Antibacterial? Regular? Just hot water? Please tell me.
2007-04-21 08:11:58 · 8 answers · asked by wildbeauty123 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
I just wash them good w/hand soap BUT make sure I rinse them well in plain water. That's depending on if you didn't handle anything that would be harmful to them. Just make sure you rinse well tho. If you have long fingernails, make sure they also are clean & nothing is "under" them. You'll be OK.
2007-04-21 08:24:23 · answer #1 · answered by Sue C 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I agree with a couple of the other people, dont use soap unless you have oil or something else thats not water soluble on your hands. Otherwise, I would just scrub them in warm water with no soap - the fish aren't going to catch anything from dogs, cats, hamsters and horses - their just too different species. Fish are very sensitive to soap, as the person above me said, and can easily die from it, and if they dont then the bacteria in the tank can. Be careful, if you decide to use soap anyway, about soaps with a high residual activity. These are BAD for fish - it means that they have a lot of reisdue which stays on your hands to kill bacteria long after washing, which is good in general, but bad for fish. Things like hibiscrub, which doctors use, have a high residual activity. There are germs, however, that grow in the tank which can be dangerous to you and to all your other animals - they are zoonotic. Things like pseudomonas, salmonella etc. Also, because of the antibiotics fish farms use, many of these bacteria are multi-antibiotic resistant, so be careful. Always wash your hands vigosously with soap AFTER putting your hands in the water. It wont harm your other animals, (the soap wont), they're not as sensitive.
2016-05-20 04:20:38 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
those are all good answers...instead, how about getting shoulder length gloves from your vet or farm supply store? the vet ones may be a little thicker, like the vinyl dishwashing gloves. the feedstore are thinner, and tear after a few uses.
lots of reeftank people use them because how often do you wash your hands, then stick your arm in up to your elbow?!
not to mention, who knows whats in your tank that could get on you?
wash with soap before and after, rinse with regular water THEN DRY (chloramines, phosphates, nitrates, COPPER which is wicked toxic to most fish and inverts, even though it is used as a medicine, etc) then use a glove.
they're cheap and if you cared enough to ask the question, you'll be happier with the gloves.
best of luck,
tim
2007-04-21 11:42:34 · answer #3 · answered by timrandlerv10 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Don't wash them with soap. A trace of soap can kill your fish. Antibacterial on your hands will kill all of the good bacteria in your tank, duh. Just wash them in hot water and scrub really hard for a few minutes to get all the stuff off your hands. Lotions, hair gel, soap, etc.
2007-04-21 10:02:42 · answer #4 · answered by PinkPuff 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Interesting idea from that poster talking about the gloves. You also don't think about the soap from showering/bathing when you dip your arm all the way in the tank!
Soap is very toxic. I could see vinegar being ok, though if I did it for the first time I would feel odd ... and smell odd as well!
2007-04-22 03:43:56 · answer #5 · answered by Kenshin 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Use white vinegar, rub your hands well, then rinse with water. Vinegar is a natural disenfectant. We owned a fish store for 10 years and we never spread diseases with this method. Soap if not rinsed extremely well is deadly to your fish. If you do use soap, rinse your hands in vinegar, then clear water. Vinegar also removes soap residue.
2007-04-21 10:55:38 · answer #6 · answered by debijs 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Regular soap is fine, if the fish are healthy there is no need for antibacterial soap.
2007-04-21 08:25:35 · answer #7 · answered by otter_woman 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
just plain ol water. Just rinse for a really long time.
2007-04-21 08:30:07 · answer #8 · answered by Skittles 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋