Have you guys considered wearing gloves? I know it sounds cumbersome, but it can save your tank from disasters and some people from having an allergic reaction. I saw some scary pictures of guys and ladies' arms after they put their arms in their tanks - red bumps and welts - not pretty. I recall EvilMel got her arm feeling numb for a few hours after messing with zoanthids. The shoulder length OB gloves are easy to put on and a lot more flexible than the blue and orange aquarium gloves. It really saves you in a pinch like when you have to take something out of your tank in a hurry.
I had an incident a few years ago, sticking my arm into my tank. I killed all my fish, acros and mushrooms (I read that they have some sort of common genetic traits.) Amazingly enough, LPS's, softies and my maxima clam were not affected at all.
This is what happened. After coming back in from throwing some Miracle Grow Germination Preventer outside on my pansies, I found my cute little zoa eating dwarf angel in a fish trap bottle I set a few hours earlier. I took off my gardening gloves, long sleeve hoodies and shirt, washed my hands and arms carefully and then stuck my arm in the tank to retrieve the bottle. A few hours later, my fish is practically dead, my acros and mushrooms were dying all over the place. I did 70% water change immediately (that's all the water I had on hand at the time.) The next day I did a 100% water change. All through this ordeal, my clam, LPS's and softies looked like nothing ever happened.
I now try not to do gardening and reef maintenance work on the same day. If I have to, I make sure I take a shower after gardening and I won't touch my tank until then. I wear an OB glove for sure. A lot of gardening products and common house hold cleaners are very harmful to fish and aquatic lives - including some "organic" stuff and the residue stay on you for awhile.
Tomoko
