Couple dumb questions

[criecken]

#1 Since we are in the cold/flu season... hand sanitizer gets to be a regular all day product. Does it leave any sort of residue that could transfer to tank water. So if I use it and 10 minutes later need to reach into the tank for something... bad?

#2 Wanting to put a light on my new sump fuge area over the cheato... so far I stuck my 30" Aqualight over top of a 12"X12" fuge area of the sump.... too much light and electricty.
Was going to just go to hardware store and buy a clip/spot light instead... what kind of bulb would be enough for this small area with cheato floating?

 

[Bigred]

For the hand sanitizer I would rinse your hands really good because most of them a smell to them.

There is a bulb they sell at home depot. It's a flood light with a florescent coil inside. I can't remember which one it is. I used it on my fuge back in Cali. I think it was a 75 watt bulb but rated at 15 or 20 watts. Maybe someone else will chyme in on it.

 

[OwenInAZ]

I agree with Red about rinsing the fragrance off of your hands, but if you do that what's the point of sanitizing in the first place? Better to just wash your hands with soap and water -- remember that hand sanitizer indiscriminately kills all microorganisms on your skin, even the "good" ones that protect you from the "germs." There's a handful of hospital studies around somewhere regarding the overuse of antibacterials, but I'm busy crunching expression levels of ~4500 E. coli genes and I'm not in the mood to do any other research tonight

/end antibacterial product rant

I'm not sure about the second question, but I'm sure any old CFL that can grow plants will do. Chaeto won't have the same light requirements, and I've seen plenty of pictures of clip lights in sumps with just grow bulbs.

 

[macboat]

"hand sanitizer gets to be a regular all day product".... really?

I only use hand sanitizer when there is no water available to rinse my hands. What's the point to use hand sanitizer when you are at home and can wash your hands?

 

[schristi69]

Make sure the bulb puts out the daylight spectrum. Used to get them at HD, but I think Walmart has them also.

 

[criecken]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14250785#post14250785 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by macboat
"hand sanitizer gets to be a regular all day product".... really?

I only use hand sanitizer when there is no water available to rinse my hands. What's the point to use hand sanitizer when you are at home and can wash your hands?

Must be missing something as I always thought washing with hand soap was not as good as the hand sanitizer for killing germs. Each Jan/Feb our household seems to go thru the seemingly endless circle of cold after cold passing to each other... with young children it seems to be a part of life.
So I should throw the sanitizer out and just use hand soap?

 

[vdhillon2]

hand sanitizer is just as good as soap and water. We can now use sanitizer before entering an operating room, instead of 'scrubing in' with soap. The alcohol in sanitizer evaporates, so all you are left with is usually a lotion. I would also rinse in water to get rid of the lotion on your hands.

I have a clip on reflector with a CF bulb on my refug, which grows great cheato. It has a GE CF bulb which puts out 6000K. Got it from HD.

 

[OwenInAZ]

Well, it depends. If you're not otherwise immunocompromised, soap and water will probably do you just fine. In small kids, after leaving day care or school it might not be a terrible idea. But around the house, and for (otherwise healthy) adults, I'd just use the old-fashioned bar of Dial

Hand sanitizer does kill germs better than soap and water, which is part of the problem. Our skin has a normal complement of bacteria and other beneficial microorganisms that have evolved with us to protect us from invasion by harmful ones. When we kill those off, we are left without our body's first line of defense.

IMHO, I feel like getting brief colds as a kid is a far sight better than lacking an experienced immune system as an adult. I'm sure there are people out there that disagree with me, but remember that the makers of those products have a tremendous advertising machinery going to convince the public that they need the products to survive the winter

 

[macboat]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14250838#post14250838 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by criecken
Must be missing something as I always thought washing with hand soap was not as good as the hand sanitizer for killing germs. Each Jan/Feb our household seems to go thru the seemingly endless circle of cold after cold passing to each other... with young children it seems to be a part of life.
So I should throw the sanitizer out and just use hand soap?

I would say, stop being "too clean". We are weakening our immune systems by using all kinds of sanitizers. The endless circle of cold in your house probably suggests that you can work on "defending" the virus instead of "avoiding" it.

Water and hand soap is good enough to sanitize your hand. And by the way, have cold/flu once in a while may benefit you in a long run, rumor has it that flu virus maybe help you to gain immunity from certain cancers.

 

[OwenInAZ]

Hey Mac -- we can probably expect some goons from Lysol to show up in the middle of the night and cart us away

 

[Frizz]

Must be missing something as I always thought washing with hand soap was not as good as the hand sanitizer for killing germs. Each Jan/Feb our household seems to go thru the seemingly endless circle of cold after cold passing to each other... with young children it seems to be a part of life.
So I should throw the sanitizer out and just use hand soap? [/QUOTE]

Washing your hands is the best way. Hand sanitizers are designed for situations where you cannot wash your hands. Some people have senisivities to particular soaps at hospitals & for them, the sanitizers ar sometimes a good alternative. Also there are dispensers outside of areas where it is not easy to acess a sink. It can be good to carry sanitiser with you to public places etc but if you are at home, washing your hands is the thing to do. Sanitizers are not easy on the skin & the fragrance that most of them have , like all artificial fragrances can actually be harmful to you in the long term.
The BEST way to kill germs n your hands, no mater where you are still is thorough washing, with lots of friction for one full minute. Yo do not need an extra disinfectant. It is more in the technique than in the products used.
If you are trying to keep germs from transferring from your sick child to you at home, make sure to frequently clean surfaces that everyone touches. Fawcets, doorknobs, telephones, remote controls etc. and keep your fingers out of your face.
Wash & rinse your hands before you stick them in the tank, no matter what you have on your skin but especially if you have lotion, sanitizer or medicine on your skin.
Frizz

 

[macboat]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14251314#post14251314 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by OwenInAZ
Hey Mac -- we can probably expect some goons from Lysol to show up in the middle of the night and cart us away

No worries, my dogs will attack... :smokin:

 

[OwenInAZ]

LOL one of my dogs will run outside and bark while the other tries to get them to play. Fearsome guard dogs, they are

OP -- did you get your lightbulb situation figured out?

 

[criecken]

Nope, on my way to HD now to see what they got for me.