Hi:

Does anyone on here wear gloves? Since I started having this tank, I have been very itchy. But I think it is because my skin is so dry from the CONSTANT hand washing. I wash my hands at the sink near the tank after every time I do something with it. Wash wash wash. Yesterday, my skin was actually cracking. Lots of lotion. So I am thinking of purchasing those long gloves from the doctors; I just do not want to seem like a sissy.

dbw

I don't use gloves, I just make sure my hands are clean (and not to have/try to have any soap on my hands) before and after I move something in my tank.

I haven't ever been itchy so I can't say that it's not from the tank (or is).

Drink more water. What you describe could first and foremost be a symptom that you are chronically under hydrated.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...l_4745uzej5j_e

Bag balm.


You sure you're not allergic to anything in your tank?

You're dehydrated but it's also just from washing your hands so much. I got it REALLY BAD while taking wheel pottery. Laura is right, nothing beats bag balm. It's what I used to heal my cracked knuckles (you could see the pink meat it was so bad) and it only took like 1.5 weeks. It's sitting 5 feet away from me, that stuff is a life saver.
TLR Drink more water and use bag balm to heal your hands.

Dehydrated? I chug water like nobody's business and my hands still get dry and crack. It's from too much washing.

Hi:

Actually I am dehydrated. You are right. But also, it is an extreme amount of washing because I set up the tank, took down the tank and re-did it, etc. etc. So I have just been washing and washing and then not putting any lotion on out of laziness. So it got to the point my hands were dry and cracked. I would not put lotion on because I was working n the tank and knew I would just have to wash my hands again to get the lotion off. It is like: wash your hands before you put them in the tank to get your oils off, put your hands in even more water, and then wash them again to remove bacteria.

So I am thinking of gloves even though I am not afraid of tank water.

I hope I am not allergic to something! I really like this hobby so far!

I put the balm in my cart on amazon, but is it just petroleum jelly?

Big thanks for your help!

dbw

I would just calm down with all the washing. People always talk about that, but I don't its a big deal. If anything, I just rinse them when I pull my hands out of the tank, especially my reef. If I've been out doing something, I'll RINSE them before putting my hands in the tanks. You certainly don't need to be soaping up so much. Chill out, you'll give yourself an aneurism from being OCD.

Ha. Thanks.

The funny thing is I am not really an OCD person. I think it is because I have a degree in molecular biology and know from infectious bacteriology what little bacteria can do, that I became nervous about not washing after putting my hands in the tank.

I'll chill out. :-)

Thanks.

dbdw

I typically rinse my hands prior to working on my tanks, then rinse some more between tanks, but don't actually wash with soap until I'm done working on them for the day. I only use gloves when I have to do some heavy cleaning or planting or other major interactions in the tank, but not for small stuff.

That is a good idea.

Thanks.

When comparing bacteria, where is there more, your tank or your keyboard?
All things relative? I'm thinking walking into a Burger King is more dangerous. Riding on a plane, anybody? In the tank the bacteria like fish or plants. In the others the bacteria are of the type who favor humans.

However the gloves are NOT a bad thing if they feel right. I have pudgy hands that gloves don't fit.

I work at a saltwater aquarium, and one of the guys that does our water quality testing legitimately has OCD. He is constantly washing his hands, even when he just touches something that isn't in the water. He's a good friend of mine, so I've seen first hand how bad his hands get. It's brutal.
It's the soap that does it, not the water. The soap is stripping your skin. In moderation it's good to wash your hands, but overdoing it can cause major problems. His skin is so thin and cracked now that it's got raw, open sores and hurts him. Unfortunately, it's hard to convince someone with OCD that too much hand washing can be a bad thing.

I personally just thoroughly rinse my hands between tanks (also what the entire aquarium staff at work does) and only consider using soap when I'm totally done, or if I've dealt with an infected tank. It's better for the fish this way too, because if you don't rinse all the soap off after hand washing, you're introducing it into their closed little tanks.

Working in healthcare as a Registered Nurse, now that's some dry cracking hands.
My hands crack and bleed after a few shifts, absolutely incredible the amount of times I wash my hands on a 12 hour shift.

Washing too often with any antibacterial is going to make you itch. I use a basic soft soap style liquid if I'm washing over and over.