Managing real reef risks: Do you pay attention to the dangers in your tank?

[ChrisfromBrick]

Now that’s one thing I won’t touch…saw what it did to my dads fingers when we had one growing up and I use those fingers daily!!!! Granted he was normally better about not touching it UNTIL the mad dash to save the stuff in the tank cuz it sprung a leak……

that’s so interesting, because all mine did was stick to my hands. No reaction at all. I probably should have researched them before grabbing it. Guess I am one of the lucky ones.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

I have had clownfish bites that have broken the skin, but the most damage is usually done when I get surprised and yank my hand back and hitting something in the process.

i can’t wrap my head around this. Does it hurt? I’ve had little ones attack me but i don’t feel anything.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

Nope that’s a job for a shop vac and a crafty bucket funnel system…

Tank growing up did that…it was a race to get tank water into garbage cans and rescue fish…..200 gallons of water trying to escape to the floor fun stuff at 1 am

dang i’m sorry to hear this. What do you think caused it?

 

[Reefing_addiction]

that’s so interesting, because all mine did was stick to my hands. No reaction at all. I probably should have researched them before grabbing it. Guess I am one of the lucky ones.

I think it’s also the type of carpet nem. And this one was flippin huge…..that’s all I remember about it….but this was 25+yrs ago lol

 

[Peace River]

i can’t wrap my head around this. Does it hurt? I’ve had little ones attack me but i don’t feel anything.

It definitely gets your attention when they bite on the skin between your fingers. Even on other parts of your hand it can feel like a sharp pinch, but the main issue is the surprise because they will dash out, bite, and quickly retreat. Candidly, there have been times when I have put on gloves so I didn't have to worry about it.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

dang i’m sorry to hear this. What do you think caused it?

Have no clue….Dad was good friends with the fish store guy we had a new tank next day

 

[Reefing_addiction]

It definitely gets your attention when they bite on the skin between your fingers. Even on other parts of your hand it can feel like a sharp pinch, but the main issue is the surprise because they will dash out, bite, and quickly retreat. Candidly, there have been times when I have put on gloves so I didn't have to worry about it.

This. It’s definitely not painful but why do they go for between the fingers!!!! I’ve hit my lights from the surprise! I’ve gotten better. I now expect them to attack like the mean little creatures they are lol. They even swim to the other side of the tank to bite me. My BF finds it funny

 

[Reefing_addiction]


Had one hit the back of my hand, deflect out of the tank against the wall and onto the hardwood floor. She learned a lesson for like 6 months on that one. Black/white female, she a big girl

Mine are black and whites…

The male maybe behaved for 2 days…..

 

[exnisstech]

Me too, I gave a few tangs a serious case of HLLE in QT. Had stray voltage, it really messed up my tangs

I'd question if stray voltage was the cause. I've had as much as 50 volts in a tank from a leaking koralia power head and nothing in my tank was affected including my 6 tangs. Jay Hemdel has confirmed stray voltage is a red herring. It's one of those things that has been repeated so many times and blamed for mystery deaths that it has become an internet fact.

 

[leon.1980]

The only thing I even really consider a danger is a tanks worth of SW all over the floor

Yup. Wifey danger.

 

[saltcats]

I don't worry about it too much, although I do make sure to wash my hands before and after putting them in the tank... and probably wear goggles if I'm messing with zoas out of the water but that's just because I am ridiculously prone to getting things in my eyes!

The only thing I really worried about was when I had an active ostreopsis outbreak; then I was extra cautious about making sure to wash my hands thoroughly, since those guys are pretty nasty.

 

[Reefer Matt]

If you stay in reefing long enough, you will have something happen that will increase your respect and awareness for the tank.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

You know what we are not considering…

The risk we are to our tank….

If you wear any fragrances, lotion, or other stuff that’s on your skin and then you stick your hand/arm in what damage are we doing?? Even if you wash your hands - do you use non scented soap?

Possibility of causing trauma to the tank during regular maintenance

Possibility of braking damaging a coral


I’m more concerned about that honestly

 

[SueAubu]

Looked in the tank this morning and realized my new goni was beating up what I have long-suspected to be palys. I figured they'd start retaliating or spitting soooooo:. Gloves went on. Frags taken out. Rock removed, put in garbage bag, thrown out the window (so it didn't go thru the house.). Thanks for opening my eyes, Yall!!

 

[shutterspeed1000]

I do my best to limit my risks. Mainly keep things neat and clean around the tank, keep cords tidy, off the floor, and on a GFI that gets tested montly. Power is off when I work in the tank. I try not to put my hands in the tank much as things seem to do better, but when I need to move a rock I wear gloves. I research what I am adding to the tank and avoid things that concern me.

 

[ArachnoJoozt]

- The controllers/electricity are in a separate cabinet next to the aquarium
- Always use long gloves while working in the aquarium, for the protection of my skin, but mostly to shield the corals from any contaminants on my skin (use quite a lot of hand cream because of a lot of hand desinfection at work)
- Use a lot of caution when working with Zoanthids, even if the risks are minimal, I still want to avoid them when I can.

Time for a Zoanthid prune!

 

[Paul B]

I don't have to many concerns but I do get a lot of water on the floor. Luckily it's in my man cave/workshop and the floor is concrete so it doesn't hurt anything except my pride.

Most of my equipment is DIY and sometimes it either springs a leak or "spritzers" all over the place. That normally happens to my algae scrubber because it sits above my tank and there is no plastic around it. As algae grows on it it tends to clog the holes for the water so water may shoot out the side. It happened yesterday. But I will keep tweeking it until it is solved.

I am an electrician so know stray electricity is just something to be discussed on fish forums and doesn't do anything no matter how high the voltage is. If it gets to high, I will short circuit my electric eels.

 

[Flame2hawk]

I pressed “other” as I pay allot of attention to my collection of fish risks before anything else….

 

[beamers]

What sort of weird rhetorical question/poll is this.

 

[vlangel]

I am an older aquarist who has been keeping aquariums for 5 decades and reef tanks for over 2 decades. I worked at a petstore and accidently knocked a light fixture in a tank, got bit by an eel ( cut to the bone with its 3 rows of teeth), sucked on more siphon hoses than I can count and have pulled out palys without gloves or goggles but it's always turned out OK. Even when the eel bit me, I just washed it really good, put some neosporin on it and then butterflied it shut. It healed with barely a scar.