Are Aquariums Safe from disease

Quote from here
freshaquarium.about.com/od/beginnerfaqs/a/aquariumsafety.htm

Surely fish disease cannot be transmitted to humans? Wrong! Although uncommon, fish can transmit disease to humans under certain circumstances. The notable example is a species of mycobacterium that causes what is commonly referred to as 'Fish TB'.

Persons who have weakened immune systems, such as diabetics, are at highest risk. If an infected fish is in the tank, the disease can enter your body through even the smallest cut or scrape on the skin. All you have to do is put your hand in the tank to rearrange a decoration, or scrape algae off the glass, clean a filter, etc., and you can be exposed to the disease.

Although this is a low risk situation, if you have health conditions it is wise to cover your skin when working in the tank. Full length reusable or disposable gloves are available, and are well worth the investment. Another excellent tool is a long handled pair of tongs for situations where you simply need to move or pick something up in the tank.

Even if you wear gloves, be sure to wash your hands and arms thoroughly after you've had them in the aquarium. If you are really concerned about the hazards, consider hiring someone else to maintain your tank for you.

what do you think or know has anyone got anything from there tank from a cut or swallowing fish tank water
the reason i ask i have done both a few times and have been ok but could it be picked up by someone else in the house. Here is another thing that has been on my mind and anyone tell me if they know of any cases of
Salmonella being got from a fish tank?

"Salmonellosis is a infection of the intestines caused by a group of bacteria called Salmonella. The bacteria are shed in the stool of infected animals and humans. Infection can happen when a person eats food or drinks water or milk that has been contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. Salmonella bacteria have also been found in tropical fish and home aquariums. Infection with salmonella can cause serious disease especially in children younger than 5 years of age, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems."

copy form this link
www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health.../zoonotics/fish.aspx

The list of zoonoses on the last link is rather short tbh.

I also noted something in the first link that was a bit of a shocker (in more ways that one)....under the electrical equipment hazards, apart from the piece could have listed more risks that must be controlled, it recommended (quote)"....Make sure all cords are grounded" (unquote).....that is potentially extremely dangerous unless the piece of equipment is manufacturered to be grounded (and very few pieces of aquarium equipment are designed to be grounded).

There are many hazards with keeping aquarium, and aquarists should be aware of most and how to avoid or control the hazards.

ian

un-plug electrical equipment, before putting hands into the aquarium, we all know this, and it is stated on most aquarium equipment packaging/instructions, yet how many of us do so? Very few I suspect.

I wonder how many people not only un-plug their equipment but also hold onto a nearby radiator whilst having their hands in the tank?

CrustyCrab wrote:

un-plug electrical equipment, before putting hands into the aquarium, we all know this, and it is stated on most aquarium equipment packaging/instructions, yet how many of us do so? Very few I suspect.

very few I would say .. out of interest do you crusty ?

No, most times I don't.

CrustyCrab wrote:

No, most times I don't.

me neither , think I may start though .. why dont we i wonder ?

bmcg38 wrote:

CrustyCrab wrote:

No, most times I don't.

me neither , think I may start though .. why dont we i wonder ?

Sounds like I better stop using the hair-dryer while I'm doing water changes too

I think it the "It won't happen to me" thing.
I will from now on....

How many put their hand into the water with a cut even if it’s a small one it’s not safe
two things i did during the keep made me think about this one was i didn’t turn off the power while taking out fish and bagging them i had a very small cut but i could still feel a small shock when i put my hand into water i know salt water can do the same. the other thing i was emptying a small tank and i didn’t use a pump i just used the gravel cleaner and got small bit of water in my mouth

The main reason why i started this topic is to see how many bad habbits people have
and to find out more about salmonella poison from aquarium water a man was telling me he had to shut down a tank years ago because of the off chance his mother could pick up some thing and she would not have been able to fight the infection. she looked very live and healthy so he was happy with his choice

I've never had any health issues I'd associate with the tanks but since the little man has been around I keep alcoholic hand gel by the tanks just in case

LemonJelly wrote:

I've never had any health issues I'd associate with the tanks but since the little man has been around I keep alcoholic hand gel by the tanks just in case

+1 on this

I have only started plugging out/switching off my tank when doing water changes and i have a hand sanitizer gel by the tank at all times, my son feeds them at night before he goes to bed and even he has it drilled into him to wash his hands when done, i thought i was just being extra cautious with having a new baby in the house but you can never be to careful

CrustyCrab wrote:

un-plug electrical equipment, before putting hands into the aquarium, we all know this, and it is stated on most aquarium equipment packaging/instructions, yet how many of us do so? Very few I suspect.

I for 1 never do that until now, thanks for the good advise.its just lazyness on my prt as all my equipment is controlled by one main switch.

Ive often swolowed small amounts of tank water doing water changes, is it any more a risk than swimming in a river or sea.

paulv wrote:

Ive often swolowed small amounts of tank water doing water changes, is it any more a risk than swimming in a river or sea.

i would say it more like drinking water from the canal i will be talking to the lad and ask him more about disease from water he was saying it can happen from cold water fish and some other things like african frogs
it is good to high light all the things and like CrustyCrab says its only 1 switch to turn off all power in some tanks

There is an increased potential of the pathogens being more concentrated in a fish tank, and less chance of natural control.

There could also be an increased chance of an increased diversity within a fish tank (think....multiple routes from wild populations across the world, multiple routes via traders across the world, varying degrees of antibiotic resistance due to dosing etc)

ian

igmillichip wrote:

There is an increased potential of the pathogens being more concentrated in a fish tank, and less chance of natural control.

There could also be an increased chance of an increased diversity within a fish tank (think....multiple routes from wild populations across the world, multiple routes via traders across the world, varying degrees of antibiotic resistance due to dosing etc)

ian

So do most people use gloves or not when cleaning the tank?

I dont think any body wears gloves dealing with fish tanks.every where you go your exposed to potental health hazards but we just get on with it.

If this tioic was only to make people aware of what they are doing and the fact that there is a chance of getting a disease from the water from the proper care not taken. I know it might never happen but its good to high light some things that might slip our mind. As from yesterday i turn off the power when my hands are in the tank and wash my hands after everything i do tank related.

There are fish that I have that I always wear gloves to clean the tank and filter.
I wear gloves when handling the poison dart frogs and any other amphibian: for their and my safety.....so why not with certain fish?

Not all hazards from a fish tank have an acute affect; some are long-term and may not even be noticed by the fish-keeper.

How many people go for specific tests on all of the potential diseases from a fish tank?

ian

I havent read the link yet,
But PFK magazine had an article on this previously.
A girl got a rash type mark on her hand.
They also claimed Gouramis to be carriers of TB.