wearing protective gloves

[woodstock '69]

Do you think that many reef keepers use those long sleeve length gloves when they put their hands in their tanks?

I would guess that most do not but I really have no idea.

Do you think they are a good idea?

Michael

[kraze3]

I bet its about a 50/50 split. Many have been bitten by crabs, fish etc or stung by corals. Many use the gloves to protect themselves as well as keep any chemicals such as soap, laundry detergent, etc out of the tank. Then theres plenty who just stick their hands right in. I am a stick my hands in kind of guy, but I have thought of getting the gloves. Just too lazy to order them i guess.

[PatMayo]

As well hands in the tank do more to disturb the water and degrade skimmer performace than most other things entered into the tank. For instance food etc. It generally takes hours for a skimmer to skim properly after hands have been in the tank. Aquarists would do more for skimmer performace if they would always use glovees when working in the tank.

Regards,

Pat

[funman1]

I have been stung by corals, so I now wear gloves. However I don't feel that shoulder gloves are needed.

~Steve~

[itz frank]

How does sticking your hands in the tank cause your skimmer to stop working properly? I'm not saying that you're wrong. I'm only interested in how this works. So if someone could write me a pm on why it does this. I'd greatly appreciate it.

[Merredeth]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8048739#post8048739 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by itz frank
How does sticking your hands in the tank cause your skimmer to stop working properly? I'm not saying that you're wrong. I'm only interested in how this works. So if someone could write me a pm on why it does this. I'd greatly appreciate it.

I'm thinking that perhaps oil on hands may do something - but WHAT that something is may be up for debate.

Denise M.
:beer:

[neotekz]

i just recently got those shoulder gloves and really done like them, i was moving some rocks around and the gloves are so combersome, they end up messing the tank more than if i just put my hand in and get the job done in half the time. they are good for simple jobs though.

[cplklegg]

Ever consider trying those plastic tongs? Sometimes it is a bit of work; I've used them with success to feed anemones and such.

[Steven Pro]

Wearing gloves is for your protection as well as the protection of the tank's inhabitants.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-07/sp/feature/index.php

Here are the gloves that I use, http://www.labsafety.com/store/product_group.asp?dept_id=12541&cat_prefix=3BB

[woodstock '69]

Now thats what I call a consensus. Gloves it is. Hard to believe (and from the above I do believe) that the oils or other contaminants on your hands can make a skimmer freak.

Steven Pro - I have read tons of your stuff for nearly 5 years. The community at large thanks you for your dedication and effort.

Michael

[Steven Pro]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8049289#post8049289 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by woodstock '69
Steven Pro - I have read tons of your stuff for nearly 5 years. The community at large thanks you for your dedication and effort. Thank you for the kind words.

[Avi]

Yesterday for the first time, I used protective gloves when putting my hands in my reef to do some maintenance. I did it because about 12 days ago, when doing some rock work, I must have touched something on a rock that caused an injury that I never want to experience again. I have no idea what it was other than to say that it was on the surface of one of the rocks and it wasn't visible to the eye. The small "wound" didn't even break the skin but within hours of having touched it, it became so painful that I can describe it only as being like having a lit cigarette on the back of my index finger above the nail for four days. It became infected and badly swollen and kept me from sleeping for three nights it was so bad. The doctor was unable to identify the cause and so prescribed an anti-biotic and anti-inflamatory but they didn't seem to make any difference in relieving the pain or swelling. Only after about four days did pain killers offer any relief at all. Now, after about 12 days is it first beginning to be uninfected.

I've had aquariums all my life and and I like doing maintenance with my bare hands, but something must have come in with the live rock and matured into some nasty toxic organism.

I don't think it's common, but if it's in my reef, it must be in others and I'd recommend that no one take the chance of this kind of injury.

[techreef]

Besides Avi's nasty experience (glad to hear you're feeling better!), don't forget also that besides being stung/bitten/bristled by macro organisms in your tank, if you go into your tank without gloves you are also exposing yourself to all of the bacteria that populates the water column. If you have any scratch or open wound on your hand/arm, you run the risk of getting an infection, and I've read that there are some pretty nasty bacteria in reef tanks.

I agree that it's tough to do any detail work while using gloves, and I'm guilty of not using them occasionally, but I've got the shoulder length gloves too, and use them nearly all the time. They do get hot when you're working in them, though! Yikes.

[woodstock '69]

This post is getting kinda spooky! Maybe it should be rated PG13 so as not to give the kids nightmares.

Michael

[Avi]

Thanks for the kind words, Tech.

I'm not sure if you're serious or not, woodstock, but kids wouldn't be freaked out by this kind of stuff. It is reality and they should, just like adults, be aware of the kinds of problems that they can have with a reef if appropriate precautions aren't taken.

The gloves I used are actually pretty good. I got them at Home Depot in the paint department. They're made of (yellow) latex and they're lined inside. Still, while they aren't the very thin kind that I found are treated with some kind of powder, the ones I got have no powder and are not so bulky that you lose the "feeling" too much. I'd recommend them.

[PatMayo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8048739#post8048739 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by itz frank
How does sticking your hands in the tank cause your skimmer to stop working properly? I'm not saying that you're wrong. I'm only interested in how this works. So if someone could write me a pm on why it does this. I'd greatly appreciate it.

I don't know all the scientific terms, Steven Pro would be better suited to reply to this, or you can go to the chemistry forum and I am sure that Randy would be able to explain it in laymens terms. But the fact is that by putting your hands in the tank it really affects skimmer performance. If you read this 40 page thread you will learn things you never thought possible about skimmers and how they work and what affect them. It a must read for most everyone.

Regards.

Pat

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=554786&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

[conefree]

I use the full length gloves when going anywhere near my zoa's, and most other times. Still haven't completely gotten into the habit. Another great tool that I use is the aquatongs. These things are great for picking up loose frags, snails, whatever without getting your hands wet or putting on gloves.

http://www.petsolutions.com/Aqua+Tongs-I-96309502-I-.aspx

[woodstock '69]

Avi -

It was supposed to be a joke - just not a funny one I guess. No matter....I find the info here in response to be very valuable.

One question - and I do not doubt what you said for a minute - how do you know or how can you tell that the home depot gloves don't have any powder or other contaminants? I would like to use them myself.

[Avi]

Woody...you have to read what the package says but it's not very clear on many of them. I looked carefully and in small print I found words like "treated" and "powder," but I found that I had to look carefully before I understood that some weren't just latex.

The ones I bought at Home Depot are called Stripping and Refinishing Gloves. They have "flocked cotton lining" and are made of Latex Rubber, according to the package. The brand name is Performance Plus. I scoured the label and saw no mention of any kind of powder and there isn't any...I think that's because the insides are lined and so the powder which is generally there to make them easier to put on isn't necessary.

I said before that they're yellow but they're actually a bright orange/red kind of color. Give them a try.