fosterspike January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 i read somewhere that your not supposed to reach into your tank with your bare hands and your supposed to wear arms lenth gloves. is this really necessary? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 I don't wear any protection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 it's recommended by many, but very few of us do it. I have tongs that I use for little things and try to avoid actually putting my hands in the tank. There are phosphates in soaps and hand lotions that can cause algae blooms if you're not careful to scrub your hands before putting them in the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat_13 January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 Nope, I just rinse my hands with water before to get most stuff off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 I never use soap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnguyen4007 January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 I have couple of mighty mean clownfish so I wear latex gloves from costco. when these fish realized that biting my hands didn't do anything, they would go for the arm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterTang January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 I just wear regular non-latex doctor's gloves, and then seal the top with a rubber band. I bite my nails like crazy, so I have a pain-avoidance incentive to not stick my hands in the tank bare... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 I don't wear any protection. Too easy... I don't put on gloves I just make sure I haven't used soaps or anything recently Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Integral9 January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 I don't wear any protection. That explains all the little anemones running around in your tank... Sorry. Couldn't resist. Seriously though, I try to wash with softsoap before putting my hands in the tank. It's anti-bacterial so you gotta be real sure you get all the soap off, but otherwise you hands will be clean enough for surgery... well almost. Maybe that's why they put a clownfish on the bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkb8 January 6, 2009 Share January 6, 2009 I always use gloves whenever possible. There are many sythetic chemicals on your hands and arms and in your skin, as well as naturally excreted chemicals, that may be released into the tank every time you stick your arm in there. Everything you touched during the entire day could leave a trace of something on your hands. Most soaps now also have antimicrobials added to them. All this stuff, junk, waste, carbon load, will to some degree get dumped into your tank when you stick your hand in it. My mind probably exaggerates the level of chemicals sloughed off into the tank when you stick your hand/arm in it, but why take the chance? Its easy enough to just put a glove on. Plus, my skin breaks out in a rash when I touch salt water. So I have added incentive to use gloves. Basically it boils down to your own preference and degree of susceptibility to hypochondria. I tend to lean toward the side of Mr. Adrian Monk when it comes to these kind of questions and that's just my own personality. There is no study I know of that says you must use gloves every time for reaching into the tank. Its just a preference, whether justified by fact or not. Do what works for you, but take into consideration the size of tank and your occupation (what chemicals you are routinely exposed to during the day) and maybe the amount of filtration employed in your system (carbon, skimmer, UV, etc.). Just my two cents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trble81 January 7, 2009 Share January 7, 2009 I don't wear any protection. Must....keep....what I'm thinking.....inside...... I actually have a pair of those PVC arm-length gloves that I use. I'm sure if I get a pair of grippers, I'll probably use them less but they really help in the winter time because my skin gets REALLY dry and the salt doesn't help at all. It's personal preference either way. I don't think you really live until you reach into your tank for something and notice that your t-shirt sleeve is dripping wet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascal January 7, 2009 Share January 7, 2009 For all the reasons mentioned (especially the prospect of adding more little anemones to our already overpopulated planet), I recommend ALWAYS wearing gloves when you reach into your tank. Only problem is I don't think I've ever owned a pair though. In all seriousness, some common things you really should be concerned about: sunscreen (toxic to corals) insect repellent (toxic to fish/corals)http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?act=post&do=reply_post&f=12&t=27415 the array of environmentally irresponsible chemicals that some folks use on their lawns (sorry, editorial comment ) gasoline I don't wear gloves but I figure there is enough of that stuff and more that makes its way into our tanks one way or another which is why I always run some kind of chemical filtration media -- just b/c you never know. Last thing, if you don't wear gloves, remember that it is often a good idea to wash your hands after handling stuff in the tank as well. Not just for the toxins (like palytoxin) but also some of the bacteria (strains of vibrio sp.) can be pretty nasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE January 7, 2009 Share January 7, 2009 Must....keep....what I'm thinking.....inside...... I don't wear gloves, but probably should, not only for the tank's inhabitants sake, but for mine, when I take my hands out of the aquarium, if I don't wash them within about 5 mins with cold water and lots of soap, they burn like H-E-double hockey sticks... not sure why, but they do... also, I too have really dry skin and the salt definetly doesn't help... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman January 14, 2009 Share January 14, 2009 They don't make gloves long enough... in my 240, I frequently end up immersed to my armpits. I just make sure and wash with plain warm water before I start my evening playing in the fish tanks. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcreefer January 14, 2009 Share January 14, 2009 They don't make gloves long enough... in my 240, I frequently end up immersed to my armpits. I just make sure and wash with plain warm water before I start my evening playing in the fish tanks. bob Yeah I'm with you on that one brother! I do use gloves when I am moving rocks and stuff....plus I am afraid of Fire WORMS! and anything else that may sting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkb8 January 14, 2009 Share January 14, 2009 They don't make gloves long enough... in my 240, I frequently end up immersed to my armpits. I just make sure and wash with plain warm water before I start my evening playing in the fish tanks. bob Could you use a trashbag? Just cut out a hole for your head at the top? Maybe it would not be big enough ... Maybe time to ask for a wetsuit ... I would be really worried about deodorant, etc. getting into the tank. But I guess a tank that size it may not matter. As they say, "dilution is the solution to pollution" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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