Tip of the Day – 6/27/2011

The weekends are a great time to do a lot of chores around the house. Since many people don’t have to go to work, the weekends are often filled with house cleaning, yard work, car washing, and aquarium maintenance. Unfortunately, these can all happen on a single day, and the tired hobbyist may forget just how contaminated his or her hands are before sticking them into the tank. A lot of the tasks we do at home involve all sorts of chemicals, and almost all are harmful to a reef aquarium. Home cleaning agents can coat your hands, and despite washing them, the chemicals can get into the aquarium and wreak havoc. To minimize exposing the aquarium to harmful chemicals, try using gloves when performing the various tasks around the house. You might also use gloves with long sleeves/cuffs when working in the tank. If you don’t have gloves, repeated washing of the hands in warm soapy water is best, followed by an extensive rinsing with water to remove any residual soap.