Hygiene before hand going into the tank?

[Oldsalt]

Because my tank is 36" deep (water level is 32") I have to make sure that I get my antiperspirant off so I use a dedicated cloth for my hands up using the plain H2O. I tried various long gloves but none long enough - they leak water in and the rubber band trick winds up compressing my arms so much that my fingers go numb. I do have a Foxface but he always hides under a rock or in a corner when I go in. If I'm going to handle corals, I do wear disposable gloves (plastic no powder type). I always wash thoroughly afterwards, usually in the shower.

 

[Kit_Kat]

I use Johnson baby bar soap. It rinses clean with no residue.

 

[Steve1025]

I use the long disposable vet gloves they use for animal examination, they go right up to my armpit with an elastic band then I put a rubber glove on over the hand with another rubber band over the wrist as long as you are not working to long in the tank the arm doesn’t get to numb

 

[homer1475]

I don't even think about it.

I need to grab something, take my shirt off and dive in. Wipe off with one of my "tank towels" afterwards.

I'm a professional chef, and was trained in the days before gloves were a thing in the kitchen. My hands get washed at least 100 times a day if not more. My hands are always spotless.

 

[A sea K]

I'm in the Dawn dish soap crowd. Dont rinse particularly well but I do rinse, fairly often my hands go in still wet from the tap water, have yet to have a problem and this routine has been going on for quite some time now.

 

[BryanD]

As long as I haven't put on lotion or been working on my car, I usually just rinse my hands off in the bathroom sink before sticking my hands in the tank. And the last few years I've tried to remember to put on rubber gloves when working on my vehicles, LOL.

 

[drblakjak55]

Retired surgeon. Wash with water and go. I don’t understand the paranoia with normal skin bacteria. Lotions obviously need soap

 

[Flameback Pair]

My GF still smokes and I won’t let her get her hands into the tank without gloves.

 

[Biocube32]

I use dawn, an ocd level of rinsing, and then drying with a clean towel before the tap water can dry on my skin

I should probably add that i often use alcohol sanitizer and occasionally surgical scrub. In the summer, i use alot of sunscreen so i be sure to do a thorough arm cleaning for that too.... but if i havent used any of that stuff or have worked on the car, i will just do a light rinse maybe.

 

[Flameback Pair]

A lot of us have had mysterious fish deaths that have been attributed to viruses that may have come into our tanks from our hands.