Hands in Tank

[thall17]

Is it ok to be putting my hands in the tank to clean the inside glass? I have been starting to wear gloves. Am i messing with the stablizzation of the tank by putting my hands in?

 

[PotatoPig]

I’d wear gloves when handling anything. There are going to be critters in there you don’t want to touch, and you 100% don’t want to scratch yourself on any live rock or tube worms/corals that might live on it.

 

[Tahoe61]

How often are you doing it?
Can you just get a magfloat?
Is this a big deep tank?
I try not to put my hands in my tanks but it's not horribly detrimental as long as your hands are clean.

 

[littlefoxx]

Is it ok to be putting my hands in the tank to clean the inside glass? I have been starting to wear gloves. Am i messing with the stablizzation of the tank by putting my hands in?

Nah, we all puf hand in the tank all the time. Just be careful with the kind of fish you have… ie biters and venomous fish!

 

[KrisReef]

Is it ok to be putting my hands in the tank to clean the inside glass? I have been starting to wear gloves. Am i messing with the stablizzation of the tank by putting my hands in?

What might impact the answers to your questions,

How often do you bathe or wash your hands?
What do you do with your hands. (& arms)) before they go into the tank?

A good friend of mine loves to sun bathe and some people claim that suntan lotions kill coral at very low exposures.

Do you regularly get exposed to gasoline, grease, garden soil or are you an exterminator or a welder or do you eat BBQ for lunch with your hands everyday?

The glove is supposed to mitigate cross contamination between your environment and the tank environment. It’s good practice to minimize the potential for cross contamination incidents.

Interestingly enough, scraping algae puts stuff in the water column where fished and corals breath and feed. I try to minimize scraping to avoid stirring up the tank but how much impact that can have depends on how much stuff is growing on the glass.

Some folks have experience allergic reactions from frequent salt water exposure, so keep your gloves dry and have fun reefing.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I only use gloves if I am handling live rock. My hands are in my tank for various reasons quite often. When handling rock however, you never know what critters are in there.

 

[skiergd011013]

I’d wear gloves when handling anything. There are going to be critters in there you don’t want to touch, and you 100% don’t want to scratch yourself on any live rock or tube worms/corals that might live on it.

I have scratched and pricked myself on liverock and sps dozens of times when i first started. Luckily i never had an issue. Im more careful now. If i ever do get hit by anything, i have a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol and soak the wound in alcohol, then wash with soap and water.

Lately, i have been wearing full arm length insemenation gloves from amazon, but the things spring a leak if you even look at them. The heavy duty, waterproof AQ gloves are garbage imo. They provide zero dexterity with your fingers, and drive my skimmers crazy. I also use very long stainless tongs when i can, to keep hands out of tank. Its more to protect the water from contamination.

But yes, most everyone reaches into their tanks......

 

[Gumbies R Us]

If i'm handling zoas or have cuts on my hand? I'll wear gloves. If neither of those two? I use my bare hands.

 

[BryanM]

I'm armpit deep in my tank weekly cleaning glass. No gloves.

 

[Jakobe]

I guess water volume helps? I wouldnt stick my hand in my 3 gallon pico everyday. Just wash your hands and you should be fine.

 

[KrisReef]

I have scratched and pricked myself on liverock and sps dozens of times when i first started. Luckily i never had an issue. Im more careful now. If i ever do get hit by anything, i have a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol and soak the wound in alcohol, then wash with soap and water.

Lately, i have been wearing full arm length insemenation gloves from amazon, but the things spring a leak if you even look at them. The heavy duty, waterproof AQ gloves are garbage imo. They provide zero dexterity with your fingers, and drive my skimmers crazy. I also use very long stainless tongs when i can, to keep hands out of tank. Its more to protect the water from contamination.

But yes, most everyone reaches into their tanks......

Are those pre-lubed?

I have generic long arm gloves that don’t create skimmer issues?.

 

[skiergd011013]

Are those pre-lubed?

I have generic long arm gloves that don’t create skimmer issues?.

Here is the amazon link, This is the exact item i have. It doesnt say anything about any lubricant in the description. You made my heart jump mentioning a lubricant being on them. Do you think they are safe? I havent seen any issues. I would expect the skimmer to go crazy if they had any substance on them. What item do you use?

https://a.co/d/cljq1Ws

 

[skiergd011013]

"No, veterinary insemination gloves are typically not pre-lubricated and require separate lubricant for ease of use during the procedure. " per google.......

im still interested in what you use

 

[KrisReef]

Showa ATLAS 772 -10/xl

https://www.uline.com/BL_862/Showa-...zpnPbppRU1bhZ5mBzRaL1kwFFIz7STDUaAoolEALw_wcB

 

[Greenm4ch1ne]

I use a flipper but also know that algae in certain spots can be stubborn especially near the sand bed. I have a long scraper that i use and have a super deep 90 gallon cube I've never have to put my hands in the tank for cleanings now

 

[cloak]

I apologize for not reading the posts above, but ALWAYS give your hand a good scrub under the faucet. ALWAYS... GL.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I apologize for not reading the posts above, but ALWAYS give your hand a good scrub under the faucet. ALWAYS... GL.

I agree. I always wash mine with hot water but no soap before, and hot soapy water after!

 

[Marinus]

Does anyone know if running carbon can help if any contaminants are somehow getting into the tank?

 

[hsp]

Funny that you ask! Today, before lights-on, I tried to remove some algae with my bare hands and got bitten by my Bristletooth Tang. It's the first time (I started 14 months ago)! I wonder if this was because the fish were hungry in the morning, scared because it was still dark or just upset that I woke them up too early? It hurt like hell as it was a pinch so strong that the skin burst instead of a prick with a sharp instrument.

 

[PharmrJohn]

Funny that you ask! Today, before lights-on, I tried to remove some algae with my bare hands and got bitten by my Bristletooth Tang. It's the first time (I started 14 months ago)! I wonder if this was because the fish were hungry in the morning, scared because it was still dark or just upset that I woke them up too early? It hurt like hell as it was a pinch so strong that the skin burst instead of a prick with a sharp instrument.

Intense dude! I've been challenged in the past by clowns, but they never got me.

When handling live rock, I always wore gloves. And when handling Zoas. Otherwise, I had bare hands in the tank. But I always made sure my hands were rinsed off thoroughly prior to invading my tank. With live rock, I was concerned with coming into contact with a bristleworm. Or worse. I hear BWs hurt!