bristle worms

[lovelylinda]

Was vaccuming the sand in the nano tank and found two worms. I reached in and yanked them out only to find a little later that 2 fingers had bristles in them. That was Saturday and today I found small fluid filled bumps in place of the stingers. Is there any way to get these itching bumps to go away? They are driving me crazy and itching like crazy. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[cerreta]

yikes!~ No clue but it does not sound like a good time.

 

[lovelylinda]

Just so you all know, that is my daughter's post. I would NEVER touch a bristleworm, because they are icky.

 

[Sk8r]

Those are bristleworms. They're good for your tank, bad for human fingers.

Heat vinegar as hot as you can reasonably stand and soak the offended digits in same til it cools.

 

[SWSaltwater]

Alcohol can help as well, but I find the best way is to dig em out then let time heal it. They can be very annoying at times. When I cleaned out a fuge I got tons of them and my hand got a bit swollen. No long term effects though.

 

[superman1013]

Ouch, those worms do tend to get big as the time goes by, I have one housed in the crevices right under my Anemone, that thing is pretty gnarly looking...

 

[lovelylinda]

Mom is a big wimp when it comes to picking things up. She wouldn't even touch a sea slug in Rocky Point. But I have heard that those little buggers will bother clams and the clam I have is a prized possesion. My fingers are swollen like an allergic reaction. But if they won't harm anything I will leave them alone. Thanks guys!

 

[cerreta]

HEY! I thought it was your brother that likes the fish tank so much.

It's hard to resist the pretty little clams, coral and fishes, huh?

 

[SWSaltwater]

If it was one of the orange dragon sea slugs from rocky point it was good she didn't. Seems they can secrete sulfuric acid from their skin as a defense. Funny that they are being sold as reef safe online and in LA wholesale outfits. They are pretty though.

 

[owsi]

I would be careful, avoid cuts or stings, Vibrio is common in SW systems, rotting away of your tissue and muscle matter. Since bacteria is part of what makes your system work, it is also there for some serious infections

 

[olin]

As for the bristle worms in reefs, they are great sand cleaners. The spicules in the hand are a calcium carbonate micro-spine that contains a mild toxin. They will go away after a while but it takes some time. A mix of benadryl creme and hydrocortisone cream 50/50 helps the swelling and itching a lot. Hot water soaks help if they are done right after being stuck to denature the protein toxins. John is right about vibrio and many other pathogens being present in our systems. Everyone should do what they can to avoid direct contact between broken skin and aquarium water. Bacterial levels in home tanks can be 1000x higher than "normal" ocean levels.

 

[lovelylinda]

I guess I'll dig the gloves out...I don't want my tissue and muscle matter rotting away.