do you stick your hands in your tank? Or wear gloves?

[Reef Puncher]

So i stick my hands in my tank almost every day. is that bad? i know some people wear gloves, but when i hear reasons why its usually to protect fingers from getting poked by things, not for the tanks benefit. is there a downside to putting hands in tank? what if you wash your hands well first? what do you guys do?

 

[Jaden9933]

So i stick my hands in my tank almost every day. is that bad? i know some people wear gloves, but when i hear reasons why its usually to protect fingers from getting poked by things, not for the tanks benefit. is there a downside to putting hands in tank? what if you wash your hands well first? what do you guys do?

if you wash your hands first, it helps, but you’ll still get some oils in the water. but with proper water surface agitation and running carbon, it should filter out without being an issue, IME

 

[sixty_reefer]

Tend to do most work with tongs, only get my hands in it if I really need to.

 

[Reef Puncher]

Tend to do most work with tongs, only get my hands in it if I really need to.

ah you must be the "other" vote. haha. yea i could never glue corals using tongs. that would be tough.

 

[SliceGolfer]

I've always maintained that if you place bare hands in your tank and you also monitor daily alkalinity consumption you will see a pause in uptake for a day or two. It's something I noticed with my tanks so there isn't much comparison involved with other reefers in this hypothesis.

 

[sixty_reefer]

ah you must be the "other" vote. haha. yea i could never glue corals using tongs. that would be tough.

There is always the exception, I use the tongs and a long baster for general maintenance.
I used to have my rock pre drilling, placing frag plugs with them wasn’t that difficult.

 

[Lavey29]

Skinny dip, although the skinny part is not really factual anymore

 

[DexterKarin]

I chose wash hands before...and after well. I do try to glove up mostly, but doing lots of GHA removal and i cant get purchase on it with gloves on.

 

[Red_Beard]

Skinny dip, although the skinny part is not really factual anymore

chunky dunk

 

[Jekyl]

My clownfish require chain mail for entry in their territory.

 

[BarryBenthic]

For those that use tongs/hemostats/forceps are there any long recommended ones you have? I have 24” stainless steel hemostats and i just cannot dry them enough to prevent rusting. Looking for plastic or maybe titanium options that you guys recommend. ICP-OES came back with small amounts of chromium and I am paranoid its from my rusting SS.

 

[kevgib67]

Wash well and dunk but if I was fragging zoas or especially palys I’d be gloved up ( I only have Zoas though).

 

[Reef Puncher]

For those that use tongs/hemostats/forceps are there any long recommended ones you have? I have 24” stainless steel hemostats and i just cannot dry them enough to prevent rusting. Looking for plastic or maybe titanium options that you guys recommend. ICP-OES came back with small amounts of chromium and I am paranoid its from my rusting SS.

i just purposely put chromium in yesterday lol. my icp showed no trace, and reef moonshiners excel said to add a smidge.

 

[BrokenReefer]

I always wear gloves, I have little kids and they are constantly under foot so I'd rather not transfer any of their daycare germs to my 'pristine' slice of life.

 

[exnisstech]

About the only time I glove up is if I have injuries on my hand or if I'm moving larger rocks. I have vermatids and them buggers are pointy tubes. Other than I wash on Dawn soap before and after.

 

[OrchidMiss]

About the only time I glove up is if I have injuries on my hand or if I'm moving larger rocks. I have vermatids and them buggers are pointy tubes. Other than I wash on Dawn soap before and after.

Honestly, they're the only things that have harmed my hands, Felicia (gold stripe maroon) not included. Hers is the only tank that requires gloves, as she bites with the intent of ripping flesh.

 

[BarryBenthic]

i just purposely put chromium in yesterday lol. my icp showed no trace, and reef moonshiners excel said to add a smidge.

Haha any chance you can point me in direction to that excel, would love to understand the benefit of chromium.

 

[Cthulukelele]

I have shoulder length gloves I like to wear when working in the tank. Anecdotally it seems like the corals in the tank mind me working less since I've done that, but I have no hard data to back that up

 

[box of shards]

I always wear some nitrile gloves. I can't help but get a little bit startled when my clownfish bites me or I touch an amphipod or bristleworm. The grip also helps a lot. I don't know how credible the stories are about handling zoas and pallys but I don't really wanna find out.

 

[Troylee]

For those that use tongs/hemostats/forceps are there any long recommended ones you have? I have 24” stainless steel hemostats and i just cannot dry them enough to prevent rusting. Looking for plastic or maybe titanium options that you guys recommend. ICP-OES came back with small amounts of chromium and I am paranoid its from my rusting SS.

So stop sending in icp tests