Just wondering....

M

Mike R

Membership Expired
I am new to the "dark side" and have recently set up my system. I am currently in the cycling process, so no livestock yet. Something I considered today was this.... I am a mechanic in the printing industry and get pretty dirty at work with inks, solvents etc.... I of course scrub and scrub to get my hands clean, especially with a nail brush. But I'm worried about the possibility of contamination to the system when I have to reach into the tank. Are there any precautions I can take to prevent such a situation? Any special "tank friendly" soaps or cleaners (surgical scrub surgeons use prior to surgery come to mind) or am I just being a nervous nelly and it's not really a big deal? Does anyone wear gloves when servicing their tank? Any ones I should avoid?
 
I always wear gloves if my hand is going in the tank. I'm more worried about what's in the tank than what I put in the tank.

Edit: I use should length gloves.
 
My friend almost lost his arm couple years ago he was moving his live rock around for aquascaping and alittle sharp piece underneath the live rock cut him over night he got a fever and shortness of breath. At the ER the dr gave him a bunch of antibiotics and if that didn't work they would have to amputate his arm cause of blood poisoning.

When I dip my frags in Bayer insecticide I always use gloves.

I try my best to use tongs as much as possible when I need to move stuff in the tank.


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I use powder free nitrile gloves


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As for your original question, I use a bacterial wipe on my hand and rinse with water before it goes into the tank. What I do everyday deals with a lot of different types of chemicals. The bacterial wipes are usually just ethanol base so they evaporate fairly quickly and then I rinse them to remove any residue that may be left behind. Been doing this for a couple of years and have had no ill effects.
 
An old man I met that once ran a store always used a little bit of vinegar followed by water, and that's what I have always done now as well.

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I always wash my hands and arms with the hottest water that I can tolerate before going into the tank to get any skin oils and what not off. I should use gloves but when messing with frags, gloves make it too hard for me to work. I have been cut up pretty bad and got a nasty sting all over my inner forearm from my Hammer Coral.
 
I wouldn't use and surgical scrub. They all have a residual effect and can keep working for hours after you "wash" them off, so they can mess up your bacterial flora depending on how long you leave your hands in the water. I like to use them after messing around in the tank for the day to kill off anything though.
 
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