washed hands in tank = poisonous?

[ckck92]

hey i was wondering whether i shouldnt be washing my hands with soap before putting my hands into the tank? I came across the thought that the excess soap on my hands wud dissolve in the water and might kill the fishes..

How true?

[J double R]

yes, excess soap is VERY toxic to fish.. i dont ever wash with soap right before putting my hands in the tank, and if i do, i rinse for a LONG time.

[ct-death]

If I have sick fish I use rubbing alcohol. No residues left on my hands to stress the fish. Soap and water after, anytime I put my hands in the tank though.

[ckck92]

yes, excess soap is VERY toxic to fish.. i dont ever wash with soap right before putting my hands in the tank, and if i do, i rinse for a LONG time.

ohh oo...!! so if i dont have alcohol cud i just rinse my hands with tap water then put my hands into the tank?

If I have sick fish I use rubbing alcohol. No residues left on my hands to stress the fish. Soap and water after, anytime I put my hands in the tank though.

common sense hygene to wash hands after putting hands in tank..!! =) who doesnt do tat...?? ewwww...

[hitman12131976]

Concerning washed hands in tank: IF you use soap when you wash your hands and want to put it into a tank (and you have no alcohol around), then make sure you rinse your hands thoroughly with warm/hot water. The hot water will remove the residue better than cold. If you have alcohol, then use that. I usually rinse my hands really well like 'J double R' stated in hot water.

Concerning washing hands after putting them in the tank: I just use my shirt. Haha! Eventually I wash them...I think.

[lazyNode]

I just use my shirt. Haha! Eventually I wash them...I think.

Man, after reading that someone's cat got sick with bacteria from drinking fish tank water... I wash my hands AFTER dipping into the tank!

[hitman12131976]

Yeah, I would never leave tank water out for anything or anybody to drink. That's just wrong.

[headcougar]

I put tank water on my wife's plants. Well the freshwater tank at least.

[KnaveTO]

We love our wet pets but there are a lot of bacteria in that aquarium that you can get viruses from. When I was diagnosed with a long-term illness my specialist told me to get rid of the tanks due to the issues of the bacteria in the tank and water. Now I have major streess issues... thus the tanks are comming back. As for the soap issue... that has been answered. However I did look into if there are open sores, cuts, scrapes or the like. What you should do is cover the injuries by wearing non-latex, non-powdered gloves if you are placing your hands in the water.

[Madcrawdad]

same goes with feet.....never wash them with soap before putting them in the tank. just remove your socks and place feet directly in water. make sure to remove any sock lint from between your toes though as I've heard of some fish choking on the stuff when trying to eat it.

[rbishop]

I might, once a year or two, rinse my hands in warm water before putting them in the tank. After being in there, I wipe on my jeans.

[NeonJulie]

Huh. That was... enlightening, Crawdad.

One thing I'm careful to do now is to thoroughly rinse then DRY my hands. I had previously thought a few drops of chlorinated water couldn't hurt, but it can, so now I don't leave that to chance. Chlorine does evaporate though, so if your hands are fully dry, then there's not as much chance for problems.

I do use hot soapy water sometimes, for instance if I have a cold or something. How do I know my hands aren't covered in bacteria from the normal public-bathroom-door-handle, etc etc anyway. And I'm sure hot water can get rid of bacteria, but is it so hot I can't stand it... and some bacteria love warm temperatures, so I'm sure the 110-120 degrees is no where near approaching boiling temps.

It's usually easy to tell when the soap is off your hands and they're rinsed thoroughly. You won't have any smell, and your hands will regain the natural friction after the slippery soap has been rid of.

However, I think everyone's personal practices are unique. You can't be too careful, but it's up to you to decide yourself, what that means exactly and what works for your fish.

[mellowvision]

I try to keep my feet out of the tank ever since I gave my snails athlet's foot.

[Malbri]

lol that reminds me of the dream I had of trying to wash my shoes in the aquarium...

[vic46]

I recently returned to the hobby/addiction after about a 20 year hiatus. One of the most popular rants back then regarding tank contamination was the residue on hands from smoking. This was a real hot issue then however, I have not heard any mention since my return.
I have ceased putting my feet in my tank as I am affraid I will fall off the ladder and break my freaking hip!
Vic

[J double R]

i smoke.. and as far as i know my fish are not addicted :)

[mellowvision]

I smoke too, and my tank is very near my most common smoking spot. My crabs spend a lot of time in the open air. I think they are addicted.

I have been thinking about starting a post about proven affects of smoking on the tank, but was affraid of what might happen if I did!

hadn't thought of the residue on the hands.

[Fungi]

Do your crabs show withdrawal symptoms?
That would be shocking if they did, you may have to add nicotine to their food to ease them off.
Crab patches or something, crab nicotine gum maybe?

[ckck92]

okay got it, 1)wash hand with soap
rinse hands with hot water...

[ckck92]

okay got it,
1)wash hand with soap
2)rinse hands with hot water...
3)dry them

=) thx for the help! and why do u need a feet in the tank? *???????!!!!!!!!*

[Fungi]

Pedicures

[hitman12131976]

So it can cure athletes foot, of course.

[Fungi]

And clears up bunions like you wouldn't believe