marine injuries

Saltysteele · Nov 3, 2008

Just curious who here has been injured while tending their tanks.

I've read several stories of people having adverse reactions to zoa's and paly's, people getting stung by corals, sliced or bit by fish, etc.

I'm also interested in those who have not had reactions, but have had contacts as listed above.

Reason I ask, is I needed to cut off a piece of rock that had a yuma attached to it that was being eclipsed by a blue shroom (had moved and was just sitting on top of the yuma). While trying to get the piece of rock out of the little notch of the larger rock it was sitting in, I had to put my finger under to push it out. Well, felt something fuzzy and soft, and as I pulled the rock out, I noticed a 6" bristle worm wriggling around under where it was.

I looked at my finger while still in the water, and there were 2 rows of bristles, each consisting of possibly 100 or more bristles. I pulled them out with my moist towel, being careful not to push any in further. So far, no reactions, no pain; some were in pretty far.

This made me curious, as I have never had a reaction to the z&p's, have touched my nem's (even was brushed by the tube anemone I had) and have touched all my corals; no reactions.

I was wondering what are some of the encounters everyone else has had?

brian92 · Nov 3, 2008

I was talkng to a guy at the LFS he said when they had a dragon moray he talking to someone he leaned against the tank and just put his hand in and the eel went up and bit and ripped his palm up

Also every time I frag my zoanthids after I think I'm gonna die from palytoxin poisoning. Got a rash from brushing against my LR before it went away in a day or two though.

Saltysteele · Nov 3, 2008

Wow! Those dragon's have some pretty vicious-looking teeth!

reef-nut · Nov 3, 2008

I think most of us has been stung be something. I got it from a urchin, can not remember name maybe a long spine, and it burned for about 2 hours. I got stung by a branching hammer or something hiding in the hammer. I had 2 spots, looked like a spider bite. This is not the same, but I have been bitten seven times by a fiddle back (brown reclouse), with very little damage. I was asleep and a fiddleback climbed across my arm and got me 3 times. One finger got a hole in it.

kateater · Nov 3, 2008

While cleaning my tank my ill tempered three stripe damsel bit me. It didn't hurt but startled me I jerked my arm out of the tank and touched it to a 400 watt metal halide bulb that had been burning all day. Got a terrible 2nd degree burn and a nasty scar.

AlexStinson · Nov 3, 2008

I've been stung by several things in the store, worst was getting barbed by a large blue regal tang. I was cussing for hours with my hand in the freezer.

seafansar · Nov 3, 2008

I've been stung by my frogspawn, not badly though. And I've been stuck by a bristle worm too. The first time it happened my finger turned numb and there was a hard spot where each bristle was. The hard spots didn't go away for about a week, then they all blistered up and went away a few days later. The second time I got stuck by one I soaked my finger in vinegar to dissolve the bristles. It worked and my finger was fine.

A guy I know grabbed a rock and one of those long skinny vermetid snail tubes broke off way under his finger nail. He had to cut it out. It looked soooo painful!

gflat65 · Nov 3, 2008

I've been stung by frogspawn and BTA's (on a scar), a diadema urchin (not pleasant), those little freaakin tubes on LR that love to get jammed in your fingers and break off, and have had some weird effects from fragging on several occasions. I've been woosie a few times, but no telling what caused it.

ecotoxlady · Nov 3, 2008

In a recent move, when I dismantled my tank, I had put all of my live rock in tubs with some tank water and moved my corals in seperate tubs. I've never worn gloves before and never had an adverse reaction so I thought nothing of it. I cut my hands up pretty badly since I had to move the tank on my own. The next day I woke up in excruciating pain. My thumb on my right hand, which ironically hadn't even been cut-up, only barely scratched, was swollen to the point where I could not move it and I had the worst migraine. Through the day it only proceeded to get worse. I waited until the evening of the next day and then had my husband take me to the emergency room when the pain became unbearable even with liberal amounts of pain killers. The ER doctors believed it was envenomation from something in my tank but couldn't rule out infection so they gave me Cipro and Prednisone (steroid). I started feeling better the day after I began the treatment though it took over a month before the pain in my thumb fully disappeared. To this day I still don't know what caused that reaction.

rdvab · Nov 3, 2008

Not sure if I posted here ,but I was hit by my dwarf Lion fish about 2 weeks ago.MY GOSH it hurt.not as bad as some I have heard about but very close to feeling the need for an ambulance.Pain for about 2 hrs. and a numb arm for a few more hrs.I always frag without gloves and hanld all my corals,no other reactions....

paintballer768 · Nov 3, 2008

Just LR scratches here and MH lamp burns on the top side of my hand from being absent minded. Ive been bitten by my past maroon clown a number of times, I miss him just thinking about it. That fish had a lot of personality, it was just too aggressive and was getting large for the tank. I dont see him at the LFS I turned him into anymore, I hope they got a good home for him.

aquaman3680 · Nov 3, 2008

I have gotten paly toxin. I was cleaning the glass and scraped my finger on a zoa rock. That was on a Friday. My finger started to swell up on Saturday, there were shooting red streaks up to my wrists. I went to the hospital and was put on some infection IV and was admitted for a night.

Sucked big time!

Matt

ahayes13 · Nov 3, 2008

well nothing too major for me yet. but i do seem to have a reaction every time i put my hands in a tank. i wear gloves, but if i put my arm down into almost any tank within a few minutes my arm starts itching and hurting and breaks out into almost a rash or sorts, a lil bumpy and really red and hurts. i havent figured out what it is yet that gives me that reaction. ????? and thats without touching a darn thing......

Saltysteele · Nov 3, 2008

Wowsers! Good stories! Keep em coming :haha:

Pitcom · Nov 3, 2008

I was getting bad rashes on my arms after about 6 months of setting up me new tank. Every time I put my hand in the water I would get red bumps and a rash. It turned out being the dish soap i was using to wash my hands and arms with after being in the tank. :tongue:

Stixbaraca · Nov 3, 2008

I had a "great" idea one time that I was going to make a frag of some zoos while still in the display tank since they were on a fairly large rock. I decide to try the hammer and chisel. The hammer didn't quite work under water so I decided to hold the rock firmly with one hand while attmepting to "scrape" a frag of the zoos off the rock. The chisel slipped off the rock, and sank deeply into the hand holding the rock...after it passed through the zoos! I think I freaked out more about the zoos and their goo being deposited inside the large cut on my hand more than anything. I finally got the bleeding to stop, and treated for possible infection. Thanks god all worked out well in the end...and I promised myself I would remove colonies frmo the display before fragging in the future!

AlexStinson · Nov 3, 2008

Yeah my boss at work has begun getting some contact dermititus from having his hands in the saltwater all the time, now he only gets them wet when it is absolutely necessary

ahayes13 · Nov 4, 2008

mine is def. something in the tank. not a soap. im not sure what yet, my display tank doesnt seem to bother me too much just a lil itchy, but my frag tank (which is new) has lots of algae and who knows what and it just kills my skin !

Russellaqua · Nov 4, 2008

I've never had a reaction to anything. I've intentionally touched fire coral just for the experience and felt only a slight tingling sensation that went away after 5 minutes. I've handled basically every type of coral there is bare handed without a problem. Nothing has ever tried to make a meal of me though.