Irritating Water?

[ThrowedToad]

I know this is the most amateur question! But, does SW tank water irritate skin? every time I touch the water in my tank my forearm and hand burn and itch. Is this normal? I know I should be using gloves but have not found any that reach my upper arm.

 

[ccCapt]

I doesn't bother me at all. Maybe if you have very sensitive skin it can cause some irritation.

 

[melosu58]

SW can be caustic. I`ve never had a problem with it though.

 

[Innovator]

What is in your tank? Any corals? Sometimes coral mucous can cause skin irritation.

 

[BucJason]

Do you have the same problem when you go to the beach?

 

[sooju]

I haven't had a problem with burning, but I've had my hands in the water a lot this week (catching all my fish and putting them in a hospital tank) and my hands definitely get VERY dry when exposed to the salt water. And I'm afraid to put lotion on them because I don't want it to get into the tank!

 

[fijiwigi]

For me at times my skin feels irritated from the water. But other times it doesn't bother me at all. I think when I have dry skin the salt tends to dry it out even more and is irritating. I really don't know what I am talking about but it happens to me

 

[BucJason]

Is it possible to be mildly allergic to salt??

 

[ThrowedToad]

I have some button polyps and a couple of mushrooms! I have heard that the button polyps are kinda dangerous, plus I have kinda sensitive skin. IDK guess it could be any of the above. Thank you all for your input!

 

[Innovator]

My guess is that you are possibly allergic to Zoanthus/Palythoa (button polyps). I believe Cindy (Fluff) also has this reaction so maybe she can chime in if she does anything special to protect herself; otherwise, use arm-length gloves.

 

[ccCapt]

And I'm afraid to put lotion on

....and she puts the lotion in the basket
....PUT THE LOTION IN THE BASKET!

 

[cooltop]

LoL I can not remeber that name of that movie now and Now I am going to sit at work all day trying to think of it.

 

[shawmck]

I have the same itchy and burning sensation when I have to get into my water. and no mushrooms for me I think it's just a normal reaction to salt water especailly if your skin is dry. as soon as i rince in normal water it goes away pretty quick.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

You can get nice shoulder (or higher, if you're short in stature like me!) length gloves here...

Reef Sleeves

These guys are great and I can vouch for both the business and the gloves!

I also tend to get dry skin, and if I'm mucking around in the tank without gloves for any length of time, my hands are pretty dry the next day. As mentioned earlier, salt water isn't the nicest thing to skin - it's pretty caustic, whether it's our tanks or the ocean.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

LoL I can not remeber that name of that movie now and Now I am going to sit at work all day trying to think of it.

Silence of the Lambs.

Great. Now I get to go off to bed thinking of that movie.

And I had a nice Chianti with our steak tonight. Wonderful. (At least no fava beans! )

 

[sooju]

I keep seeing that actor playing normal parts in movies and all I can think about is his role in Silence of the Lambs... and the girl in the well is now a heart surgeon on Gray's! Well, was.

 

[Justin_Toronto]

I've never had a problem, but coming from a Carribean background, being in salt water/beach water is a normal everyday event. Never had any problems with dry skin either... I find it kind of soothing, like having an epsom salt bath.

Just curious, those of you who DO suffer from reactions from their aquarium, what type of salt-mix are you using?

 

[Fluff]

I too do have a sensitivity to SW, as mentioned. It's not nearly as bad now as it was when I had my reef tank so I believe it was more a sensitivity to the corals. I bought a pair of aqua gloves but found them to be way to bulky to actually use so I now just scrub my hands and arms really well before and after working in the tank and that seems to help. Not sure if it matters that I am very fair skinned but as for the salt question, I've used Instant ocean, tropic marine, oceanic and reef crystals. All with the same results. So at least in my case, I don't think the type of salt is the issue.

 

[Justin_Toronto]

Interesting... was worth a shot.
Here's a tidbit of information I found from the Amercian Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI). Not sure if it's relevant or not, but thought I'd post it up anyway....

There is a reaction known as "seabather's eruption," a rash that happens after someone is exposed to ocean water and usually covers the area of the body covered by the bathing suit (although children may have reactions all over). According to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, the rash may be caused by an organism that may be too tiny to see, but will eventually grow into an adult sea anemones called Edwardsiella lineata. Some sea anemones can hurt people with poisonous stings, but I'm not sure if this particular anemone does that. In any event, the researchers suspect that the tiny larval stage of this anemone may be what causes the rash.

 

[Roberz00]

....and she puts the lotion in the basket
....PUT THE LOTION IN THE BASKET!

Joe Dirt was the movie. Joe was in the hole in the bad guys house.
heh