can a cut on your hand effect your tank??

[NanoPerson67]

i posted this earlier somthing similar but forgot to ask this.. i had a very small cut on my hand....and i placed my hand in the tank to change some things...will it effect the water???? there was no blood coming out but it was an open fresh cut....like 1 cm on my finger... or worse... can it effect me???? i touched what i think was flatworms and removed it from my tank...

 

[noobzy]

First off, calm down. The sheer number of people that use their hands in their tanks, with or without open cuts, is pretty huge (as far as I can tell). Infections are rare, and you can always do a water change to ease your mind about the tank. So, if you are really worried, do a water change, pour some rubbing alcohol on your hand, and put your mind at ease

That being said, I really really recommend using gloves. The first thing my dad told me when I got a tank was how horrible it was when his dad got a marine bacterial infection. This kind of thing is rare, but it happens. I use shoulder-length coralife rubber gloves.

Good luck!

 

[PeterD]

i put my hands in my tank a lot unless i can reach it with something else. Im also a teenager and i guess i have a little stronger immune system than some "other" people.

 

[KathyC]

I would clean out the cut on your hand and just keep your eye on it. If it does not seem to be healing normally do consult with a doctor asap.
Your hand would probably be more affected than your tank by it.

Buy some gloves please!

 

[richardhmc]

You should be more concerned about your hand than the tank haha. As long as you dont see your corals excreting chemicals while handling them its fine. my entire right arm is in my tank almost everyday.

 

[PeterD]

+1 and me too only my right arm

 

[NanoPerson67]

lol thanks for replying guys... i was worried more about my tank lol...

 

[NL146]

...Im also a teenager and i guess i have a little stronger immune system than some "other" people.

lol

 

[masterswimmer]

The infections you can get from sticking your hand/arm in your tank is varied and numerous. Using gloves is recommended. What I recommend to anyone who asks is to rinse the open wound with hot water. Make the water as hot as you can bear and thoroughly irrigate the cut for 45 seconds to a minute. After that you can wash normally with antibacterial soap.

The potential harm to you personally is infinitely greater than any potential harm to your tank.

Russ

 

[LongIslandAndy]

It could be a problem if you were keeping sharks......Jk

 

[REEF ADDICT]

dont worry about the tank unless your veins pump copper j/k you should worry more about your hand i saw a video of what can happen with an open wound at the last swap at pace and its not a good look at all....

 

[TripleT]

I have my hand in my tank all the time, cuts or not. The only thing I ever noticed was a slight blemish once:

In addition to gloves, you might invest in these:

 

[TripleT]

Oh, and if you notice anything like this, make sure you have a frag kit handy:

 

[PeterD]

hahahahaha

 

[BIG L A]

I would clean out the cut on your hand and just keep your eye on it. If it does not seem to be healing normally do consult with a doctor asap.
Your hand would probably be more affected than your tank by it.

Buy some gloves please!

Just what I was thinking when I read the title...

 

[cybermeez]

I use bare hands, though I've been planning to get some reef tongs. I've lost count the number of times I've picked something up only to end up with a finger tip full of bristleworm bristles. No pair of tweezers can ever get all of them out (not even most) and those that remain hurt like an SOB for days!

I also keep a disinfecting soap called Hibiclense handy (you can grt it at CVS). It's similar to surgical scrub and use it after doing tank maintainace, particularly if I have or get a cut while working in the tank. Under those circumstances I've found it to be much more effective than soap and water.