Experience with open brain coral

[captexas]

Has anyone else handled a green open brain coral barehanded?

I have one and the few times that I have picked it up to move things around in my tank my arm gets numb for awhile afterwards. :wtf: When it's touched it secretes the slime all around it and I assume this slime has some sort of toxin in it to keep predators and other corals away from it. Anyone else had this experience? Anyone know if this is harmful to humans other than the numbness?

[MikeP]

Cap, I have a green open brainTrachyphyllia sp ? . It secretes a mucus net when disturbed and also I believe to slough off particulate matter on it's surface. I have had the same thing happen to me when I have accidentally brushed up against it including having it eat the skin off my middle and index finger (well it got crusty and started peeling off the day after touching that coral). I generally try to move my corals bytouching the rock they are attached to if at all. Thinking about investing in some ofthose long gloves you can use to minimize contact with toxic corals and additionally to keep outside contamination from your skin off it.

[TexasState]

Don't touch your corals. You can damage it. Use a plastic bag. Or move it by lifting from the bottom stone base. And yes, corals can irritate skins, especially if you're allergic to it. Fire coral will leave scars on your skin if you handle it.

[captexas]

Technoshaman -

Yes, that's what mine does also. Mucus is a much better word for it that slime as I said! LOL. Unfortunately, the only thing attached to a rock in my tank is my anemones. I have also thought about buying some of those gloves. Just got two catalogs today and saw them again. Maybe this is a sign to finally get them! :-D

Chris

[TexasState]

I bought one of those $15 Kent Gloves b4. That's a rich man gloves.

For a poor man's gloves, you can use those sandwich bag. The bag without the zipper seal is cheaper.

[captexas]

LOL, I like that Vihn! I can see you with the cheapy plastic bag on your hand using your expensive surgical clamp working on the tank! LOL, just kidding! :rotf:

[TexasState]

Actually I was using those sandwich bag last night to move my acro colony. It was pretty easy until I got too close to the Maxijet. 300 GPH of water rushing into the bag. Kind of like trying to maneuver on a windy and rainy day with an umbrella pointed in the opposite direction.

[MikeP]

Yeah I never ever touch the polyps for the corals sake and mine. Of course I just got home with some new corals and after letting them settle in I decided to move one of them (colony of zoanthids) and got some slime on me. I was using one of those dishwahing type gloves on my nano but on my big tank it's too deep and ends up filling with water. FYI my arm is feeling squirrely now after brushing up against them.


I have first hand experience with fire coral (I was actually told it was a sponge) from snorkeling in the keys many years ago. Managed to brush into some with my ankle and it stung pretty bad the rest of the day; I apparently got only mild exposure too. To top it off I got the worst sunburn of my life on my legs and ankles as well (was wearing aquabooties) so the rest of my vacation was kind of unpleasant.


One thing you might try other than the obvious of washing the affected area fully if you touch it is run hot hot hot water over the place you touched the slime. Many marine animal toxins will break down / cycle out faster under high heat. Do a search for what is used to treat jellyfish stings (been stung by them too as a curious kid in massachusets too) some people say put meat tenderizer on it? Toxins are neat to read about but not in my body! Kind of makes you respect those pretty lumps of goo even more.

-Mike