Well, that was interesting

[Sherita]

Don't try this at home :p

I was breaking the predator tank down tonite in preparation of setting up a bigger tank, I wanted to put the fish into quarantine, since I have had a minor ich outbreak in that tank. No time like the present to knock that stuff out and not put it into the new tank, right? Well, sorta. That tank is full of all sorts of prickly, aggressive things. Including a lionfish. All was going well until it came time to move the lion.

In the process, you guessed it. I got stung. On top of my left hand. I will testify that the pain is immediate and unbelievably intense. I got the hand into near scalding hot water and kept it there for about 20 minutes. Took a benadry just to be safe, but the worst seems to be over with now. I still have a residual headache and sweating, but the pain is pretty much gone.

You can bet when the time comes to move him back, I will be MUCH more careful. That sting is something I don't care to experience again. Yeow.

[reefreak]

wow this is awful hope everything will be ok

[SABOB]

Ok,Il be the first......"without pictures,this didn't happen" Sorry about your hand


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[Scutterborn]

Oh dang!

[Bill S]

Been there, done that. It's been about 40 years. I don't keep lionfish... My sincere sympathies. Hot water, it is.

[Mr Cob]

crazy, I always wondered what it would be like when I used to keep a lionfish

[Sherita]

It was impressive. Not as bad as I thought it might be (I'm deadly allergic to wasp stings), but certainly enough that I don't care to repeat it. Ever.

[Big_Pun]

when I worked at gabes I did the sane thing..... my whole hand was swollen, but good thinking on putting your hand in hot water. it's a very intense instantaneous pain.

[allan]

Ouch! Why hot water?

On a slightly related note, I finally got stung by the fire coral on the side of my arm. Wasn't too bad, a little less irritating than a man of war burn. That could've been because less area was irritated.

[Sherita]

Allan, hot water breaks down the venom and stops the reaction. It has to be as hot as you can possibly stand, and you have to keep the stung body part in it for 20-30 minutes for it to work.

So, did the fire coral cause any swelling or anything? How long did the irritation last?

[allan]

Irritation lasted a few minutes after I withdrew my arm. And it sort of crept up on me. I think the distance between my brain and arm prevents the full effect from being realized. And the diminished capability of the former also helps numb the pain.

It wasn't very bad at all.

[allan]

Oh, no swelling. Unless you attribute my large forearms as swelled. :-)

[Sherita]

And the diminished capability of the former also helps numb the pain.

Many of us keep venomous/toxic/poisonous creatures in our tanks. I'm pretty sure the general public would think we are ALL somewhat diminished in capacity.


And I didn't learn a thing, because now I want a pygmy scorpionfish. My predator tank is going to be a public health hazard. Lionfish, biting Grouper, prickly rock urchin, sticky rock nems, 2' zebra moray, and the worlds meanest Flame Angel.

Glad you didn't react badly to the fire coral. My hand shows no signs of the sting, it's really weird and does not compute. Something that hurts that bad should leave a mark!

[ErikH]

I feel your pain, I was frantically googling after my lion stung me. My hand looked like a Mickey Mouse hand. Still not as scary as the time I got some zoa juice in my eye! My eye was devil red for a few weeks. I was really glad my mom works for an eye doctor!

[Mr Cob]

Fire coral... I used to get stung all the time surfing in Panama, I hated that stuff, it would itch like crazy. You wouldn't evenhave to touch it to get stung...just being near it was enough.

[allan]

I don't even know why I have it... Brown isn't an attractive color. But I do like the branchy look it has. And you can't kill it. It just keeps growing.

I blame Mike.

[Mr Cob]

pretty cool conversation piece