Hand Sanitisers & Aquariums?

[FFGuest6357]

Some lasting damage showing signs now things on the mend, one of my weitzmani cories is blinded in one eye.
View attachment 121846

So add that into complications and symptoms of this. Seems to hit the eyes hard.

Soap residue would definitely be bad for fish.

But so would residue from other things that soap is designed to remove from your hands--like motor oil, insect repellent, any kind of lotion, hand sanitizer even! Soap is very effective at getting all manner of crud off your skin.

You should absolutely use soap. Lather and scrub thoroughly.

Then rinse very thoroughly to get all the soap off.

But please don't skip the soap.

I never skip the soap, or the type of soap, that’s probably the ex-chef in me!

Now that I’m in construction, I’m doubling down on rinsing, especially when I’ve had terrible things on my skin. My next hydro bill is going to be big...

 

[Jim Sinclair]

Some lasting damage showing signs now things on the mend, one of my weitzmani cories is blinded in one eye.
View attachment 121846

So add that into complications and symptoms of this. Seems to hit the eyes hard.

Isn't blindness one of the risks for humans of drinking wood alcohol, assuming the person survives at all?

How can you tell the fish is blind in that eye? Is it bumping into things?

I have a goldfish that is completely blind. I know this because it doesn't have any eyes. When it was a baby fishling it got both of its eyes sucked out after I followed what turned out to be incorrect advice saying it would be safe to put the little fish into the pond with their parents as soon as they were too big to fit into the big fishes' mouths. The big fish began eating the little fish one bite at a time (I suspect it was more territoriality than predation), and I ended up with ten mangled little fish. They all had damaged fins, one had an injured eye, and this one had no eyes at all.

It gets around fine and is about the same size as most of its tankmates. The only special accommodation it needs is that I grind pellet food into powder which sinks to the bottom of the tank, and weight broccoli and leafy greens so they also sink, instead of hanging them from the side on a leaf clip. That way the blind fish can find the food just by grazing along the tank floor.
I have some videos of my blind fish if you'd like to see them. Also of the two fellow survivors who ended up with permanent swimming disabilities. (The other seven all healed completely with no lasting damage.) Right now I need to deal with baiting and setting live traps for a squirrel that got into my house, but I can find the videos for you later if you want to see them.
I hope your fish adjusts as well as mine has.

 

[CassCats]

Isn't blindness one of the risks for humans of drinking wood alcohol, assuming the person survives at all?

How can you tell the fish is blind in that eye? Is it bumping into things?

I have a goldfish that is completely blind. I know this because it doesn't have any eyes. When it was a baby fishling it got both of its eyes sucked out after I followed what turned out to be incorrect advice saying it would be safe to put the little fish into the pond with their parents as soon as they were too big to fit into the big fishes' mouths. The big fish began eating the little fish one bite at a time (I suspect it was more territoriality than predation), and I ended up with ten mangled little fish. They all had damaged fins, one had an injured eye, and this one had no eyes at all.

It gets around fine and is about the same size as most of its tankmates. The only special accommodation it needs is that I grind pellet food into powder which sinks to the bottom of the tank, and weight broccoli and leafy greens so they also sink, instead of hanging them from the side on a leaf clip. That way the blind fish can find the food just by grazing along the tank floor.
I have some videos of my blind fish if you'd like to see them. Also of the two fellow survivors who ended up with permanent swimming disabilities. (The other seven all healed completely with no lasting damage.) Right now I need to deal with baiting and setting live traps for a squirrel that got into my house, but I can find the videos for you later if you want to see them.
I hope your fish adjusts as well as mine has.

Well a few others are popping up with similar damage as the first cory posted with the cataract looking eye.

But they don't react to movement of my hand on that side when they originally did (the cory worst off is one of my weitzmani cories, wild caught and very timid naturally)

Interestingly i had an issue with my goldfish /livebearer pond, we thought it was rotted lucky bamboo, but the symptoms were pretty similar to the incident I had here.... lasting effects are eye damage to the fish in there too. All of them swim into objects or peck at the surface looking for food nowhere near where the food is at. I end up dropping the food on their faces for them to eat.
One guppy is worst affected, near total blind as both eyes have shrunk, today he was trying to breed with another fish's tail, he struggles to get food unless i drop it on him too.
But you can see his eyes.

Cannot confirm though it was the same issue, or was indeed the bamboo, its very hard to say.

 

[CassCats]

So unsure if the lasting problems are taking time to show or just noticing them as the more timid fish come out of hiding, but good chunk of my survivors are blind or half blind.

Got a couple cherry barbs totally blind and haven't been eating as they can't see, good chance I will have to euthanize them if they don't start eating soon.

The 55 blind/half blind fish:
3 cherry barbs
2 weitzmani corydoras
1 CW028 corydoras
1 trilineatus corydoras

I checked on my goldfish tote and I'm seeing the same results in them, I think we were wrong about the bamboo being the culprit there and think sanitizer got into that one as well.

Fish blinded or half blind in the goldie tote pond:
3 guppies
2 platies
1 goldfish


Seems eye damage is a lasting effect of this. So if anyone had fish unexplainably develope white pupils or cloudiness to the eyes that don't respond to medications, id be giving this thread a close consideration.

Symptoms in the goldie tote when we couldn't figure out the problem:

Laying completely still on the tank bottom
Popeye
Red sores on the body.

 

[Jim Sinclair]

So unsure if the lasting problems are taking time to show or just noticing them as the more timid fish come out of hiding, but good chunk of my survivors are blind or half blind.

Got a couple cherry barbs totally blind and haven't been eating as they can't see, good chance I will have to euthanize them if they don't start eating soon.

The 55 blind/half blind fish:
3 cherry barbs
2 weitzmani corydoras
1 CW028 corydoras
1 trilineatus corydoras

I checked on my goldfish tote and I'm seeing the same results in them, I think we were wrong about the bamboo being the culprit there and think sanitizer got into that one as well.

Fish blinded or half blind in the goldie tote pond:
3 guppies
2 platies
1 goldfish


Seems eye damage is a lasting effect of this. So if anyone had fish unexplainably develope white pupils or cloudiness to the eyes that don't respond to medications, id be giving this thread a close consideration.

View attachment 122027View attachment 122028View attachment 122029

Symptoms in the goldie tote when we couldn't figure out the problem:

Laying completely still on the tank bottom
Popeye
Red sores on the body.

Wow, that must be overwhelming!

I wouldn't give up on them yet. Acquired disabilities take time to adjust to, in fish as well as in humans. When I first pulled my mangled goldfish out of the pond where the bigger fish were eating them alive, I was advised to euthanize the one that had lost both eyes. I did not follow that advice. 2 years later, that fish is getting around just fine.
As described in my last post, I drop sinking powdered food into that tank, and weight greens so they sink to the bottom too. The blind fish just needs to graze along the floor of the tank and food is there, without needing to be seen or aimed at. It's a bare bottom tank, which probably makes it easier.
I don't know what your fish eat or what kind of tank setup you have, but try thinking in terms of adaptations and accommodations to make food more accessible. And give the fish a chance to adjust.
I hope they pull through!

 

[CassCats]

Wow, that must be overwhelming!

I wouldn't give up on them yet. Acquired disabilities take time to adjust to, in fish as well as in humans. When I first pulled my mangled goldfish out of the pond where the bigger fish were eating them alive, I was advised to euthanize the one that had lost both eyes. I did not follow that advice. 2 years later, that fish is getting around just fine.
As described in my last post, I drop sinking powdered food into that tank, and weight greens so they sink to the bottom too. The blind fish just needs to graze along the floor of the tank and food is there, without needing to be seen or aimed at. It's a bare bottom tank, which probably makes it easier.
I don't know what your fish eat or what kind of tank setup you have, but try thinking in terms of adaptations and accommodations to make food more accessible. And give the fish a chance to adjust.
I hope they pull through!

Everyone is adapting except the cherry barbs who don't peck at things for food like goldfish, they see the food fall and chase it to eat it normally. So a couple have just been sitting in the plants and not eating at all. Which is my problem.

The blind goldie and such are easier, they just bite at anything in their path until they find food, theyre not bothered.

The cories have no problems at all. Ive got a couple one eyed cories in another tank (bought that way) who thrive well.

Given the blindness, the tank layout won't change, to help them along.

This cory is one I bred and raised myself, still young and growing, now blind in one eye because of this mess.

 

[Balticbob]

Have you actually read this thread before posting a reply to it?
Members of this forum have posted in this thread that they have personally lost fish due to hand sanitizer exposure.
Graphic descriptions and pictures have been posted here.
Are you saying they made all that up??

INowhere in my comment did I say they were making it up,was just my point of view and meant no offence. And I dont appreciate the personal attack.

 

[Balticbob]

Went to Sainsbury’s store to buy sandwich and drink for my lunch, used their hand sanitiser before entering store and again when I left the store.

During lunch I licked my fingers, and that sanitiser left a horrible taste, and had to drink some OJ to take taste away and still had a nasty bitter aftertaste.

No wonder our fishy friends have a reaction to hand sanitisers when we put hands into the tank water.

If I have a reaction after just one second then imagine what our tank livestock have to go through as the residue of whatever it is on hand sanitisers will continue to be present in water column so they will breathe this in constantly!!

Please, please ensure you wash or rinse your hands and arms before adding to aquarium,

Actually would in fact recommend doing this before you eat too!

I recommend you wash your hands with soap and water when you're at home! Only use hand sanitizer when you are out and about and cant wash your hands,sanitizer should be used as a second resource.

 

[itiwhetu]

Are we sure that these fish don't now have a secondary infection that is due to stress rather than the hand sanitizers itself.

 

[CassCats]

Are we sure that these fish don't now have a secondary infection that is due to stress rather than the hand sanitizers itself.

I thought that at first, but no inflammation and not responding to medication (tried antibiotic drops with them to see, no difference)

 

[Jim Sinclair]

Everyone is adapting except the cherry barbs who don't peck at things for food like goldfish, they see the food fall and chase it to eat it normally. So a couple have just been sitting in the plants and not eating at all. Which is my problem.

I googled "blind cherry barbs" and found several references, some of them suggesting that there are varieties of cherry barbs that are naturally blind. Here's a thread I found about one that was blind plus seemed to have a number of other issues: https://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f17/blind-cherry-barb-179292.html

I don't even know what cherry barbs are, much less how to take care of them, so I'm in no position to evaluate the workability of any of the suggested solutions. But you know your own fish breeds. Maybe you can find some ideas that work.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I used to have a blind neon tetra, he got along just fine. I have also seen fish in the wild missing an eye or two, and they are as healthy as ever. I guess they are super adaptable.

 

[StevenF]

Isn't blindness one of the risks for humans of drinking wood alcohol, assuming the person survives at all?

Methanol will cause blindness in people. Other alcohols could also cause this in fish. Excessive ethanol consumption by people can also cause permeant damage to the eyes. And the other chemicals added and it appears obvious hand sanitizers are very bad for fish.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Methanol will cause blindness in people. Other alcohols could also cause this in fish. Excessive ethanol consumption by people can also cause permeant damage to the eyes. And the other chemicals added and it appears obvious hand sanitizers are very bad for fish.

Alcohol in general is bad for people.

 

[CassCats]

The blind cherry barbs i managed to get them to eat, I saw them picking at the sand, dropped a shrimp pellet in front of them and they found it and ate finally. I can manage that set up for them.

But as its gone on, all 6 cherry barbs are affected, 3 out of my 4 weitzmani corydoras, 4 of my trilineatus cories, and both of my CW028 cories are all blind in one or both eyes.