20
SCR
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Don't forget about painting the inside of the house will drive your skimmer crazy.


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Unread 12/13/2006, 07:43 PM   #21
Salamander
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My tank is lit with several candles burning at both ends...and no problems here.

And they're not even soy candles.


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Unread 12/13/2006, 08:19 PM   #22
twiddle
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My wife was burning scented candles in the same room as my tank and I was having a diatom and algae problem. Someone at my LFS mentioned that he had heard something about candles so we stopped burning them...algae and diatoms cleared soon after....related?? who knows for sure!


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Unread 12/13/2006, 09:10 PM   #23
monaca
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A few years ago the power went out...my wife lit some candles...9 months later...I was a daddy...I didn't have a reef tank at that time so I'm not sure if this helps???


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Unread 12/13/2006, 09:22 PM   #24
Micki
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Quote:
Originally posted by monaca
A few years ago the power went out...my wife lit some candles...9 months later...I was a daddy...I didn't have a reef tank at that time so I'm not sure if this helps???
LOL...


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Unread 12/14/2006, 07:17 AM   #25
cubber
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There are some very good points made here about burning candles near your tanks. Personally I don't like to take any chances with the amount of money and time that I have invested into my tanks. So I try to keep anything that could be potentially harmful to them as far away as possible.


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