Do you clean yourself after dipping your hand?

[potatocouch]

Lots of discussion is around what do you do to yourself (and to your hands in particular) before submerging them to your aquarium (be that to move frags, corals, target feeding etc).

But what I would like to know is the afterwards.

Do you wash yourself afterwards? I know the tank water itself can't be that bad and cause your skin to itch (but some folks may) and I know people that work in LFS, they don't (because it's their job, if they have to clean themselves every single occasion, the hand soap bill may be a tad expensive).

So, do you at least wash your submerged arm & hand & fingers after dipping it?

 

[becks]

I generally avoid having to put my hand in the tank, if I do I wash before and after.

 

[needbiggertanks]

I definately wash my arm after going in.

 

[DSC reef]

I wash my hands and arms after being in the tank. During a water change I wait until I'm completely done in the tank.

 

[ThunderGoose]

I rinse my hands and arms in tap water. I certainly don't "sanitize" my hands. But I am a biologist and we have a higher tolerance for, uh, biological substances on our hands and clothes.

 

[potatocouch]

Interesting the result so far 8 v 5, i was actually expecting 90% on washing, i was wrong.

 

[jlancas81]

I wash, but more has to do with dry skin this time of year. i have to add lotion after as well. Too much info

 

[Fallguy44]

I only "wash" my hands after touching food. If my hands/arm get wet I will just rinse it off. And I've certainly been guilty of just drying off after getting my hand and arm wet.

 

[cracker]

nI'm more concerned about what's on my arm before I stick it in the tank not after.

 

[madweazl]

I rinse the saltwater off but dont use soap.

 

[Jeepguy242]

i have to add lotion after as well.

it puts the lotion on its skin or it gets the hose again

 

[K. Steven]

I always wash with antibacterial soap after hands go in the tank. From my experience with pathogenic marine bacteria, there are some strains you don't want entering any open wounds or scrapes, so I'm not taking any chances.

 

[Jeepguy242]

sanitize, no

i rinse in tap water if i am going to go in the tank again within the next 10 to 15 minutes...

i wash with soap after i am done

 

[Vahanyos]

I use the water from my water changes to take salt baths


okay on a more serious note, I wash my hands with soap, and rinse them very well before working on the tank. After, i just rinse them off with tap water

 

[fish farmer]

I rinse my hands and arms in tap water. I certainly don't "sanitize" my hands. But I am a biologist and we have a higher tolerance for, uh, biological substances on our hands and clothes.

I work at a broodstock trout hatchery so I'm usually arm deep in fish products....but I do wash my hands and arm after working on the tank. Mostly to get the salt off, tends to dry my hands.

 

[potatocouch]

For those that replied and focused more on your hand BEFORE and not AFTER, don't you hmmm are you not concerned with what attached on your hand before you use that hand for eating, carrying your babies, feeding your kids, etc etc?

 

[madweazl]

For those that replied and focused more on your hand BEFORE and not AFTER, don't you hmmm are you not concerned with what attached on your hand before you use that hand for eating, carrying your babies, feeding your kids, etc etc?

Something that is on me from the tank? Not at all.

 

[potatocouch]

Something that is on me from the tank? Not at all.

Interesting

 

[ThunderGoose]

For those that replied and focused more on your hand BEFORE and not AFTER, don't you hmmm are you not concerned with what attached on your hand before you use that hand for eating, carrying your babies, feeding your kids, etc etc?

Not too worried about anything from the tank getting on my skin. But I DO wash my hands before I eat. I just don't always eat right after messing with the tank.

 

[Flexin]

This may be overkill, but I wear disposable gloves for a few reasons (and wash). The main one being it's not unusual that I'm doing something that results in a cut on my hand (that's what happens to an arm chair bandit who insists on doing something in the garage and yard ) So as a habit, I just put a glove on if I have to go in the tank or handling frags. Generally I don't put my hand or arm in the tank, only as a last resort and if my grabbers can't do the job.