How safe are you really?

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

I feel like a lot of people don't consider that reefing can actually be a not-safe hobby...Electrical dangers, dangers that livestock can pose (poisonous fish/coral and palytoxins toxins), chemical exposures, and I've heard of some pretty nasty infections resulting from open wounds in the tank, just to name a few things. Of course, like everything, you'll find some differing opinions on what is actually a danger and what is blown out of proportion. But my questions today are...

• How do you put safety into practice when working in/around your reef?
• Is there a common piece of safety advice that you don't abide by? Why?
• What aspects of reefing safely do you feel are overblown?
• What do you think gets overlooked?

P.S. This isn't meant to be a "you should be scared" thread, but an oppertunity to discuss some things that may be overlooked that might be worth paying attention to.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I had a GFCI outlet hooked up to my reef tank because I don't mess around with water and electronics. I was also very careful to make sure water wouldn't splash into places where it shouldn't be going

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

I had a GFCI outlet hooked up to my reef tank because I don't mess around with water and electronics. I was also very careful to make sure water wouldn't splash into places where it shouldn't be going

That is 100% the most dangerous aspect of the hobby. Lots of sensors, lots of AC and DC motors, lots of AC wiring going into AC wall outlets.

Everything else is a couple steps down the list in terms of potential harm in my mind.

 

[commod0re]

in our house we are big on PPE and taking all reasonable safety measures

almost everything electronic in the water is DC and I inspect everything periodically for signs of damage, wear, or other degradation. I use a GFCI and have a grounding probe in the sump near the only two AC powered devices in the water

I wear gloves when I put my hand(s) in the tank. I run activated charcoal in the sump, and I additionally wear a full face shield when handling zoas. Everything I add to the tank gets thoroughly researched ahead of time for compatibility and safety concerns in addition to care

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

I think a lot of people fear getting stung or bit by something poisonous more than something electrical.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

I think a lot of people fear getting stung or bit by something poisonous more than something electrical.

I design process systems in food and beverage. Complacency in electrical safety is by far the biggest contributor to people being seriously injured.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

I design process systems in food and beverage. Complacency in electrical safety is by far the biggest contributor to people being seriously injured.

Oh I agree with that assessment! My comment was that I think people worry less about it than they do the other. Which they should not.

 

[exnisstech]

How do you put safety into practice when working in/around your reef?
I'm pretty reckless

Is there a common piece of safety advice that you don't abide by? Why?
I don't wear gloves because I can't work with them on. TBH I rarely wear any PPE

What aspects of reefing safely do you feel are overblown?
Paly toxin and bristle worm bristles. Paly toxin is real but easily avoided using common sense. My hands are callused enough I don't even feel bristle worm bristles when they're stuck in my hand. Bristle worms don't have anything on itch weed lol

What do you think gets overlooked?
Probably electrical safety. I know I'm guilty.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

That is 100% the most dangerous aspect of the hobby. Lots of sensors, lots of AC and DC motors, lots of AC wiring going into AC wall outlets.

Everything else is a couple steps down the list in terms of potential harm in my mind.

I was never too worried about palytoxins. I wore gloves and used tongs, but never felt like I was going to get harmed. Electricity, on the other hand, was a different story.

 

[SeaWolf95]

• How do you put safety into practice when working in/around your reef?
• Is there a common piece of safety advice that you don't abide by? Why?
• What aspects of reefing safely do you feel are overblown?
• What do you think gets overlooked?

• How do you put safety into practice when working in/around your reef?
  
  I dont, lol. I cut my hands up working on my port engine cleaned it up and into the tank for something open cuts and all. The only thing that came of that is was my mimic tang now has a taste for flesh and likes to nibble at my hands to the point of following my hand around when in the tank and circling like a shark. Ive had a light fall into the tank and just pulled it out without unplugging it. Now I will say i am a bit more cautious working with AC lines, but DC depending on the amps I work with most dc lines live. With that said I did convert the outlet to GFCI.
  
  
• Is there a common piece of safety advice that you don't abide by? Why?
  Refuse to care or wear gloves. I cant cant be afraid of what ifs. Basically all the safety advice i ignore and most of it on purpose to. Why not? Being so aloof about life and safety in general has gotten me out of bad things smelling like roses. I get injured or sick, meh. I die, meh beats another day here, lol.
  
  
• What aspects of reefing safely do you feel are overblown?
  All? You ever see some of those videos out there? Some of those companies act like you will die just by being within 100 feet of the tank and of course they are quick to sell you a product.
• What do you think gets overlooked?
  Not sweating everything you read or hear about online.

 

[BryanM]

I feel like a lot of people don't consider that reefing can actually be a not-safe hobby...Electrical dangers, dangers that livestock can pose (poisonous fish/coral and palytoxins toxins), chemical exposures, and I've heard of some pretty nasty infections resulting from open wounds in the tank, just to name a few things. Of course, like everything, you'll find some differing opinions on what is actually a danger and what is blown out of proportion. But my questions today are...

• How do you put safety into practice when working in/around your reef?
• Is there a common piece of safety advice that you don't abide by? Why?
• What aspects of reefing safely do you feel are overblown?
• What do you think gets overlooked?

P.S. This isn't meant to be a "you should be scared" thread, but an oppertunity to discuss some things that may be overlooked that might be worth paying attention to.

GFCI I take seriously.
Palytoxins I take seriously.

But take seriously and do the right thing are two different things in my case. I rarely wear PPE. But I know not to be messing around with paly's or zoas outside the tank without PPE on. I tossed my Paly rock specifically because of this issue.

 

[LadyMac]

Living in a very old mobile home with some questionable wiring, I’m fine.

In all seriousness I try to make sure things are plugged in well. I don’t overload my outlet. Basic equipment (skimmer, one light, return pump, heater, one circulation pump, and my ATO) are all on a power strip. There’s not much we can do save requiring the entire house. Something we can’t afford. This is also why I have only one reef. My fresh tanks have a total of three things (light filter heater) and are on different circuits in the house.

 

[Minifoot77]

 

[overhead]

As far as my hobbies go, this one is likely the least risky. That being said, my tanks are on GFCI protected circuits. I am a little paranoid about infections due to another hobby, so I usually wear gloves while messing around in the tank, I wash my hands before and after they go in the tank, etc.

 

[Subsea]

At 78 years old, I don’t try to live forever. I use GFCI and a grounding plug, after that; no fear: hands in tank, barefoot.

 

[MC Blowfish]

With the exception of Monday, I've been very meticulous about being safe. I was preparing to glue some frags in my second tank. I noticed that a zoa plug slipped. I took it out, cleaned off the back, reapplied everything before placing it back in the tank. I then realized, I didn't have a mask on.

I know it's highly unlikely to get sick, but I'm usually adamant that I always wear a mask.

 

[resortez]

In my personal experience, electrical problems have been one of the worst. From exploding heaters to bad power heads throwing a live current into the water. Because of that, I wear boots that ground me. Getting stung by an animal has been usually from carelessness, from losing sight of a massive puffer that took a chunk of skin from my arm to getting stung by a fox face that felt like touching a hot stove then simultaneously getting hit with a hammer. All were due to being too comfortable around the fish. So I would say I have more control over getting stung opposed to a random piece of equipment breaking.

 

[Privateye]

I don't take any major precautions at home. Handling my palys with cuts (I've had them for years) on my hands, just a surge protector on the tank, and I rarely wear gloves when dealing with chemicals. I won't stick my hands in calcium chloride or anything, and I try not to get soda ash in the air, but for the most part I just use measuring cups and wash my hands after.

I will say it's good to use proper lifting techniques when we work on our tanks. Buckets of sand get heavy - sometimes it's best to just fill them halfway. Maybe it's sometimes easier to carry two buckets of water than one for balance. There are a lot of lifting errors we can make that come back to bite us later. 25% of men in their mid-20's already have a herniated disc and don't know it yet. The sciatica will come years later.

However, perhaps my precautions around reef tanks are because I've seen sketchier situations in past jobs. From little things like daisy-chains of power strips in fish stores, to staph infections, to unsafe ozone levels...my tanks feel safe by comparison!

Once I'm done working in a tank I make sure to wash my hands though, and if I have an open cut I'll put some antibiotic ointment on it. Hand washing is the best way to prevent zoonotic disease. The nastiest infections I've had came from freshwater systems though.

 

[me & my baby]

Well I have experience both , I have been electrocuted to the point of going to the hospital, I have also had a severe reaction to Palys when I just barely brushed my had against them I also ended up in the hospital. So now everything is pretty much DC and everything is on a gfci . I also won’t put any palys or zoas in my tank .

 

[Fish Fan]

Well gang, not electrical, but I just got back from the Urgent Care

This past Monday I was cleaning up my tank that has a nasty (but declining!) Vermitid snail outbreak. I was handling some rock, and I felt one of the little Vermitid "snouts" scratch the pad of my thumb. I looked quickly, and you couldn't even see a scratch, and there was no blood. I thought, no blood, I'm fine, and I went back to cleaning my tank.

By Tuesday my thumb was swelling and very painful, yesterday even worse, and today no better. You can now clearly see the puncture spot, which is turning all blue and funky, so my wife finally convinced me to go get an antibiotic. We are leaving for a vacation tomorrow, and she was concerned that if it gets worse, our vacation might suffer

Is this going to make me use gloves the next time I'm cleaning my tank?? Probably not

Stay safe everyone!