The Puffer Forum

Here is the story:
Finished work .. overly busy. Muscles aching, so I took a bath. My wife gave me some hot spring concentrate (from Japan) and now I smell like sulphur. Not that I mind I like it.

Anyway, I was arranging some plants in the tank for about 5 mins and then noticed ALL the snails on the tank wall take a nose dive towards the substrate.

It isn't like I would leave a "ring around the lake".

How do you becareful that residual chems don't enter your fish tank. I did wash my hands and arms and rinsed them well, but they still smell.

just a little confused as to the action on the snails ... all lined up all scooting away from the surface at the same time.

I was actually asking myself this same question a few days ago when i got out of the shower and went to fed my fish. i could smell soap on my hads so i scrubbed my hands in warm water but i still smelt it. hopefully someone comes along with a better solution.

I would run away too if a monster that stunk of rotten eggs invaded my home!

I have no idea but I would probably try to wash off in something that is safe to go in cuts. Some soaps are fine to go directly into a cut/minor wound and won't hurt a bit. I'm guessing those would be safer for the fish. If I wash my hands before going into the tank or touching fish I 'wash' my hands well with hot water.

As a general rule of thumb, I always rinse everything off that is going in any of my tanks a couple times. If I have a small residue of soap on my hands still left over, I hope that the size of the aquarium will dilute it so much that it is not harmful. However, I try to avoid this as much as possible with water not from the tank. Have any of the fish/ snails shown any other problematic signs?

Flutter wrote: I wash my hands before going into the tank or touching fish I 'wash' my hands well with hot water.

yep, and lots of it!

Well, the simple answer would be to get a pair of those long aquascaping gloves, this protects both the fish and you.. fish from lotions/soaps and you from parasites and things like tuberculosis.

There is a certain type of soap that is recommended to wash your hands and arms with before sticking them in the tanks, but its "old fashioned" and can be hard to find.. I *think* it might be "castile" soap but I really just don't know.

I just make a point of not sticking my hands or arms in the tank after I've recently showered or put on any sort of lotion. I think most general hand soaps are pretty safe if you rinse well, maybe not the moisturizing ones. But I will not mess around in a tank after taking a shower and using scented body wash, shaving cream, etc.. usually I want a shower after I've messed around in the tank, especially the saltwater one!

groovitudedude wrote:Have any of the fish/ snails shown any other problematic signs?

none as of yet, but I could be observing things incorrectly.

Flutter it is not a stinky egg smell.. more like when you light a match

Tank water causes TB? OMG .... Whhen I was working produce I got knicked almost daily from the boxes and still worked the tanks without gloves ... ick!

LOL the tank water itself won't cause it, but its not exactly a rare disease in many common trade fish (danios and white clouds I know it can be pretty common, when you see the classic sudden bent spine, watch out).

If you are worried, run some fresh carbon in your filter.

What causes the egg smell then?

not sure ... there are different properties in different hot springs. And they all sell different.

The egg smell is from sulfur compounds. They are an aromatic group, but not one considered pleasant by anybody. Sniff the Prime bottle for an example. Or over-cook scrambled eggs.