Sunscreen lotion could bleach your coral

[Joseph Lee]

I came across this website. Have you ever had any issues with unknown coral bleaching?

Sunscreen Chemicals and Coral Reefs

Healthy coral reefs are one of the most valuable ecosystems on Earth. They provide billions of dollars in economic and environmental services, such as food, coastal protection, and tourism. However, coral ecosystems around the world face serious threats from a number of sources, including...

oceanservice.noaa.gov

 

[H2OPlayar]

I think it was Coralus who used an spf lotion and noticed poor effects. I rarely use screen on my arms so I don't worry too much about that in my tank. When I travel to reef locations, I do make sure I am using a mineral based sunscreen.

 

[gmdcdvm]

Hawaii regulates the type of sunscreen sold in the state for these reasons.
G

 

[Thales]

Much of this concern is over hyped and under supported. It's kind of a feel good solution that lets people ignore bigger problems while feeling they are helping.

That said, I think it shoujld be everyones SOP to rinse their hands and arms before going in the tank.

 

[Corallus]

My bit of weirdness was I watched basically all of my sps colonies die shortly after moving over to a new tank, could not figure out why. ICP testing showed high zinc, which happens to be in the sunscreen I use regularly, and could have easily been coming from my hands.

I wish I had something more definitive, like a current low zinc number and now thriving sps, but I haven’t done an ICP test in a while and I still can’t keep sps alive.