Safe Gloves for Aquarium?

[midna]

Man up and swallow

[MikeTR]

Man up and swallow

mmmm...salty

[Billdemart]

Did this same thing one time and took in so much water I didn't even fight the urge to puke cause I was afraid of becoming sick. Luckily I had the front door open and was only a few feet away so I made it outside before I exploded.

 

I almost did the finger down the throat thing but I didn't... Probably should have. I'll always wonder if it was the water that made me sick or not. I had no symptoms before doing this.

[19jeffro83]

No swallowing for me my friend. Get a self priming syphon there like 5 bucks.Oh mike don't touch pointy things with venom. It hurts, so don't touch it.

[nanolutionary]

Non-powder latex gloves would be your best bet. Though, you should just be a man and stick your hand in.

doesn't this contaminate the water though?

[Tbone675]

holy old post bump bat man

[josh_scci]

Have you guys ever considered using a dosing syringe to start your syphon instead of sucking on the hose?

[ClaytonG]

Have you guys ever considered using a dosing syringe to start your syphon instead of sucking on the hose?

 

I use that on the larger tubing and a standarded syringe for priming airline hose for drip acclimating.

[seraph858]

I just ordered a pair of gloves...mainly because my psychotic clownfish attacks me every time my hand goes in the water.

[nanolutionary]

Are these a worthwhile purchase in terms of being safe for use in my aquarium?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stanley-Waterproof-Pond-Gloves-long-glove-koi-fish-ponds-Water-Proof-Gauntlets-/380554866313?_trksid=p5197.m1992&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D14%26meid%3D4911818657018411192%26pid%3D100015%26prg%3D1006%26rk%3D1%26sd%3D380554866313%26

 

[iPhone]

mmmm...salty

 

if you have no big cuts on your hands and can wash them well after they're out of the tank then you're good without gloves.

i warn you though,never handle an anemone without glove,unless you want you hands smelling like shit

[Mstefa1]

Have you guys ever considered using a dosing syringe to start your syphon instead of sucking on the hose?

 

But I just love sucking on the hose! That's what she said.

 

I suck on my airline hoses to drip acclimate because the valve is closed most of the way and little fear of sucking in saltwater but I've gotten it my mouth doing other maintenance. As far as small gravel syphon hose... Put the entire hose in the water, put finger over end and hold it there until it's over the buck. Release and the flow starts immediately.

 

As far as gloves, I only wear disposable gloves when dealing with palys... Especially grandis palys. My frag guy does it because he once got really sick from palys and he always sends me home with gloves whenever I purchase palys from him. Other then that I take my chances and wash my hands afterwards but the slimy mucus feels weird on my fingers.

[nanoreefnate]

But I just love sucking on the hose! That's what she said.

 

I suck on my airline hoses to drip acclimate because the valve is closed most of the way and little fear of sucking in saltwater but I've gotten it my mouth doing other maintenance. As far as small gravel syphon hose... Put the entire hose in the water, put finger over end and hold it there until it's over the buck. Release and the flow starts immediately.

 

As far as gloves, I only wear disposable gloves when dealing with palys... Especially grandis palys. My frag guy does it because he once got really sick from palys and he always sends me home with gloves whenever I purchase palys from him. Other then that I take my chances and wash my hands afterwards but the slimy mucus feels weird on my fingers.

 

I use nitrile hand condoms as much as I can when I work on my tank and tanks at the Academy of Science. The Academy actually keeps hundreds of boxes of all 3 size of nitrile hand condoms stocked at all times and located in almost every back of house room. My primary reason is that my hands have very dry skin so if i expose them to saltwater they get even more dry and cracked up which REALLY hurts. Additionally, I don't like the slime and smell of algae/coral on my hands.

[Gooburz]

I've been scuba diving for over 15 years now and there was only 1 time when I didn't wear gloves on a dive and it was a lobster dive and I had to grab hold of rock to steady myself and it felt like 1,000 needles going into my hand. EVERYTHING in the ocean has some type of defense mechanism and you would be foolish to go in bare handed, not to mention the body’s natural oils can be damaging to what you are touching as well. Saying "man up" and "go bare handed" is possibly the most ignorant thing I’ve ever heard.

[Mstefa1]

I've been scuba diving for over 15 years now and there was only 1 time when I didn't wear gloves on a dive and it was a lobster dive and I had to grab hold of rock to steady myself and it felt like 1,000 needles going into my hand. EVERYTHING in the ocean has some type of defense mechanism and you would be foolish to go in bare handed, not to mention the body’s natural oils can be damaging to what you are touching as well. Saying "man up" and "go bare handed" is possibly the most ignorant thing I’ve ever heard.

 

LOL I've got stung on my leg when I went diving wearing a shorty. It didn't feel good.

[Gooburz]

LOL I've got stung on my leg when I went diving wearing a shorty. It didn't feel good.

 

Jelly season in FL, in a shorty, and having to surface through hundreds of them.........O U C H ! ! ! !! !

[nanolutionary]

I went through a ship wreck in Barbados scraping the side of my rib cage along a door frame with stinging corals all over it ouch!!

[MikeTR]

Are these a worthwhile purchase in terms of being safe for use in my aquarium?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stanley-Waterproof-Pond-Gloves-long-glove-koi-fish-ponds-Water-Proof-Gauntlets-/380554866313?_trksid=p5197.m1992&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D14%26meid%3D4911818657018411192%26pid%3D100015%26prg%3D1006%26rk%3D1%26sd%3D380554866313%26

 

They're not form fitting. They're ok for grabbing rocks, but useless for trying to do anything with a smaller frag. Nitrile gloves if you need them are the way to go. I like to get a little more personal with my polyps and go in with bare hands.

 

mmmm...salty

My kalk is dripping with sarcasm.

[nanolutionary]

With Nirtrile gloves i can only find wrist length ones, my tank is 35cm deep which means using these gloves my arm skin and hair will be in contact with the saltwater.

 

I know i'm being pedantic but if we humans are screwing over the planet by getting our chemical waste into coral reefs and killing them i don't wanna make the same mistake in my house using my arm, moisturizer/bodywash/whatever else may find it's way onto my arm and a lack of forethought for example!

[MikeTR]

[Mstefa1]

With Nirtrile gloves i can only find wrist length ones, my tank is 35cm deep which means using these gloves my arm skin and hair will be in contact with the saltwater.

 

I know i'm being pedantic but if we humans are screwing over the planet by getting our chemical waste into coral reefs and killing them i don't wanna make the same mistake in my house using my arm, moisturizer/bodywash/whatever else may find it's way onto my arm and a lack of forethought for example!

 

Wash your hand and arms thoroughly with soap and rinse them very well. They will surive

[Robert Heff]

It’s about the gloves being safe for the fish not fear of putting ur bare hand in the tank

[RCrandall]

On 3/11/2010 at 8:42 AM, Billdemart said:

I'm less afraid of getting something on my hands from the tank, than I am putting something from my hands into the tank. That's why I wear gloves.

Exactly. I'm not wanting them to keep the tank off my hands. I need them to keep my hands out of the tank. And I was thinking powderless nitrile would be good, so thanks all for confirming.

 

Cheers!

[Seadragon]

Welcome to NR @Robert Heff and @RCrandall! 🙂

 

After reviewing this ancient thread, I can see the opposing viewpoints.  Personally for me, it really depends on the situation.  I have very long tweezers and if I believe my hands will not touch the water, then I won't wear gloves.  But, I do wear gloves to protect both me and the tank inhabitants when my hands go into the water.  It's true that many of us swam in the ocean, but it's also true that I take a shower when I'm done and I don't handle the corals and rocks within the ocean like I do in my aquarium.

 

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  I'd hate to be the guy that had a small cut on their hand and gets a bacterial infection.  Even worse, getting that cut from within the tank.  My aquariums are only for pure enjoyment and if that means I need to wear some gloves to help prevent any nasties from both entering my body and contaminating the tank then so be it.

[Tired]

I sometimes wear gloves to go snorkeling.

 

No, seriously. Fish hear me coming when I kick to move, so, when the water is shallow and there's plenty of rocks that just have algae and biofilm on most of their surface, I tend to use my hands to pull myself along. It doesn't damage anything as long as you don't put your hand on macroalgae or coral, but there are things that can damage you. Urchins, sharp areas of rock, that sort of thing. If you're in certain parts along the Texas coast, flesh-eating bacteria on the oysters. Which, by the way, are sharp as all hell. Don't go tidepooling barefoot, don't go in the mangroves barefoot, do NOT look at a patch of oysters and go "oh yeah, I can walk on that fine for a minute or two". No you can't. It's bad for the oysters anyway. 

 

Reef aquariums contain warm, often heavily stocked water, with corals and rockwork from many different sources. That means bacteria from many different sources, in an ideal situation to grow and thrive. Most of that is going to be harmless, but there are some really nasty infections to be had. Not to mention potential toxins from coral, or bristleworms and hidden anemones you might put your fingers on. Sure, you can handle rockwork and come away just fine most of the time, but gloves are really just the smart thing to do. Gloves, and nice long tweezers. Rocks have sharp things on them, and sometimes are sharp. Or you might have a small cut on your hand that you don't know about. Or you might be unlucky enough to encounter a bacteria that can do you some harm just from getting on your skin. Or, ya know, that unknown amount of palytoxin in your corals could be an issue.