Reef rash? white central bump, red raised circles growing!

[ecogirl22]

HEEELLLLLPPP. This is not the reef rash i've seen in others. I had my arm in the tank all day two days ago and noticed at first an itch, then a red rash, the a worse red rash, now its a raised red circular area the size of a silver dollar with white raised centers like poison ivy. Should i go to a doctor? Seems to be getting worse, definitely not better. HELP???? Maybe its something bad in the tank i'll need to treat for as well? Am i freaking out about nothing? I have treated with neomycin and an antifungal both topical cremes, obviously not helping...

[lakshwadeep]

Did you touch something other than the water? Do you have any zoanthids?

[dsoz]

I get something like that from my frogspawn. It itches like a mosquito bite, but lasts 2-3 weeks. I try to stay away from the frogspawn when I can help it.

 

Benedril helps the itch, but it makes me fall asleep. They have benedril ointment, maybe that will help.

 

dsoz

[Gerber77]

You may have an allergy to something in the tank or a toxin from a coral.

[ecogirl22]

You may have an allergy to something in the tank or a toxin from a coral.

 

Is this something I need to go to a Dr for some antibiotic or something? Yes i have zoas, yes i touched lots of things in the tank--i was aquascaping. I got multiple LR cuts on my fingers, i probably also touched my hammer coral.

 

Dr?

[dsoz]

Get some Benadryl. From any pharmacy or drugstore. Probably even find it in most grocery stores. It is used for treating allergic reactions. You now know you are allergic to something in your tank. Try to not touch whatever it is. For me it is mostly in the soft spots between my fingers, and on the inside of my wrist and arm where there is sensitive skin.

 

For me, it is not as bad as being allergic to bee stings, more like being allergic to flea bites. They itch and swell up, if it cracks it will ooze a clear liquid, but not bad. If you are not dead yet, then you probably only have a mild allergy. It sucks being allergic to something in your tank.

 

dsoz

[ecogirl22]

thanks, I'll keep a close eye on it and get myself a pair of aquagloves, thanks everyone for your reassurance.

[eddiecorrea]

Ya Zoas have the most toxic venom in the world I guess. Apparently the smallest amount can kill you. There was a thread on here about it somewhere awhile back. I don't worry about it though. If I'm gonna die I'm gonna die. That time is already planned for me.

[Gerber77]

Good luck and I hope everything works out and feels better. Now you know you have to be really careful while you are in the tank.

[eddiecorrea]

If you are not dead yet

 

[ecogirl22]

Well, I was not using my "infected" arm yesterday in the tank, so I had to use my other arm!--Which is now infected as well. I've got people coming over to p/u coral frags i've got to fish out from the tank...Looks like i'll be using garbage bags on my arms--hope they're waterproof!

[Phishman80]

Yeah u really need 2 get some long gloves for the tank and always wear them.Some mushrooms have been known to cause reactions in some people but not to often....As far as the Zoas go I dont touch mine without gloves on...better safe then sorry and I dont wanna die or get bad sick from bein stubborn when u know something is toxic...lol

[lgreen]

You're just having an inflammatory response to some substance in your tank. Antihistamines such as benadryl should reduce the swelling and itching. If the rash doesn't go away with in the next day or two or you start to experience any other irregular symptoms you should see your doctor.

 

Did you touch something other than the water? Do you have any zoanthids?

 

lol...everyone blames the zoos.

 

Ya Zoas have the most toxic venom in the world I guess. Apparently the smallest amount can kill you. There was a thread on here about it somewhere awhile back. I don't worry about it though. If I'm gonna die I'm gonna die. That time is already planned for me.

 

There is only one species of palythoa aka button polyp that is know to have palytoxin. I'm not going to say it is impossible for someone to have that species in their tank, but it is not a commonly seen species and I've never seen them out of all the years back when I worked in the industry.

 

Please try not to spread misinformation about zoa's being deathly toxic.

[Phishman80]

You're just having an inflammatory response to some substance in your tank. Antihistamines such as benadryl should reduce the swelling and itching. If the rash doesn't go away with in the next day or two or you start to experience any other irregular symptoms you should see your doctor.

 

 

 

lol...everyone blames the zoos.

 

 

 

There is only one species of palythoa aka button polyp that is know to have palytoxin. I'm not going to say it is impossible for someone to have that species in their tank, but it is not a commonly seen species and I've never seen them out of all the years back when I worked in the industry.

 

Please try not to spread misinformation about zoa's being deathly toxic.

i never take any chances with them either way regardless..

[lgreen]

wimp

[gulfsurfer101]

Looks like you have a deifinate allergic reaction to something in your tank or possibly something in the water so I would opt for the gloves or use the plastic bags when you need to do stuff in your tank.

[eddiecorrea]

There is only one species of palythoa aka button polyp that is know to have palytoxin. I'm not going to say it is impossible for someone to have that species in their tank, but it is not a commonly seen species and I've never seen them out of all the years back when I worked in the industry.

 

Please try not to spread misinformation about zoa's being deathly toxic.

 

LMAO. Im not spreading misinformation. Your the one who is wrong. There is a very long thread about it on here or AC somewhere. I will go look it up.

 

 

****EDIT******

 

 

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There are hundreds more but 4 is enough to prove my point. Yes, not all contain Palytoxins but it is not known how many do as there has not been enough significant testing done. Better be safe then sorry.

[lgreen]

LMAO. Im not spreading misinformation. Your the one who is wrong. There is a very long thread about it on here or AC somewhere. I will go look it up.

 

lol...how about doing your own research on the topic instead of getting your info from the misinformed morons that have posted those threads.

 

The point is...someone gets a rash and OMG it must be that palytoxin from zoanthids! Many different corals have palytoxin.

 

There are soooo many things in a reef tank that could trigger an immune response it doesn't even make sense to assume it is anything in particular.

 

LMAO. Im not spreading misinformation. Your the one who is wrong. There is a very long thread about it on here or AC somewhere. I will go look it up.

 

 

****EDIT******

 

 

1

2

3

4

 

There are hundreds more but 4 is enough to prove my point. Yes, not all contain Palytoxins but it is not known how many do as there has not been enough significant testing done. Better be safe then sorry.

 

lol...yet all are speculative and have little to no scientific evidence. You showed me!

[eddiecorrea]

lol...how about doing your own research on the topic instead of getting your info from the misinformed morons that have posted those threads.

 

The point is...someone gets a rash and OMG it must be that palytoxin from zoanthids! Many different corals have palytoxin.

 

There are soooo many things in a reef tank that could trigger an immune response it doesn't even make sense to assume it is anything in particular.

 

 

 

lol...yet all are speculative and have little to no scientific evidence. You showed me!

 

You are an idiot. I did not claim it "Had to be zoas." I just stated that it is a widely known fact that some zoas contain Palytoxin. Palytoxin is known to be one of the most deadly toxins in the world. But I forgot you are the holy lgreen

 

Oh and your ignored now. You never have anything constructive to say. So why waste my time scrolling past your useless posts.

[dtfleming]

gotta agree with lgreen here. Sorry eddie those threads you posted dont have any merit. Lots of things in the tank could have caused a reaction. Buying some gloves and tongs for your tank is always a good idea. ALWAYS wash your hands and arms after putting them in your BEFORE you touch something else.

[lgreen]

You are an idiot. I did not claim it "Had to be zoas." I just stated that it is a widely known fact that some zoas contain Palytoxin. Palytoxin is known to be one of the most deadly toxins in the world. But I forgot you are the holy lgreen

 

Oh and your ignored now. You never have anything constructive to say. So why waste my time scrolling past your useless posts.

 

lol...what a newfag.

[The Propagator]

Short of having fire coral in your tank and bumping in to it, a bristle worm getting ya', touching an anemone, torch, frogspawn, or getting stuck by a fish in your tank with I bet the same as every one else as far as plain old allergies to something in the water.

[yardboy]

Well, it's been a few days. Hope she's alright. Personally, if I'd seen this post earlier I'd have urged her to go to the doctor. Even though I've stayed in a holiday Inn I'm not doctor enough to diagnose from a picture, not when even an allergic reaction can be serious.

[Alicia]

Just real quick... Hard to say just from the one pic (kinda blurry)...but it could also be totally unrelated to your tank. Actually, my first thought looking at the lesions was that it may be ringworm. Do you have any pets or small children? Check them for lesions too or missing areas/patches of fur. Ringworm is fairly common...but most times you wind up getting it in an area where your skin has already been compromised (such as a small cut from LR, etc.) BTW, I am a nurse and would of course suggest making an appt. with your family doc...ringworm can be a real PIA.

If it were me, I keep applying the antifungal several times a day as directed on the tube...if it's fungal, it can takes 4+ weeks to be cured completely (don't expect results in just a day)...even when it looks like it's completely gone, keep applying the cream... If you have been applying an antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin or antihistamine (Benadryl cream) or Hydrocortisone (for itching) and it's getting worse...that would definitely reinforce fungal IME...

Anywho...get checked out...

[supreme_spork]

Well, it's been a few days. Hope she's alright. Personally, if I'd seen this post earlier I'd have urged her to go to the doctor. Even though I've stayed in a holiday Inn I'm not doctor enough to diagnose from a picture, not when even an allergic reaction can be serious.

 

+1

 

Mystery rash on body parts you put in your reef tank = doctor. There are enough instances of serious reactions to stuff in our tanks that I wouldn't mess around.