I have a horse, 3 rottweilers, a cat, and a hamster. I'm constantly exposed to animals. I also have 8 fancy goldfish. Obviously I don't want cross contamination so I have to wash my hands before putting them in the tank (if I have to, i'm not saying I do this all the time). Is there any soap that would be better than another for me to use? I don't want to get any soap into the tank but at the same time I don't want all the animal germs getting in there either!
2007-05-30 23:03:13 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
Here is the rule of thumb on soap. If you can smell it on your hands after your done washing there is still soap / something there.
A good pair of long rubber gloves is nice to have when working on fishtanks. Although they can be combersome.
Anything with alcohol in it will probably evaperate on it's own and a rince of the hands under clean water should keep your hands from drying out.
I would like to add that I would not worrry about cross contamitation. There is really no way to keep your aquarium bactira/germ free. Afterall you want bactiera in your tank. Atleast the good kind.
If your quality of water IE ammonia, nitrite, nitrate lvls/ dissolved oxygen lvl's are good in your tank then the fish will be healthy and they have natural defences to disease (slime coat, scales, immune system)
Providing area's in the tank where they feel safe will also affect if they are more apt to get a disease. (A stressed fish will have more of a chance of getting sick.)
Proper food, and water changes would be the rest of what you can do to prevent disease.
Fancy goldfish are really nice to watch. Especially in a large tank wich you must have, goldfish don't go by the rule of thumb of 1inch per gallon. More like 1 fish per 8 gallons.
Im sure they are glad they have a parent that worries about them so much.
2007-05-31 01:48:36 · answer #1 · answered by Cammy 2 · 1⤊ 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.
2007-05-31 01:05:45 · answer #2 · answered by Ashley 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
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.
2016-04-01 06:31:54 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your worried about soap residue try pouring a palmful of rubbing alcohol onto your hands and massage until it dries then rinse under the hottest water you can stand for ATLEAST 60 seconds until you can no longer smell the rubbing alcohol. Its fairly easy to rinse off and will kill any bacteria on your hands.
2007-05-31 03:54:21 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Dont use any soap. Rinse your hands in plain water real good and dry them with a fresh towel. I have ferretts, cats and a dog and I only rinse. I have never had a problem and I have 4 tanks for more than 10 years.
2007-05-31 01:42:50 · answer #5 · answered by mustang 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Personally, I find it absurd not to use soap.
If you don't use soap, you are not properly washing your hands. I think most people can attest to the fact that soap, well, works!
Normal anti-bacterial soaps rinse easily and fully off the hands. There is absolutely no reason not to use it, and good reason why you should.
I make sure I give my hands and arms a good wash, with anti-bacterial soap, then give them a good rinse. It's worked flawless for me for almost twenty years and I wouldn't change it.
2007-05-31 02:13:10 · answer #6 · answered by Ghapy 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Soap is bad for your fish. Never allow any soap residue to get in your tank.
2007-05-31 03:43:06 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I do not recommend using soap but if I had to I would use Dial antibacterial soap and make sure you rinse very well.Soap is not good for fish it can stick to their scales and cause them to die from the chemicals in the soap.So i would be careful in doing this I would wash rinse and dry then try rinsing again to be sure.
2007-05-30 23:24:30 · answer #8 · answered by ? 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Well, don't use those soft hand soap. THey are hard to take out. ANy anti-baacterial soap. Remember... soap will kill bacteria.
2007-05-31 00:14:32 · answer #9 · answered by Chris 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Rinse your hands in some vinegar and then wash them thoroughly with warm water.
2007-05-31 04:55:58 · answer #10 · answered by ninjaaa! 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋