Aquarium injuries...

[fishfriends05]

I thought it would be interesting to see how many people have been injured (ex. bit, stung, scratched, etc.) while working or playing in their aquariums.

I have been stung by an anemone half way up my arm (nice red patch for most the day and it stung like h3ll), bit by damsels, picasso trigger, dogface puffer and had the unfortunate pleasure of grabbing a bristleworm on three different occasions. Spent a combined total of about four hours with tweezers trying to pull the somewhat invisible bristles out of my hand. Maybe I am just accident prone, but I'd thought it would be fun to see who else has been injured and by what.

This post, in no means was made to make fun of other people's injuries, but if you want to make fun of mine, feel more than welcome.

 

[Menagerie]

When I was first setting up a tank on my own and my fiance was out of town, I was electrocuted by a broken heater. I pulled my arm back so quick and scrapped the heck out of it. It was still raw looking when my fiance returned from his fishing trip 2 days later

 

[Hypostomus]

My parents used to have a "tall" 55g (it was a fraction narrower than the standard and a few inches higher) and to do water changes/clean/etc. I had to stand up on a fold-out metal stepping stool. Well, this was back before I did any researching about fish (my parents picked out the tank's inhabitants- I'm going to guess that I was 10 years old) and we had a pacu in there. At one point when I was cleaning out some caves the pacu decided to have a freak-out episode and he came tearing across the tank and slammed into my arm. I was so surprised I yanked my arm really far back and consequently fell backward off the stool.

I survived it, naturally, but I got a big cut on the side of my leg from a fixture sticking off the stool.

That's the real reason you don't keep pacus.

 

[mhaynes01]

what are pacus??

 

[nguyen27]

Pacus = big ugly fish momma made dinner from...
Big gain South America fish. I heard people kept Pacus, and they grow big, bust their tank...

 

[mhaynes01]

ohh ok

 

[BillyZ]

I had a run in with Spike while moving rock around once. His spines were filled with thick, sticky black venom. The burning sensation was... not pleasent and left a black dot under the skin for a few days afterwards.... I miss that guy

 

[ReefLady]

Hmmm .. probably too many to count over the years. 8)

Most memorable - getting the heck stung out of my arm by a *huge* carpet anemone -- felt like a nasty sunburn for days.

Getting nicked by a SW catfish -- I thought I was going to die -- it hurt so much. I think that immediately dunking my hand into extremely hot water was the only thing that saved me from an ER trip.

A too-big-for-it's britches Tomato clown who drew blood every time I put my hand in *her* tank.

Bristle worms -- hmmm, I've been accused of "petting" them, LOL. But yes, they hurt!

Spent a combined total of about four hours with tweezers trying to pull the somewhat invisible bristles out of my hand.

Oy - duct tape! Duct tape works wonders.

Finger after petting Bristle worms.....

 

[jamal-188]

I've actually been pretty lucky...don't think anything has really bitten/stung/cut me... at least not enough to remember? I recently purchased a pair of the shoulder length glove to avoid injuries and contaminating my tank.

 

[fishfriends05]

Oy - duct tape! Duct tape works wonders

Never thought about using duct tape. Probably a whole lot easier than tweezers. And that also gives me another reason to use duct tape other than fixing my car.

 

[Hypostomus]

Pacu (http://www.emalaysiahotel.com/angling/images/pic5.jpg)-- it's what's for dinner!

 

[jamal-188]

Wow, those bristles look painful, I guess I've just been lucky because I have some HUGE ones in my tank and never got pricked by one yet.

 

[BillyZ]

there's a little LFS near me that has a Pacu that's bigger than my dog! The thing has gotta weigh 100 pounds easy.

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

I heard that touching a fire worm hurts like heck, I heard that its 100times worst feeling than stinging neddles 8O 8O 8O

 

[BillyZ]

And that also gives me another reason to use duct tape other than fixing my car.

You need a reason to use duct tape? 8O

Here, make yourself a wallet. 8)

 

[firerescue2002]

I heard that touching a fire worm hurts like heck, I heard that its 100times worst feeling than stinging neddles

absolutely right... made the mistake with a wild one while collecting Harlequin Brittle Stars in in the caribbean. Flipped over a rock and found a tiny fireworm with my index finger. Some expensive diving gloves were worn after that encounter. Only stupidity kept me from putting them on that time. I have had another un-intentional, (snorkeling shallow water big wave pushed me into him) bad experience with a wild diadema (Long spined black sea urchin) painful burning sensation stronger but similar to that of a bristle worm. Pricked by a captive lionfish while cleaning his tank he was small and he snuck up on me. That was very painful throbbing and swelling of my hand and midway up my forearm and he was only the size of a half-dollar.

Back in my freshwater days I had kept a few piranas and neglecting to keep my eye on one while cleaning their tank. I managed to corner one and he took a small chunk out of my wrist about te size of a dime.

Thats all of m experiences so far I am sure there will be more in the future.....

Andrew

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

Wow 8O Painful experiences for you, when I was in the puget sound and crabbing and a big red rock crab cut off my index, but I was able to get it reattached, it hurt sooo bad that little bugger went into the boiling pot for being a bad crab!!

 

[reefrunner69]

Oy - duct tape! Duct tape works wonders

Never thought about using duct tape. Probably a whole lot easier than tweezers. And that also gives me another reason to use duct tape other than fixing my car.

I have also read that vinegar will dissolve them, but always wondered about the ieces left in the skin...

Bristle worms

Been stung by 3 volitan lionfish and 2 dwarf lionfish (cause I was stupid, my wife just said waasssssss???)

Bitten by triggers and groupers on countless occasions

My clown and my blenny bite me all the time.

I almost cut my finger off on a custom made tank with no frame around it trying to move it, the guy that made it didn't sand the edges and we didn't know.

Never been sensitive to nematocysts, but there was one time I handled a hammer coral and then rubbed under my eye...I thought I was on fire.

 

[mhaynes01]

people actually kept pacus in a tank how did they stay in their they look big

 

[fishfriends05]

bad experience with a wild diadema (Long spined black sea urchin) painful burning sensation stronger

When I read that quote I had a big flash back. I don't how I'd forgotten about this one, but I was reaching between two rocks to flip over a snail that was waving it's foot hopelessly around when one of the spines of the long spined urchin caught me right underneath the fingernail. Let me tell ya, thats a new definition of pain.