Sensitive Skin and Saltwater

[cryingrn]

I tore apart my 180g down to (and past) the sand bed recently to remove all the fish to treat them in hospital tanks for gill flukes. I fear my tank was just processing praziquantel too quickly, as they initially responded very well at the first dose then began to back pedal again afterwards.

This has been something I have been fighting for weeks at this point, and through all of the chaos I have been performing water changes on one tank or another basically every day (if not several a day) between the 180g, the multiple hospital tanks my fish went into, a quarantine tank for a newly acquired fish, and my 32g.

My skin is now *extremely* done with this process. I have never had a negative reaction to my tanks before, but even if I wash my hands immediately after and moisturize the palms of my hands immediately turn red and itchy. I am also getting dyshidrotic eczema on my fingers. My feet have also been somewhat of an issue lately because if I spill water on the floor and step in it, it will cause an almost immediate reaction.

I feel like the only common sense advice there is is to keep my hands out of the tank as much as possible and to wear long gloves (which I am doing). I am mostly just posting this to see if there's anyone else thats experienced something like this for solidarity reasons. I have always had somewhat sensitive skin, so I am hoping this will just calm down over time if I reduce my own exposure

 

[Lasse]

Do you have corals in the tank - and if so which type. Also - do you have had any cyanobacteria in the tank?

FYI

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/t...hus-and-palythoas.639842/page-2#post-12810255

Sincerely Lasse

 

[cryingrn]

Do you have corals in the tank - and if so which type. Also - do you have had any cyanobacteria in the tank?

FYI

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/t...hus-and-palythoas.639842/page-2#post-12810255

Sincerely Lasse

Yes, mostly sps but I do have some zoanthids in both DT tanks. However, I am having this reaction even to the water in my mixing bucket at this point which is about as clean as it gets. Maybe theres an additive in the salt that I am having a reaction to? I am unsure, but I seem to be managing better now that I wear shoes during water changes and rubber gloves it's just frustrating

Edit to add: no current cyanobacteria visible in the tank. Both tanks have had an outbreak in the past, but this was roughly 6-12 months ago. The 180g did just get over an ostreopsis outbreak (nothing severe but it pops up whenever there's instability in my tanks ime)

 

[Lasse]

The saltwater will dry your skin because of osmosis. To have this type of skin and work with water........ Ask me - I have 50 years experiences with both

Just use gloves and use moisturizing and softening ointment on the skin after you've been in the water.
I often get itchy hands after being in the aquarium - but I've always associated it with corals and/or cyanobacteria

If you swim in the sea - do you get the same itch?

Sincerely Lasse