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

How often are your hands in the tank?

  • Every Day

    Votes: 171 22.9%
  • Few Days A Week

    Votes: 266 35.6%
  • Once A Week

    Votes: 183 24.5%
  • Every Few Weeks

    Votes: 77 10.3%
  • Monthly Or Longer

    Votes: 38 5.1%
  • Literally Never

    Votes: 12 1.6%

  • Total voters
    747

Taipan88

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 28, 2021
Messages
49
Reaction score
35
Location
Brisbane
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What’s the solution? Wear gloves? Schedule tank time before zinc cream?
Let my son suffer a skin condition and have a thriving tank.
Nar Jokes.
I will more than likely wear gloves or will wash my hands way more than I currently am. I used tongs for most of my tank work, but some stuff needs my hands.

Either or, It was an invisible time bomb waiting to happen that is normally something I'd not test for.

ICP All the way kids. Every 3 months minimum.
 

ABRADOLOVIC

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 2, 2021
Messages
3
Reaction score
4
Location
44057
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ok we've heard it said that we should keep our hands out of our reef tank as much as possible. To me it's always been a tongue in cheek type of thing but lately, more than ever, I'm finding out that this may be better advice than what I once previously thought! About a year ago I kinda lost my passion for my reef tank. I was doing the bare minimal tasks to keep the coral and fish healthy and quit buying anything new. Equipment would stop working correctly and instead of replacing it I just started reefing more "old school." Also during this time I quit putting my hands in the tank and since then my tank has really started to blossom from what it was. I quit worrying about the occasional aiptasia and algae patch and for the most part the issues corrected themselves or stayed at bay. Has the success of my tank as of late been in part or mostly because I've kept my hands out of the tank? Might just be a fluke but let's talk about it!

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

2. How often are your hands in the tank?


image via @Nash
24f14428f78b5c9d3e6feaea48c5fe65.jpg
No, I see nothing wrong with having to put your hands in the tank. I would have never got in the aquarium hobby, if I didn't like getting hands on and wet. I make sure hands are clean and no lotions. I run activated carbon, hopefully that helps. 30+ years in the hobby, hands in and out of the tanks, probably a couple times a week (only when needed)...so far so good.
 

mattdg

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 18, 2017
Messages
866
Reaction score
1,382
Location
New Hamburg NY
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Personally I try very hard to make a mental list of what needs to be done inside the tank and only put my hand in once a week. Even then, I scrub down my hand and arm ER style, before the plunge. I keep a spray bottle with 50/50 water and vinegar under the tank with a big towel. I spray with that and only use the towel that is washed along with my filter socks in fresh no soap water in the washing machine. I’ve seen what can happen when lotion/antibacterial soap/chemicals/paint residue get into a reef system and it is not good.
 

Miami Reef

Clam Fanatic
View Badges
Joined
Sep 8, 2017
Messages
11,165
Reaction score
20,734
Location
Miami Beach
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Let my son suffer a skin condition and have a thriving tank.
Nar Jokes.
I will more than likely wear gloves or will wash my hands way more than I currently am. I used tongs for most of my tank work, but some stuff needs my hands.

Either or, It was an invisible time bomb waiting to happen that is normally something I'd not test for.

ICP All the way kids. Every 3 months minimum.
Hahaha.

If it makes you feel better, my tank is deficient in zinc. Maybe hand me some of that cream! :p
 

daileyo

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 23, 2018
Messages
58
Reaction score
79
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
1. Are you a believer that keeping your hands out of your aquarium is a good practice?
Yes. Seems that anything one can do to avoid accidental contamination of the tank is good. Given the amount of issues I've been having lately; I think that even more.

2. How often are your hands in the tank?

Just like I believe junk food is bad for me, but I eat it anyway... my hands are in the tank way more than I feel they should be. I do have over the shoulder gloves, feeder tubes, sand stirrers and long tweezers to help minimize my direct skin exposure in the tank as much as possible. That said, I do not do a good job always using them.

When the tank is doing great, my hands are in there way less... when it is crashing or their are other emergency type issues... precautions kind of go out the door.
 

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
90,841
Reaction score
200,105
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
1. Are you a believer that keeping your hands out of your aquarium is a good practice?

I do because I work with various chemicals during day

2. How often are your hands in the tank?

Rarely if ever and if I do, i use aquarium tongs, grabbers and gloves as shown below


gloves.jpg
gloves.jpg
 
Last edited:

sghera64

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 20, 2013
Messages
1,074
Reaction score
1,152
Location
Fishers, IN, USA - 3rd rock from the sun
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
1. Yes
2. A few times per week.

If it something quick and I can reach in up to my wrist, I'll just go barehanded. Beyond that, I use veterinarian OBGYN gloves [LINK]. I use a thin cotton glove first, then the OBGYN glove with a Nitrile surgical over that to prevent punctures. The cotton glove makes it easier to get the OB glove off. I can get in/out of this in about 30 seconds now.
 

Wyvern

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 6, 2021
Messages
370
Reaction score
367
Location
Pinellas FL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Technically my gloves are in the tank, not my hands.

My hands are never in the tank, my gloves are in there every other day.
 

Pescador

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
May 1, 2021
Messages
43
Reaction score
32
Location
Nyack
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
1. NO, with the caveat that you only clean your hands with non-toxic soap and wrinse them off ALL THE WAY.
I only use unscented Dr. Bronner's soap. There's nothing in there that could hurt aquatic life except for the soap itself.

2. Almost every day
 

Pescador

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
May 1, 2021
Messages
43
Reaction score
32
Location
Nyack
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ok we've heard it said that we should keep our hands out of our reef tank as much as possible. To me it's always been a tongue in cheek type of thing but lately, more than ever, I'm finding out that this may be better advice than what I once previously thought! About a year ago I kinda lost my passion for my reef tank. I was doing the bare minimal tasks to keep the coral and fish healthy and quit buying anything new. Equipment would stop working correctly and instead of replacing it I just started reefing more "old school." Also during this time I quit putting my hands in the tank and since then my tank has really started to blossom from what it was. I quit worrying about the occasional aiptasia and algae patch and for the most part the issues corrected themselves or stayed at bay. Has the success of my tank as of late been in part or mostly because I've kept my hands out of the tank? Might just be a fluke but let's talk about it!

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

2. How often are your hands in the tank?


image via @Nash
24f14428f78b5c9d3e6feaea48c5fe65.jpg
Hey bro,

Sorry, but it sounds like you changed you methods in so many different ways that there's no way to attribute the improvements to any one thing. It does raise several interesting questions, though, hands in or out of tank being one of them.
 

lonelyfloat

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 8, 2019
Messages
297
Reaction score
1,182
Location
Somewhere
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ok we've heard it said that we should keep our hands out of our reef tank as much as possible. To me it's always been a tongue in cheek type of thing but lately, more than ever, I'm finding out that this may be better advice than what I once previously thought! About a year ago I kinda lost my passion for my reef tank. I was doing the bare minimal tasks to keep the coral and fish healthy and quit buying anything new. Equipment would stop working correctly and instead of replacing it I just started reefing more "old school." Also during this time I quit putting my hands in the tank and since then my tank has really started to blossom from what it was. I quit worrying about the occasional aiptasia and algae patch and for the most part the issues corrected themselves or stayed at bay. Has the success of my tank as of late been in part or mostly because I've kept my hands out of the tank? Might just be a fluke but let's talk about it!

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

2. How often are your hands in the tank?


image via @Nash
24f14428f78b5c9d3e6feaea48c5fe65.jpg
1. Yes.
2. My hands are currently in my tank about once to twice a day because bristleworms keep irritating the underside of my clam and I have to turn over the clam and brush the bristleworms off of it.
 

daileyo

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 23, 2018
Messages
58
Reaction score
79
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I use veterinarian OBGYN gloves [LINK]. I use a thin cotton glove first, then the OBGYN glove with a Nitrile surgical over that to prevent punctures.

I knew these had to be available somewhere. I'll be giving this a try.

My limited Google-foo to date would always pull up the more common elbow length rubber gloves. They are fine, exept when I need a little extra dexterity and/or have to reach all the way down to the sandbed with my hands. that is pretty much shoulder level and the rubber gloves I have only go a little ways past the elbow.
 

EricR

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 9, 2021
Messages
2,263
Reaction score
2,391
Location
California USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
My hand is in the tank daily, usually multiple times, for one reason or another.
...and I don't ever wear gloves,,, just rinse well first with tap water.

After reading through this, now I'm scared -- maybe I should be more careful (for the tank's sake, I mean)
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 43 48.3%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 47 52.8%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 20 22.5%
  • None.

    Votes: 23 25.8%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 10.1%
Back
Top