Reminder: Wear gloves when moving rock
- Thread starter fishdude
- Start date
Wow thats crazy. I almost never used gloves at all in my 15+ years in the hobby. The two times I tried gloves they ended up torn and useless half way through cleaning my fuge. I have yet to see a set of thick rubber gloves either strong enough to stand up to the rocks or long enough to not get water/bits of stuff in them.
Even with bristle worm stings, a good hard scrub with soap and really hot water has always worked for me....so far.
Even with bristle worm stings, a good hard scrub with soap and really hot water has always worked for me....so far.
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Pretty crazy. I just broke down my 150 and put back my new 150 (warranty tank) that's another story. Removed all my rock with no gloves moved dozens of zoas and got multiple cuts from my live rock. Still alive. Amazing what just the right cut with the right bacteria can do. Or I just ain't got time to bleed 
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Like a lot of us, I have a pair of those "up to my armpit gloves" and never use them. I'm thinking that I will when moving rock from now on!
My fingers have resembled that more often than I can count. 13 years in the trade, I moved TONS of rock (literally). Never wore gloves. Never got infection. I know bunches of maintenance people, who have never had a problem either.
It does happen - it's rare, but it's a calculated risk. Tanks are full of all kinds of gnarly bacteria.
So is the ocean. So are lakes and rivers... look at the young woman who got flesh eating bacteria and lost a leg a few years ago, after a spill in a creek while zip-lining...
It likely has as much to do with the individual's immune system, as it does with what nasties live on the rocks. If your immune system is on the weak side - you get sick often, it's probably prudent to wear gloves, especially if you already have broken skin (even from something like a paper cut).
BTW - vinegar works wonders on bristles
Jenn
It does happen - it's rare, but it's a calculated risk. Tanks are full of all kinds of gnarly bacteria.
So is the ocean. So are lakes and rivers... look at the young woman who got flesh eating bacteria and lost a leg a few years ago, after a spill in a creek while zip-lining...
It likely has as much to do with the individual's immune system, as it does with what nasties live on the rocks. If your immune system is on the weak side - you get sick often, it's probably prudent to wear gloves, especially if you already have broken skin (even from something like a paper cut).
BTW - vinegar works wonders on bristles
Jenn
