Topic: Is nail polish toxic to my cichlids?

[iwishuwould]

Hi,
I just got my nails done today, and my husband said I can not touch our cichlids until I removed my nail polish Please tell me is nail polish toxic to my cichlids? If it is a "YES", I will remove my nail polish. Thanks all.

[Maddy mad man]

I wouldnt have thought so not if its dry.

[tracey]

I have had my hands in my tanks when my nails have been painted and I haven't had any problems.  Once your nails are completely dry, they shouldn't react to  the water.  Just be careful that you don't scratch the polish on anything and leave any traces in the tank.  If your fish ingest them, that could be a big problem.

[Adam]

Once they are dry I cant imagine they will cause any problems.  I would give them at least a good 6-8 hours curing time after they are dry just to be on the safe side.

Maybe this isnt exactly what you meant, but.... why are you "touching your cichlids" on such a regular basis?  Its not good for the fish to be handled.  If you meant just putting your hands in the water then what I said above should be true.

[Alex]

would nail polish still not leave a residue. Like an oily residue that may affect the fish's scales or such? I know that you are ment to wash your hands with water before putting them inside the tank with out the aid of soap or detergent. would putting your hands inside the tank with nail polish or nail polish remover on your hands still afect them? i know for instance putting say dry paint would be detrimental to their health due to that fact that the paint may still emit poisonous substances that come off with water. i dnt know if this would be the same for nail polish?

Alex

[Adam]

would nail polish still not leave a residue. Like an oily residue that may affect the fish's scales or such? I know that you are ment to wash your hands with water before putting them inside the tank with out the aid of soap or detergent. would putting your hands inside the tank with nail polish or nail polish remover on your hands still afect them? i know for instance putting say dry paint would be detrimental to their health due to that fact that the paint may still emit poisonous substances that come off with water. i dnt know if this would be the same for nail polish?

Alex

It really depends on the paint.  There are several brands of spray paint which are perfectly safe to use in submerged applications.  I have seen DIY internal overflow boxes painted with it when clear plastic or glass was used in the construction, and even used on reef aquariums which are infinitely more sensitive to those kinds of things. 

Also your hands really shouldnt be in the tank for more then about 10 mins a month total, I doubt that anything could possibly be released from nail polish in that short a period of time.  I dont routinely put my hands in my tank even when I am doing regular maintenance but maybe I am the weird one here.  Arranging decorations is basically the only time I actually submerge my hands in the tank.