this may seem like a silly question???

but i think its important.when washing your hands before putting them into the tank after eg. smoking,eating,cleaning etc do you just wash your hands in hot water before putting them into the tank and after you take them out?

 

Honestly, I just run my hands under water. I don't want to risk any soap entering my tank. I then rinse my hands again when I am done fiddling with the tank.

 

ditto on skipping the soap unless you are ABSOLUTELY sure you've got all the residue off. it's recommended to keep your hands out of your tank anyway but i'm terrible about it. if you've got any aggressive corals make sure you wash up thoroughly afterward. zoas + nail biter = sad afternoon!

 

I use soap on my hands sometimes if I have grease/ dirt on my hands from working on cars or other stuff... I normally use just a little dawn dish detergent, enough to get my hands clean... and I rinse a LOT afterward. I wish there were a better alternative... I suppose wearing gloves would be the best way to do it (for you and the tank).

 

I use soap all the time. Just make sure to rinse well. If you want to be extremely cautious, then don't use soap, but I usually do.

 

Before putting them in the tank I don't use soap unless I think my hands may have something potentially more dangerous than soap on them.

Afterwards I wash with soap, just be sure you're really absolutely done in the tank.

Gloves are always a good idea, not always practical though IMO.

 

I rinse w/out soap before and dry hands off and then use soap after im done.

If you want to use soap i would use soap that has no added lotion or scent

 

i try and wash with soap after putting hands in, mostly cause of my 3 month old son. i try and rinse before but normally dont.

 

Before I usually rinse with warm water, no soap. After I get distracted and wander off looking for a towel... saltwater's good for the skin, and unless I'm messing with rocks or zoas there's no much else in the tank that could do much harm. Microbacter could potentially give you an infection... but by the time you get it in your skin it's too late to wash off anyways.