I have shoulder high disposable gloves so that I don't contaminate my 180 gal tank. Every time I use them they puncture and fill with water and make tank maintenance a pain in the u-know-what. How many of you actually use these gloves when poking around in your tanks?
Hands in tanks don't cause problems EXCEPT when you have lotion, hair product, soap residue or other stuff still on your hands. If you rinse them very well in tapwater before you put your hands in there you should be just fine.
I just rinse and scrub my hands really well with tap water. The first time I stuck my hand in the tank I didn't wash them at all, bacterial bloom two days later. Not sure if I caused it but won't be taking that chance again.
I was always more concerned about stuff in the tank getting on me than me contaminating the tank...I don't suppose doubling or tripling the gloves would help would it?
I (should) wash before and then really really wash after.
I never think twice about it. I've been in this hobby for almost 10 years and have never heard of ANYTHING that humans can catch from a fish tank. People have been swimming in lakes and rivers for years!
I'd like to know if someone else knows differently though.
There are some thicker rubber gloves, non-disposable, that go up to the shoulders. I will try to find you the link if you're really that worried about it. I used them when I had to mess with carpet anemones.
I'm not worried about disease. It's just gross. Not your tank, but mine. Grossss. There are a few reports of diseases contracted from aquariums, mostly through open wounds, but they're pretty rare compared to salmonella and stuff you can get from herps...
Now lakes and rivers...that's actually pretty darn risky compared to fish tanks.
No glove here either. I just give my hands and arms a rinse and then go right in. Never had one problem, although I wouldn't put my hand in if I had an open wound.
I got two long and fairly deep scratches on my hand from a cat VERY upset about getting her ears cleaned out, and unfortunately that was the same day I was going out collecting. I was kinda paranoid about getting water in the wound, so I used the liquid bandage, a bandage over top of it, and rubber gloves. It was only 2 scratches, but I'll NEVER use that liquid stuff again - I now have 2 2" scars on the top/side of my hand near my thumb, looks just horrible. People will actually give me funny looks because of them.
In hindsight I should have just put on a bandaid, some neosporin and not been so paranoid.
I used to kayak a lot. In Texas that means paddling flash floods - often which wash out people's septic systems.
We understand we are playing in raw sewage - and take approriate precautions when necessary. neosporin is my friend. When we paddle in Mexico - brough spectrum (perscription) antibiotics are my friend as well (we have a friend in the medical profession who brings allong samples).
My aquarium water does not scare me one bit - I would be tempted to drink it compaired to some of the stuff I have been in.
There was a girl on one of the fish forums who caught something from her tank. Ahhh... mycobacterial infection I think is what it is. Do a search of it on the 'net sometimes.
Ah, now that you mention it I HAVE heard of getting flesh-eating bacteria infections if you have open cuts, but I thought the instance I heard of was from a saltwater tank.
There are a number of mycobacterial infections (fish tuberculosis) that are picked up by marine keepers, but freshwater transmission is far more uncommon. I try to avoid doing tank work if I have open cuts.
However I am more concerned about oils and other contaminants getting into the tank from my skin. Without fail I always wash my hands and forearms with plain, unperfumed Sunlight soap and make sure they are well rinsed and dried with a clean towel before plunging into the tank.
Don't use those gel - based hand washes because they are not real soap and they are designed to leave a fragrance on your hands after 'washing' them, which I don't imagine is something the fish would appreciate.
I have read the article about the dangers if using the "THUMB" on snails - think it is pretty much already ledgend (I use a metal snail crusher now...). I also know a person (very avid fisherman) who picked up a very nasty infection from a marine shrimp (he got horned while trying to put it on a hook - he ended up in the hospital for a week or so)
My uncle is the captain of a commercial fishing boat. In his 30+ years on the water he's had what fisherman call "fish poisoning" more times than you can count. Basically if you poke yourself with a used hook or get a bite or scrape from a fish's tooth you can catch it. Your hand will swell up pretty nasty. You have to get it drained and then take an antibiotic, but it goes away in about a week. No lasting effects. I'm not sure what the actual medical terminology is for it.
Why do you say your tank is gross? I have to admit I don't understand why you would have a fish tank if you thought it was gross? Tank maintenance is bad enough in my book, and thats without thinking its gross or dirty or infectious- I couldn't imagine having to do it AND being grossed out by it at the same time.
Its got to be a hundred million times safer than handeling money- but we do that everyday without protection. Now that's Gross!
What? You don't like handling human fecal matter and cocaine?
I just try to protect the fish from me. Working in labs and such who knows what I may have on my hands/arms that day.
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