prolonged exposure risk?

[cheeky_chappie]

Hi All

maintaining the water quality of a tropical fish tank means using certain chemicals (chlorine remover, ammonia degrader etc) and on top of this the fish are peeing and pooing constantly (sorry if you're eating but I had to say it!)

I've had my tank a couple of months now and quite often I'll have my hand / arm up to my elbow in the water, adjusting a plant that's come loose for example. Is there any reason to be cautious about doing this i.e. is there any evidence I could be doing my skin or body damage by having my arm in the water for periods of time?

I've looked for rubber gloves that go up to the elbow but no success so far. Sorry if it appears a silly question but I tend to worry about these things )

 

[smithrc]

we've been doing it for years - dont worry about it.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Nope, the only thing I have to worry about is being eaten alive by the danios... pesky lil things

 

[quintessential]

Correct we have all done it .......However
Has anyone considered the danger of electrocution and possible death.

Even though we all do it, how many of us turn the power off.

I myself have been cleaning my tank, knocked the heater and broken the glass.
If at that moment the heater came on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who would have looked after my fish.

Be safe, turn the power off for a few mins it won't hurt the fish as much as it would hurt you if the worst happened.

 

[WILDER]

http/madhunag.tripod.com/safety.html

 

[quintessential]

Nice 1 wilder,
Thats what I meant to say.

 

[qwikimpss]

The most u could notice, if u have bad eczema (like i do) is drying of the skin. Happens to me all the time, thats why i have huge bottles of hand lotion all over the house!

 

[orientmatt]

To be honest i've always been more concerned about transfering something from my arms to the fish, like cleaning stuff/germs etc. So whenever I start routing around with the filter etc I always wash my hands. Lets face it, the fish are probably more susceptible to nasty things than we are.

 

[cheeky_chappie]

i have mild eczema on bits of my bod (there's a bit on my wrist where my watch strap aggrivates) so there's a bit of broken skin there ... hence me asking the question.

quite alarming (to a paranoid person like me!) to read about Nitrobacter etc, so I reckon I'll be hunting down a pair of long gloves ... just to keep my mind at rest

thanks for the feedback though from those who've been doing it for years, you maybe think you're fine but have you not noticed the 2nd head you've all grown

 

[Bloo]

Even though we all do it, how many of us turn the power off.

I do
I switch the whole lot off at the wall.

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Makes my nails break. Especially at time like these when daily water changes are needed. Not even professional fake nails can withstand it after a week of exposure so often. But for the benefit of the fish, it's something I can sacrifice.
Hugs,
P.

 

[morgan]

Wash your hands before and after and you and your fish should be ok. Not much help to those with eczema I'm afraid. What I sometimes do is put rubber gloves on(kept only for fishy use!) and use some food grabbers (ditto). As my tank is 15" deep I can sometimes move ornaments that way.

 

[annka5]

Generally agree, the only thing is a small (SMALL) risk of "fish TB" which causes a granuloma-type skin condition in humans, and you COULD contract from an infected fish by contact with water via an open sore or cut. it's not something which you could expect to come into contact with though, you would be very very unlucky.
I have hideous psoriasis on my hands and arms, and I initially tried to be carefull about contact with tank water, but to be honest, now i just wash my hands / arms before and after. You could use surgical gloves for your hands and avoid putting your arm into the tank if your skin has flared up if you were really worried.

 

[OrkyBetta]

If you wash hands before and after touching water, get vaccinated for TB and use lotion and nail growth stimulator, and there should be no issues.

Edit, if you are looking for latex gloves that will go up to your shoulders, contact your local large animal vet (equine or bovine vet) and they should be able to get you some. As gross as it is, vets need them to check if lage animals are pregnant, or have rectal issues.

 

[annka5]

It's not the exact same bacteria as causes TB in humans, so a TB vaccine wouldn't work against fish-bourne TB.