Your hands and your reef tank.

[Betex]

It may look funny but I use the disposable vet gloves:
Amazon product ASIN B0BW8P38JK
I usually put a nitrile glove on top of this for easy of handling things in tank.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

It may look funny but I use the disposable vet gloves:
Amazon product ASIN B0BW8P38JK
I usually put a nitrile glove on top of this for easy of handling things in tank.

Never thought about using vet gloves before!

 

[Freenow54]

So if you are like me your hands are probably cut up or dirty often (mine are usually cut up because of climbing haha). I am wondering what do you do to get around this? Do I just need those big rubber gloves, or just wash my hands and barehand my tank haha? Just want to hear what everyone says!

I'm retired now my hands are soft as a babies bottom. However since I got stung by a bristle worm I wear light rubber gloves during maintenance, also when I put my hands in with my vicious clown. It likes to ambush me when I am not expecting it. Also I finally bout corals and found that the will excrete cloudy film when touched I am going to try gloves when I do stuff with them now and see if it helps. When feeding or moving stuff around in my new tank no clown its bare hands. My new Tang likes to be touched strange but true. Wash your hands with Dove. I used to work with a guy ( a welder who put on god hand cream , and put rubber gloves on, because our leather ones sucked the moisture out of your hands. I would wear gloves if I was you

 

[littlefoxx]

I have my bare hands in the tank all the time feeding my 4 moray eels lol.

 

[Freenow54]

I have my bare hands in the tank all the time feeding my 4 moray eels lol.

Quick how many fingers do you have NO LOOOOOOOKING !!!!!

 

[GoAskAlice]

Ohhhh, sweet! My friends have made fun of me for wearing the black nitrile gloves... (saying I'm Dexter, etc.) Maybe the pink ones will keep them from poking fun at me. ;)

Dexter, that's funny. Made me think of how recently while waging war against an algae outbreak, in addition to the long yellow Showa rubber gloves I bought I also bought a rubber apron to keep water from getting on my clothes. Heading into the room where my tank is I thought "omg, what if I have to answer the front door." Then I thought maybe add some goggles and answer the door when FedEx rings. Might be funny except from that point on I'd be retrieving my packages from the street.

 

[littlefoxx]

Quick how many fingers do you have NO LOOOOOOOKING !!!!!

My eels are so nice! Been doing it for like 2 years lol!

 

[56longroof]

Im fortunate enough to have cubital and carpel tunnel syndrome so i can really feel the cuts or stings. LOL

 

[Freenow54]

My eels are so nice! Been doing it for like 2 years lol!

You would have been the perfect person to have with me when I was in a customers house years back and his condo was full of boas, and pythons. And one 3 foot crock lol. I bet the first time was lots of fun

 

[MnFish1]

One will not wear gloves until one has a problem

 

[Freenow54]

One will not wear gloves until one has a problem

Not me I have to do a safety break down for every job I do. A question is write down the hazards. Then list appropriate PPE. No one moves no one gets hurt.

 

[MnFish1]

Not me I have to do a safety break down for every job I do. A question is write down the hazards. Then list appropriate PPE. No one moves no one gets hurt.

That was my point - most people don't wear PPE until they get hurt

 

[saltienewb]

So if you are like me your hands are probably cut up or dirty often (mine are usually cut up because of climbing haha). I am wondering what do you do to get around this? Do I just need those big rubber gloves, or just wash my hands and barehand my tank haha? Just want to hear what everyone says!

I use nitrile gloves if I’m touching any rocks for bristleworms., or handling anything live like fish,anemone, inverts or non skeletal coral.
Always wash my hands after putting them in the tank, and just don’t do anything in the tank at all if I have touched paint/solvent/detergent earlier in the day.

Edit: also when fragging zoas I wear safety glasses. Dude in my local reef club had a bad eye infection, like possibly losing his eye, when he got a squirt while fragging.

 

[Tom.E]

One will not wear gloves until one has a problem

So true. I caught swimmers itch while cleaning the glass in a tank that I recently added some wild caught snails to. Now I wear an arm length rubber glove when I stick my hand in the tank for extended periods.

 

[corosato]

unless it's for an emergency I always try and use nitrile gloves if I'm sticking my hand in the tank.

 

[dadnjesse]

People have different allergic reactions. I have never worn gloves in 20 years of reefing.

 

[Freenow54]

That was my point - most people don't wear PPE until they get hurt

I know that is why Me being mr. safety made the suggestion to everyone to follow those industry procedures

 

[Jasonak]

Good or bad, my hands are in at least every other days it seems like.

 

[KeyWestReef2009Indiana]

I can't say I will buy gloves, since I've always stuck my hands in my aquariums. I will say be careful on what they put on the gloves. I always make sure my hands don't have any harmful stuff on them.

 

[Jeff72]

Imho and experience. Long Gloves. Always. Grab a few bristle worms and you’ll know it, or worse get into your zoas and palys by mistake.. It also helps prevent contamination.

If you need, keep a good set of tools. Long tongs, tweezers, etc. stainless steel.