Gloves vs. bare hands for maintenance

[Magnapinna]

I know a lot of reefers advocate for gloves but I personally think they're a huge hassle and more trouble than they're worth. I have very small arms and hands so water infiltrating the glove is inevitable, at which point you're not preventing cross contamination whatsoever, and I personally think it's way more messy at that point than just being able to pull out your hands, pat them dry and give them a good scrub. Maybe this is a byproduct of my small hands but I find gloves to give horrible dexterity and I end up doing more damage and keeping my hands in the tank for far longer than if I had just used bare skin.

The horror stories of infections from tank freak me out to what many would consider an unhealthy level. There have been times where I've opted to neglect tanks than put my hands in, for the sake of both my own health and the water's. I have a formal education in biology so I'm aware of the risks and their best means of prevention (largely, basic hygiene and common sense). These days I'm more inclined to just use my hands and not think twice about it. I know we say to "keep your hands out of the tank" but even if I wear gloves my hands still come into significant contact with the water. I never used gloves for years in my FW tanks and never saw any ill effects, even before I took cross-contamination far less seriously; same with my FOWLR to a lesser extent as that's much newer. But I still have my doubts based on this consensus in reefing.

Is it really a threat to my tanks or to my health if I opt to go in bare-handed? And how can I make gloves more comfortable and effective on occasions where I would want to use them e.g. maintaining corals?

 

[Malum Argenteum]

There have been times where I've opted to neglect tanks than put my hands in,

If this is happening, I think that you should find some gloves that work.

Maybe OB gloves would work -- they're long enough, anyway:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-ob-sleeves-clear

I've only used these for their intended purpose (and actually don't use them lately, which may be TMI), but maybe worth a shot for 5 bucks.

 

[Cheezle]

I raw dawg my rocks and corals, I used gloves for awhile but they still fill up with water so it's not like I'm protected from a bacterial infection if my hands have cuts. Protects me from bristle worms sure but they are easy to treat if you touch one. I get a better feel for what I'm handling without gloves on, I've smashed polyps before because I couldn't feel through the glove. To each their own tho

 

[marinesnow]

I use tight fitting gloves. Worth it.

 

[Dave-T]

If you put rubber bands around your wrists, water won't get into the gloves. A coral farmer taught me this trick. It works great.

 

[Magnapinna]

If this is happening, I think that you should find some gloves that work.

Maybe OB gloves would work -- they're long enough, anyway:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-ob-sleeves-clear

I've only used these for their intended purpose (and actually don't use them lately, which may be TMI), but maybe worth a shot for 5 bucks.

This isn't a current issue. This was happening when I was attempting to use gloves regularly and was too put off by how cumbersome they were, especially thicker ones. I've thought about using these but didn't realize they were sold at TSC. My tank is only elbow length at its deepest but I very well may grab some just in case

 

[Magnapinna]

If you put rubber bands around your wrists, water won't get into the gloves. A coral farmer taught me this trick. It works great.

I've tried this but it gets very painful from circulation loss really fast. Trying to get them off, especially with any sort of speed, was a complete nightmare and ended with water and debris sprayed all over me and my stuff lol

 

[Magnapinna]

I use tight fitting gloves. Worth it.

Yeah that's the problem though haha there's no such thing as a tight-fitting glove for hands my size, at least not that I'm aware of. I don't even wear them in the lab unless I have absolutely no choice, the smallest I've found have still been loose enough that I could remove them just by shaking my hand fast enough lol

 

[Magnapinna]

I raw dawg my rocks and corals, I used gloves for awhile but they still fill up with water so it's not like I'm protected from a bacterial infection if my hands have cuts. Protects me from bristle worms sure but they are easy to treat if you touch one. I get a better feel for what I'm handling without gloves on, I've smashed polyps before because I couldn't feel through the glove. To each their own tho

Yeah I relate to this, I've ruined tons of my FW plants because I couldn't tell what I was feeling or because the loose bits of the glove got stuck on something. I've had shrimp go into my gloves and even a small fish on one occasion lol. I don't want a reaction from anything in the tank but if I've damaged plants, I really worry about corals since they're so much more sensitive to manhandling. As far as infections go I frankly feel they're easy enough to prevent in the first place with a bit of awareness and precaution

 

[TheStrangler]

I always use these Atlas Gloves. They're under $20 on Amazon, and go half way between my elbow and shoulder. They do a great job of keeping bristle worm spines and sharp rock bits out of my hands, but also my hand soap out of the tank. They're pretty convenient.

 

[Magnapinna]

I always use these Atlas Gloves. They're under $20 on Amazon, and go half way between my elbow and shoulder. They do a great job of keeping bristle worm spines and sharp rock bits out of my hands, but also my hand soap out of the tank. They're pretty convenient.

I've heard of these being unreliable and leaking after a few uses, and I'd be willing to bet these don't come sized for someone whose arms are the size of a 9 year old's LOL. They look pretty thick so I'd be especially worried about dexterity --- for my case I think calving gloves may suffice as recommended above. My concern is that it's hard for me to use gloves and not feel like a clumsy fumbling idiot in the tank lol

 

[TheStrangler]

I've had them for probably close to 10 years without any leaks or anything of the sort, but yes they are relatively thick. I primarily use them for things that don't require surgical precision, but I've had no problem grabbing frag plugs, righting stuck snails, moving around rocks, cleaning tank glass or anything of the sort like that. Length shouldn't matter too much, you can pull them up however much you'd like. I'll just pull them up to my forearm if Im only doing something 6 inches underwater

 

[marinesnow]

Maybe these kid gloves would do the trick! https://amzn.to/3z8pvJW

 

[ZoWhat]

Horror stories?

That's it... I'm selling my tank

 

[disaster999]

10+ years in his hobby not once have I used any gloves and I dont plan to

 

[UMALUM]

Well you said you have tiny hands.

 

[herozero]

MUMUKE Extra-long 28" Rubber...
Use them for everything except glueing frags, which I run commando so I don’t smash the everlasting gobstopper out of the coral I’m trying to affix into a rock. I’ve had too many cuts from handling rock or just cuts on my hands not like being in tank water (former drummer, occupational hazard), so I basically 80/20 it as described above.

Also I literally lol’d in real life at “raw dog my rocks and coral.”

 

[randomfishdude]

I raw dawg my rocks and corals, I used gloves for awhile but they still fill up with water so it's not like I'm protected from a bacterial infection if my hands have cuts. Protects me from bristle worms sure but they are easy to treat if you touch one. I get a better feel for what I'm handling without gloves on, I've smashed polyps before because I couldn't feel through the glove. To each their own tho

Ayo but I do the same.

 

[Magnapinna]

Horror stories?

That's it... I'm selling my tank

Lol there was definitely a time when it soured my interest in my tanks. Our tanks are microbial soups, it makes for a flourishing ecosystem but some level of risk with that is innate. You can get some extremely nasty infections from an aquarium. But you can get the same ones from preparing seafood, swimming, fishing etc. Millions of people in the US alone do these things every day yet serious infections remain very rare, despite the vast majority of those people being completely unaware and taking no precautions. Just don't go digging in the sand with open cuts, wash your hands well, keep water away from mucous membranes and if all else fails, know when to seek medical help

 

[Magnapinna]

Maybe these kid gloves would do the trick! https://amzn.to/3z8pvJW

Bahaha thank you, you may be right!