Keep THESE TWO THINGS out of your tank for a better reef? True or False?

[LA Reef Addict]

After a long day at work, i let my hands dangle in the tank for a few hours and pretend i'm sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the tide roll away.

 

[LPS Bum]

No hands in a reef tank is a laudable goal, but (at least for me) it just isn't feasible.

How do you blow off your rocks twice a week with a turkey baster without putting your hands in the tank? How do you feed tangs a sheet of nori on a clip without putting your hands in the tank? My hands are in there pretty much every day. Best I can do is to try and avoid having any residue on my hands, and run activated carbon 24/7.

 

[homer1475]

Daily, I feed the fish PE mysis that I just melt between 2 fingers in the tank water.

Other then that, Hardly ever unless I need to move a coral. I have long tongs for flipping over snails.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I always thought that rule was a euphemism for the need to not mess with the tank too much. I see it not a prohibition for physically placing our hands in the water but as a caution not to be constantly tinker with equipment, flow, light levels, water parameters, coral placement, and etc.

 

[iMi]

I answered every few weeks but it really depends. I would say "as needed" is what I'd say in response to this question. I also wear rubber gloves unless I have to reach deeper

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

#1 it does not matter whatsoever. Zero impact. #2 sometimes I put my hands into my tank like - 5-10 times per day, and sometimes I don't touch my tank for a week or

I have gloves that go to almost my shoulders but they are thick and impossible to do anything except to grab a big rock or when I do a good tank clean up so yes I do put my hands in the tank to blow off rocks to get any food off of them or to glue a frag or save a snail caught on top of an urchin etc.. but I wash them really good before and after the tank I wish they had gloves like mine but are thin so I can do anything I need to in the tank the thick ones you can't do frags or get into small places.

Truest statement here im the exact same way..

 

[outhouse]

heck no

 

[Costareefer]

Need to define hands in the tank. A baster? Tongs? Are these hands in the tank?

 

[MarshallB]

It depends what im doing. If i need to stick my hands in to remove a algae clip or pick up a fallen frag (depending on the coral) I wont use gloves. I always wash my hands and arms before and after going into the aquarium. Messing with arm length gloves is more of a pain than its benefits for those small tasks.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

Hands off as much as possible. Only do maintenance once or twice a month. Using finger tips to feed fish is not putting your hands in the tank. I think the real question was do you let the tank run itself or always changing things. So hands off as much as possible.

 

[StewL6]

I would love to keep my hands out of my tank but the more I wish I could a couple Frags come unglued or two corals come to-close together or one of my flow pumps comes loose or something equally frustrating. My tank is 11 months old now and a lot of my dosing is on pumps and tank is increasing stability every day so it is getting a lot easier. So on to next build

 

[Goaway]

1. Are you a believer that keeping your hands out of your aquarium is a good practice?

Yes I am. Tell that to my lovely tuxedo urchin. No he isn't going no where. He even asks for food when he can't find any. He has feelings

2. How often are your hands in the tank?

At this point, I am amazed my feet aren't in there too.

I lost count the moment I got a tuxedo. I want to say at least 1 time per day. Some days are worse than others. However, I never get a break.

My happiest reef didn't have me involved as much. It also had better lights during its life span. Now with new lights on my new system, I'll find out if it was me or the low par causing issues.

 

[Creggers]

1. Are you a believer that keeping your hands out of your aquarium is a good practice?
Yes 100%%

2. How often are your hands in the tank?
As infrequently as possible - only when placing coral, doing a monthly WC, or if something somehow slips in. Probably about once or twice a month

 

[Billldg]

Before I respond to the poll, @revhtree, how do you mean hands on in the tank? If removing my Nori clips daily to add Nori to them then daily, if not, then, every other week at the most.

 

[DeniseAndy]

I have my fingers in the tank when I add some food or change the algae sheet. Other than that, I try to keep hands out. I will happily go in after some algae or turned over snail or frag fallen. I will also move things as needed when doing a water change or see unhappy coral.
Oh, I have to touch it when I pull algae off the UAS a bit too. Not much though.

 

[Double monti 61]

I do heating and air conditioning installation and service my hands get very dirty I do not worry about my dirty hands so much I clean them when needed but if I have to put my hands in the tank I clean them well by scrubbing them well using hot water and dawn dish washing detergent and I have never had any problems.

 

[Taipan88]

While I have my hands in my tank most days. Clean hands shouldn't be an issue, but how clean are your hands?

This is what my latest ICP test showed. A Major Zinc contamination. Now I apply a medicated cream to my sons skin before bed as he has some dry patches.... This can be anywhere from an hour before I work on the Aquarium.

 

[Miami Reef]

While I have my hands in my tank most days. Clean hands shouldn't be an issue, but how clean are your hands?

This is what my latest ICP test showed. A Major Zinc contamination. Now I apply a medicated cream to my sons skin before bed as he has some dry patches.... This can be anywhere from an hour before I work on the Aquarium.

Do you wash your hands from the cream before going into the tank? Or does it get “absorbed” into your skin?

 

[Auquanut]

Okay. I'll admit that my fingers are in the tank daily. In my defense, if my foxface wasn't allowed to give me a kiss at dinnertime, I think there would be issues.

 

[Arego]

Haven't touched it bare anything in a really long time. At least 9 months. I throw on thick cattle birthing gloves and do what needs doing.