Ain't just Lionfish to watch out for...

[Terra Ferma]

I was doing a big clean up on my tank yesterday. While speed scraping some stubborn coralline and diatoms in murky water (lots of stuff was stirred up) I felt an unpleasant stab on my right index and middle fingers. After about 5 minutes it was hurting pretty bad. After about 30 minutes it was some of the more intense pain I have felt. To combat the pain I soaked my hand in an ice bath for 2 hours, took some stuff, and did some other things....was eventually able to pass out 4 hours after it happened. My hand is still puffed up like a sausage.

I have three fish in the tank - a blue tang, a chrysurus angel and a puffer. I'm guessing it was the tang or angel but can't say for sure. So be careful out there.

 

[AlexS95]

I would have blamed it was the puffer.

 

[Recty]

I'm confused a little... did you actually have any damage on your hand? Or just pain?

Do you have any urchins in your tank? It sounds much more like something venomous poked into you, an angel or a tang scraping you wont make your hand puff up like sausage.

 

[snorvich]

I would have blamed it was the puffer.

That would be my vote as far as fish. But urchins or similar would have that effect as well.

 

[namxas]

Regal Tangs have pretty nasty dorsal spines. A friend of mine who owns a LFS said he got poked by a regal's dorsal fin and it was worse than any lionfish sting he's ever gotten.

 

[rssjsb]

That would be my vote as far as fish. But urchins or similar would have that effect as well.

I thought puffers were toxic to eat, but not actually venomous.

 

[Reefers Digest]

I'd be cautious and keep an eye on it. If it gets any worse, seeing a doctor would be my next step. It's a long shot, as it arose almost instantaneously, but it could have something to do with Mycobacterium marinum.

Just being precautious.

 

[Ceebuano]

i doubt if the puffer did this..i've heard puffers do nip but man your hand ballooned fast.hope you're doing okay though

 

[treylane]

I thought puffers were toxic to eat, but not actually venomous.

Right. Puffer=venomous would be news to me. The tang's spines are likely enough to be venomous but you'd see a cut/scrape where he sliced you.

More likely you brushed up against a coral/bristleworm/something in the tank that you're allergic to - many people have bad reactions even to common corals, everyone is different.

Even sponges can cause problems! These tall skinny black sponges in my tank will make my hands swell up not QUITE as bad as your pic.

Anyway, go see a doc if the swelling isn't going away on its own. If there's just a little bit of puffiness/itching left, you should be able to take care of it with hydrocortisone/benadryl cream.

 

[Wolverine]

It's a long shot, as it arose almost instantaneously, but it could have something to do with Mycobacterium marinum.

Long term, that's always a concern, but M. marinum is a slow growing bacterium; it won't cause that much of a response that quickly.

The tang's spines are likely enough to be venomous but you'd see a cut/scrape where he sliced you.

Most tangs don't have venom, but a few do. That said, there is a spot that looks like it could be a scrape at the base of the middle finger, so it is a possibility. That said ...

More likely you brushed up against a coral/bristleworm/something in the tank that you're allergic to -

I agree with this.

Anyway, go see a doc if the swelling isn't going away on its own. If there's just a little bit of puffiness/itching left, you should be able to take care of it with hydrocortisone/benadryl cream.

I would have a very, very low threshold to go in to be seen with the way that looks. Or I'd just start myself on antibiotics, but I can cheat that way.

 

[pinnatus]

My fingers do that from bristle worms.

Also, zoas and palys have quite a toxin too.

 

[29reef]

Does anyone else feel that the OP should have soaked his hand in hot/warm water and not in cold?

I've always been told that warm water was better for aiding removal of toxins as well as iodine salts. Am I missinformed?

Hopefully this post will remind people to wear gloves more often when doing clean up.

 

[Wolverine]

Does anyone else feel that the OP should have soaked his hand in hot/warm water and not in cold?

I've always been told that warm water was better for aiding removal of toxins as well as iodine salts. Am I missinformed?

Warm water won't do anything beneficial (and could potentially do harm).
Some advocate using hot water, with the goal of denaturing the venom proteins (carefully balance here not to burn yourself). The argument for cold would be to reduce swelling, and to reduce blood flow (thus keeping the toxin in a localized area, and reducing exposure to the rest of your body).

All that said, with their being arguments for either approach, I'm not aware of strong evidence for either method.

 

[Terra Ferma]

Thanks all for your thoughts and advice. Pretty sure it wasn't a rock as they were all removed at the time this happened. There was a large Galaxea in the area but it would have just torn up my whole hand. Its hard to tell because my hand is swollen but there are (were) three punctures/cuts on my thumb, index and middle finger. They bled a bit until the swelling pushed them shut.

I figured that if it was the puffer there would be many more punctures. The split, so to speak, seems like it could have been from either the angel or the tang with its respective doral pushed up in full guard. Either way we will never know...so don't stick your hand in a murky tank unless you know what is in the immediate area!

 

[Moos3]

You may've gotten stung via bristleworm when removing the rocks? Some of the worst swelling I've ever seen comes from those things.

 

[Dvara78]

+ Bristle worms can cause some intense pain and swelling!

 

[Flaring Afro]

Puffers make more of a nip feeling like a rodent biting you. I vote it was the tang and it's spine, if a fish.

 

[rssjsb]

Puffers make more of a nip feeling like a rodent biting you. I vote it was the tang and it's spine, if a fish.

Well, I haven't been bitten by a rodent before, but puffer bites leave a telltale circular mark, not a slash. And they don't have the kind of spines that could slash you.
And they can't poison you unless you eat them.

Bristle worms can cause localized swelling and if you're particularly sensitive, I suppose it could be pretty severe. However, they don't cause they kind of straightline cuts you report.

My vote's on the tang.

I feel like Hercule Poirot.