Is there a safe, cleaner for your hands?

Teremei

New member
Is there some kind of hand sanitizer (that stuff that "needs no water") that is safe to use on your hands to clean your hands before you put it in your tank? And that won't hurt the tank inhabitants?
 
Gloves. Works every time for me. There are too many poisons, bacteria, etc, in a marine tank for me to be willing to stick my hands into them anymore.
 
Thank you bertoni, you are always knowledgable. But this time, I would just like to check if there is a sanatizer that would be safe for the fish and inverts. (and corals ofcourse)
 
Anytime that I'm going to have my hands in a tank, I simply wash with a light amount of hand soap and rinse, and then rinse again and again.
 
Teremei, Please disregard the following statement. It is statements like this that get picked up and get repeated over and over until they are accepted as fact.

"Gloves. Works every time for me. There are too many poisons, bacteria, etc, in a marine tank for me to be willing to stick my hands into them anymore.:

bertoni, you are not serious are you? A properly functioning reef tank does not have the pathogenic bacteria necessary or in sufficient concentration that would pose any risk to a human being. As far as toxins, the same applies. There is not a single organic or inorganic molecule found in the reef tank that could possibly harm you at the very dilute concentratins present . My only concern when I put my hands into my tank is that I am introducing something into the water column that will harm my fauna.

If what you say had any validity we would see thousands of cases of illness each year affecting those who spend hours swimming in the ocean with no protection and who frequently swallow significant amounts of water! Please tell me you were pulling our legs!
 
I like the question though... if there's not one that's completely safe then what types are the "safest"?
and how anal do you have to be about the towels you use?
 
ReefTourist, I read those threads. I see infected fingers like that all of the time. All it takes is a pin ***** to introduce bacteria and infection can start, especially if you are diabetic. It is not possible to say that it was something in the tank that caused that person's infection without cultures identifying the exact organism, and then demonstrating that this is an organism only found in the tank. The finger was probably already infected. Bacteria are present everywhere. The water in your tank is no more dangerous than the pencil you hold, or the railing you touch going down the stairs etc. Bacteria are everywhere. I once had a patient die after a rose thorn pricked his finger and he developed an infection in his heart. The reason he died was that he waited until he was very ill before seeking medical attention. That is the key. Many infections can progress rapidly. It is not an indication that the bacteria was dangerous, just that the infection went too long without treatment. Graveyards are full of people who died young before the development of antibiotics.

I still maintain that the fish are more at risk from exposure to us. t
 
I read somewhere that one can get a very serious problem from something in a home reef tank. Do not remember the article but the person had to have an operation on his finger??

I know this is rare, but things happen. Also there are some people that are very allergic to certain toxins (from zoos).

Need to research this a little more...


IMO--be safe and use gloves. Better safe then sorry.. :)
 
Yeah I would get gloves. I've heard "non powdered" "horse exam" gloves. That's what I was told to tell the vet to look for. Because they might be available at some vet hospitals. People use these because they are long, and go up to the elbow.

Does anyone know of a safe place to buy these? By safe, I mean official. Like through your vet or something. My local vet where I bring my cats doesn't have them, because they are a small clinic. I'd rather buy them through official channels but I fear I'd probably need a vet liscense to do that.

And please don't say "just any 'ol rubber glove".. . Because I have those. But hate them because they are not skin tight. And every time I submerge my whole arm in the tank, water rushes into the glove. Creating a big mess when I take my hands out of the tank. :D
 
If your just talking about plastic gloves, you should be able to buy them at any Ag supply store. They're used for AI'ing cattle.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6958900#post6958900 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MarkD40
Teremei, Please disregard the following statement. It is statements like this that get picked up and get repeated over and over until they are accepted as fact.
There are a number of issues in play, but I choose to keep my hands out of the tank as much as possible.
 
Last edited:
You can get horse/cattle exam gloves through most vets, even small animal vets' offices can order them for you. Agricultural stores (Co-op etc.) will have them, and you can also purchase aquarium gloves online. I have a pair of Coralife gloves that go up to my shoulder, they're good for water changes and working with LR, but too thick for fine work like gluing frags.
As for hand washing before going in the tank, if you're not using gloves I agree with soap and water followed by LOTS of rinsing.
 
that's what I do. I actually make sure I haven't done much with my hands recently. Then wash with soap and wash. And then 30 minutes later wash ALOT, again. but I'm gonna try to look for those latex gloves. Because I want to be precise in the tank no matter what I'm doing.
 
I'd have to agree with bertoni on this. It's sorta like saying that it wasn't the dog bite that infected them, it was the secondary bacteria that did it. I'd rather be safe and add extra armour between me and something that could be a potential issue.

Besides, I would never frag zoanthids without gloves on again. I was sick for two days the first time I did it, and another day the next time I did it. I break out in an rash any time I touch my frogspawns.
 
Re: Is there a safe, cleaner for your hands?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6957751#post6957751 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Teremei
Is there some kind of hand sanitizer (that stuff that "needs no water") that is safe to use on your hands to clean your hands before you put it in your tank? And that won't hurt the tank inhabitants?


If you really dont want to use gloves wash well with vinager, then rinse, and repeat if nesessary.

I would only sick my hands in with gloves though.
 
Back
Top