Yeah, I noticed. Oops.Wrong person.
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Yeah, I noticed. Oops.Wrong person.
Well, at least you won't do that again.Yes. Unfortunately.
I don’t know, knock on wood, but I’ve been keeping reef tanks for over 20 years, and I’ve never had any issues from putting my hands in the tank, at least not from toxins or bristle worms (and I’ve touched a fair few of them). I have been severely stung by this weird little anemone I had years ago (very knowledgeable lfs owner didn’t know what it was, nor did I, it was about an inch and half wide and it looked sort of like the under side of a lion’s mane jellyfish or a fluffier version of a sea apple’s tentacles, only it was pastel blue, pink, and yellow), it blistered up pretty bad and looked almost like a chemical burn. I also had a dime size chunk of flesh taken out of the back of my hand by an undulated trigger, like a half sphere with the diameter of a dime, still have a gnarly scar from it. Pretty sure it swallowed the piece of meat.
And yet with a number of stories similar to yours, so many in the hobby still take palytoxin with a grain of salt as if it's overrated.A few years ago I poisoned myself and my wife (girlfriend at the time) by aerosolizing palytoxin trying to scrub dying "Texas Trash" palythoa off a rock with running hot water and a wire brush. Wife (who was in the other room) was nauseous for a day, I was hospitalized with high fever and extremely rapid heart rate and high blood pressure for 24 hours. Received IV Fluids in hospital, and once temp, heart rate, and blood pressure decreased, was sent home. Felt nauseous and super weak for about 48 hours.
Never would have done something like it normally. I was way too tired to be working on tank stuff, but had come home from working 3rd shift and was excited to try and prep some rock for my new tank.
Also been electrocuted by faulty pumps/broken heaters multiple times, had to go to the hospital once it was so bad. Used to get stung all the time by my old longspjne urchin while cleaning the tank, and have been stung by lionfish, rabbitfish, and a freshwater stingray (Potamotrygon sp.) as well. The freshwater ray was definitely the worst of all the stings I've gotten. Throbbed for about 3 days. Had a niger trigger that would take small chunks out of the back of your arm if you didn't pay attention while cleaning the tank.
Yup. I won't keep the bigger palys anymore (only zoas) and only handle them with goggles. If I want to frag them, I let them grow onto a frag plug or piece of rubble, then pull it apart under water. Not worth the risk. I liked the palys because even the butterflies wouldn't eat them, but there was an obvious reason why.And yet with a number of stories similar to yours, so many in the hobby still take palytoxin with a grain of salt as if it's overrated.
Yeah, it's not like the limited amout of PPE needed to work around these animals safely is a big deal. I worked in a spray booth for several years wearing full body PPE all day every day but I got used to it. Loads of others work under similar conditions. How hard is it for people to put on gloves and goggles for a few minutes when working with potentially dangerous animals often difficult to positively I.D. I swear some people are just stubborn. They need to prove to themselves or others that they know better. It's unfortunate.Yup. I won't keep the bigger palys anymore (only zoas) and only handle them with goggles. If I want to frag them, I let them grow onto a frag plug or piece of rubble, then pull it apart under water. Not worth the risk. I liked the palys because even the butterflies wouldn't eat them, but there was an obvious reason why.
Yeah that counts! Any tank injury counts.I haven't got any (because I haven't any salty tank yet) but cleaning a freshwater tank Razorblades underwater...
Slip ouch! turned water red.
I used to run a small public aquarium. I got bitten by a sea turtle who mistook my hand for one of the live blue crabs I fed him. Their mouth always reminded me of a birds beak, but 100x larger.