Sailfin Tang Venomous

[1979fishgeek]

Are Sailfin Tangs Venomous? Mine just attacked me while scraping off some algae (first time ever to be attacked by a Tang) I only have a tiny puncture hole but it’s hurting like a wasp sting and hand and wrist are even going numb?

This is the fella that did it.

Teeny puncture hole, but wow does it sting!

 

[EmdeReef]

Not venomous but they have razor sharp spikes on their tail that can do serious damage. I’ve never seen them attack people but not surprised it could happen and not surprised it could pierce skin as I’ve seen results of tang attacks on other fish. That said with every underwater wound there’s always a chance of an allergic reaction or infection.

I would disinfect the wound with alcohol or peroxide and apply neosporin. You may also want to take an antihistamine as a precaution, potentially apply antihistamine cream a few hours after neosporin (clean first).

***Please note that I’m not a doctor and it’s just my routine when I get scratched or injured working on my tank.

 

[1979fishgeek]

I’ve cleaned it but also run it under hot water, my daughter says it was Dory that stung me, must admit I was working from above and just saw a large fish flash at me then felt sharp sting. It feels like a bad wasp or bee sting running it under very hot water has taken away some of the pain.

I’ve taken some anti inflammatories, but quite a shock which ever did it!

 

[1979fishgeek]

Ouchie!

 

[lion king]

Something good to have on hand is "silver wound gel", it's made with colloidal silver and is very effective at preventing infection. There are sometimes weird bacteria that can enter a wound while playing in our tanks.

 

[this is me]

Wuss!

 

[1979fishgeek]

Wuss!

I know right, it’s a tiny teeny weeny little pin sized ‘wound’ and feels like my hands gonna fall off! Lol

That’s why I was wondering if the git was venomous! Certainly not the first time I’ve been bitten by a fish but by far the most painful, I am officially a complete wuss! Lol

 

[dansreef]

Beautiful fish! I think you need to quickly rehome it.... I wonder the cost of shipping to the states!!!!

It is amazing how the little scratches, bites and pokes by spines are the ones that hurt the most and also get infected the most. I got caught by something a couple months ago. It swelled up before I even got my hand out of the tank. Not sure if a tang got me....or something else. It was painful for a few days.

Good Luck.... and don't forget he has a home here if you are ready to get rid of him.

 

[1979fishgeek]

Lol, take more than a little sting for me to rehome him, he’s my absolute favourite fish in the tank even if he’s a complete b@st@rd! Lol

 

[McPuff]

Maybe you touched a coral? I did that just the other day and had a mark that looked just like yours. I feel like a tang "sting" would be more of a slice but I guess a poke is possible. Ha ha, that's what she said! :0)

 

[nereefpat]

After some reading: It looks like most tangs have a "groove" near their scalpels, where a venom gland would be, but glands aren't found in most species. Possibly, it's vestigial in most species.

In any case, if you feel light-headed, trouble breathing, heart racing, etc, take it seriously.

 

[4FordFamily]

They are not venomous but open wounds from saltwater should be taken very seriously. Run the hand many times under the hottest water you can handle, use antibacterial soap, and keep it clean and attended to.

When I moved all my rock to my 500 gallon wall tank and aquascaped it I cut my hands on the rock several times (something I've done probably 100 times over the past 14-15 years). I lazily cleaned in antibacterial soap. I had three of the 5 small injuries swell up and turn red and started shooting red down my hand in just a couple days. The pain was excruciating, it throbbed and I couldn't even sleep.

I now take this stuff very seriously. After taking two horse pill antibiotics (6 per day of two varieties) for 10 days I was mostly better. About a month or more later one of said infections is still a little red with a tiny hole where my flesh was eaten. It sounds more dramatic than it looks but you can still one of the three spots, the nurse said I was a day or two away from an infected tendon or something that would have been very bad.

As a side note, I've never been attacked by a tang. That's a really nasty fish, if it were my fish I'd assert dominance by chasing it all over the tank with my hands or re-home it.

 

[1979fishgeek]

Crazy, but it did swell up I had a bad night dealing with the pain, but took some more antihistamines and it was way better in the morning, just a tiny pin prick that just aches now. I was reading as much as I could find on the internet as to Tangs being venomous and read some were and then read moments later none were. But it def felt like a sting my hand was mid water and no where near coral or rock so could not have been anything but a fish, the Sailfin Tang is still being a little over confident with me and chasing him about seems to be just making him angrier.
I’ve been bitten my numerous fish over the years worst from a Fahaka Puffers and even large Clarkii Clowns and none were any where near as painful. But oh well at least I survived and hands still attached!! Lol

 

[roverbaugh]

Are Sailfin Tangs Venomous? Mine just attacked me while scraping off some algae (first time ever to be attacked by a Tang) I only have a tiny puncture hole but it’s hurting like a wasp sting and hand and wrist are even going numb?

This is the fella that did it.

Teeny puncture hole, but wow does it sting!

Mine got me when I was moving him to another tank and covered the net with my hand. Still feels like a have a tiny piece of glass stuck in my palm 3 weeks later

 

[i cant think]

I know right, it’s a tiny teeny weeny little pin sized ‘wound’ and feels like my hands gonna fall off! Lol

That’s why I was wondering if the git was venomous! Certainly not the first time I’ve been bitten by a fish but by far the most painful, I am officially a complete wuss! Lol

Oh, I hate working around a tank with a clown that bites from nowhere, I had an absolute panic attack when the clownfish first ever nipped me, I dropped the rock thinking “The foxface has just hit me”, luckily the foxface was on the other side of the tank and I discovered it was the clown soon after picking the rock up again. Not looking forward to my tang swiping me after just a clownfish biting me… No tangs are venomous, their close relatives (Siganids and I think Scatophagus) on the other hand are. It probably stung from salt getting into the wound aswell as the slice from the tank.

 

[i cant think]

Crazy, but it did swell up I had a bad night dealing with the pain, but took some more antihistamines and it was way better in the morning, just a tiny pin prick that just aches now. I was reading as much as I could find on the internet as to Tangs being venomous and read some were and then read moments later none were. But it def felt like a sting my hand was mid water and no where near coral or rock so could not have been anything but a fish, the Sailfin Tang is still being a little over confident with me and chasing him about seems to be just making him angrier.
I’ve been bitten my numerous fish over the years worst from a Fahaka Puffers and even large Clarkii Clowns and none were any where near as painful. But oh well at least I survived and hands still attached!! Lol

I would have two people keeping an eye on the tank for now and making sure you don’t go near a tangs scalpel/Tail. One of the people I worked with at my LFS was bagging up a nice sized Tennetti/Vampire (6-7” long) and got swiped by him. I’m so glad it wasn’t me who was bagging up the tang because of how he described the pain. Just gotta hope my Bristletooth never goes rouge on me.