Hygiene before hand going into the tank?

[cracker]

Agree with Scorpius, A good wash with dawn. Hey if it's ok for those cute little baby ducks.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Is there a particular brand of soup everyone uses?

Cambells Chunky. ;Hilarious

Hahaha, no I use original Dawn, non antibacterial. Normally, my hand just gets crammed in and I dont think about it. Yes, I have SPS including acros growing.

 

[stevenlu]

There is nothing special about Purell soaps. The soaps have moisturizers as well as surfactants and scents. None of that should go in your tank.
Avoid these if you can. Always rinse any soap off with water. Then rinse again.
If you mean the hand sanitizers. They are sanitizers and meant to kill organisms.

so the sanitizer are ok before going into the tank? or it doens't do anything?

 

[stevenlu]

The amount would be so minor, plus you should dry your hands first.

I use paper towels so I don't get perfumes/soaps/fabric softeners from my laundry towels.

Thanks mate!

 

[lapin]

so the sanitizer are ok before going into the tank? or it doens't do anything?

Sanitizers kill. If you dont want to kill stuff in your tank then dont use it. If you want to preserve the good bacteria, mites and everything living on your skin, including your skin dont use it

 

[wowatracy]

Small amount of unscented dish soap, scrub down and up my entire arm that will be going into the tank, really good rinsing, dry with paper towels. Depends on the volume of water you have but I believe the oils on you hands/arms aren't the best especially for smaller volume tanks. Who knows what's on public door handles and anything else you touch, it's good enough to get us sick even though we think our hands are clean enough. I've seen my corals shrink up when I haven't washed my hands even when I thought they were perfectly clean so something irritated them.

 

[c.poindexter]

I simply rinse my hand and arms in hot water. On the day I do water changes or plan to have my arm in the tank for a bit I make sure to not put on lotions or use anything on my skin.

 

[MrObscura]

I just wash and dry my hands before and after. I wear gloves if I'm going to be touching corals directly... For their benefit.

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

I generally rinse my hands and arms till shoulder length with simply tap water and shake off and wave around in air to dry a little then go into tank.
My tank is in garage and in wall with no front access and it sits on a stand that is 42" high and another 24" height of tank so it's about 6 feet and I have to use a step ladder to reach in. If I have to place anything in front on sand etc I have to really dip my arm all the way to shoulder in to reach very bottom.

 

[CenlaReefer]

There is nothing special about Purell soaps. The soaps have moisturizers as well as surfactants and scents. None of that should go in your tank.
Avoid these if you can. Always rinse any soap off with water. Then rinse again.
If you mean the hand sanitizers. They are sanitizers and meant to kill organisms.

I agree with this. Any hand sanitizer could kill off some of your biological filtration.

 

[AMC13]

I have been using original Dawn for the past 20+ years. I always rinse twice after I wash my hands. And Like Cracker said, if it’s good for those adorable baby ducks, then I’m sure it’s good for almost anything !!! ;Shamefullyembarrased;Shamefullyembarrased;Shamefullyembarrased

 

[McPuff]

I scrub my hands and arms with pumice, then soak in a 10% muriatic acid for 10 minutes. Finally, I rinse with RO/DI water and then wear shoulder length gloves. /s :0)

Totally kidding in case you didn't get that!

Really I don't give this any special thought. I wash my hands often so I don't worry about what's on my hands when I reach in. Regardless, they are always clean upon reef entry. No specific soap; I don't keep soap in the fish room because I don't want soap anywhere near my equipment, sump, etc. (I have small kids!). Most of the time I'll wear nitrile/latex gloves but that is more to protect my skin (vs protect the tank). After I'm done doing whatever, I always wash my hands, the extent to which I wash is dependent on how far my arms went in. :0)

 

[Captain Quint]

I wash hands with nonscented soaps, rinse well, spray with vinegar and wipe them dry with paper towels.

 

[McFly]

I have an RO spout on my kitchen sink I rinse with. Best thing I ever installed, I rinse everything with it, protein skimmer cup, filter socks, activated carbon, etc.

 

[BigJohnny]

Hey all,

I'm just wondering how do you guys clean your hand and your arms before reaching them into the tank?

Is there a particular brand of soup everyone uses?

What about Purell? Anyone uses it?

Thanks!

I use the reef safe soap from brs

 

[vetteguy53081]

I warm water rinse or use my aqua 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

 

[salty joe]

I'm often in my tank up to my armpits and I don't want anti antiperspirant in the tank. Plus I use hand lotion because my hands are so dry this winter. I wash and rinse well with baking soda.

 

[Popcorndog]

I always wash my hands with RODI water from my sink before working in the tank or sump. I then use an antibacterial soap afterwards. My philosophy is to keep as many chemical contaminants out of the tank. It doesn’t sit well with me to be pumping gas or using cleaners during the day and then put my hands into a sensitive reef tank or our gecko habitat.

 

[jabberwock]

I use Dr. Bronner's biodegradable soap and rinse with RO/DI water. If I know I am going to stick my hands in the tank, I wash at least twice before. I also have some hobbies that require that I use solvents or oils, so I just don't put my hands in the tanks on the days that I know I am doing those other activities. Or, I do tank maintenance first and then clean my guns...