Corals Sting... How bad is it?

[Rollermonkey]

So, yeah. There's been tales of boiling LR and palytoxin infections on the board recently, and I've heard stories about people getting bad infections from getting cut by corals out on the reef.

 

Combined, that led me to a related question:

 

Corals can sting each other and fish, so... Has anyone on N-R been stung by the corals in their tank?

 

How does it feel? Are certain corals more dangerous to people than others?

[Psychosis]

Your probably won't get attacked viciously by any coral. You can feel a tingle from the most potent stings, but that's it.

 

If you don't do any thing stupid, nothing bad will happen. If you're allergic to bee stings, for example, don't buy a lionfish.

[Nepenthe]

I can't speak first hand to infections or palytoxin, but my torch would sting me every time I brushed against it to clean the glass (I now wear gloves for multiple reasons). My hand would get very irritated at the contact site, the top layer of skin would blaster and come off before becoming red and inflamed. The sensation was not unlike having an infection, where the site starts to ache and itch. It's the only coral I've ever had a reaction to, but why mess around with it when gloves are such an easy fix. Here's a photo, you can see all the little points of contact blistering.

[Rollermonkey]

I don't know why, but I thought I heard that you have to be careful with dendros, too.

[Nepenthe]

Maybe, honestly I doubt it though, mine has been touching a couple of zoa colonies for months and they've yet to close up, whereas my torch kills everything it touches.

[Psychosis]

Wow, I've never seen any one react to a sting that way. Like I said, the worst that's ever happened to me was a tingle from my Hydnophora, which is arguably one of the most potent stings on the market.

 

I've been under the impression Dendro's don't really have a sting worth mentioning, something about underdeveloped nematocysts. Could be wrong again though, that would make me 0/2.

[Begow]

I've only felt weird stuff from anemones. Like I kept a bathroom cleaner on my hands or something, kind of burns.

[bjbass]

I've only felt weird stuff from anemones. Like I kept a bathroom cleaner on my hands or something, kind of burns.

 

This is the exact same thing that has happened to me with my RBTA. Especially on the backs of my hands. They are obviously more sensitive there.

[harleychic]

About 10 yrs ago I had a 55g reef. I was working 60+ hours a week. I would come home and watch my reef to relax. One night I grabbed a pizza on the way home, and sat down with the pizza and a beer. I noticed my rock with palys had fallen upside-down. I reached in, righted the rock, continued to eat my pizza. And. Licked. My. Fingers. I know, I know, gross, right? I was tired, okay? My tongue started to go numb. To this day, I don't know if that ER doc (who happened to have a reef tank, and knew what I was talking about when I got there) saved my life, or I am a hypochondriac, nor do I care, I am here to tell the tale.

My only other stinging encounter was with a few jellyfish while diving in the Florida Keys. it hurt, was not that bad really. Our divemaster (of course) reminded us all that ammonia is a great antidote to jellyfish stings, and the most immediate source is human urine. "IF stung while diving, you will know who your truest friends are, they will pee on you."

[malady]

I have had a ;ittle trouble catching my breath after handling zoas an palys

 

could of just been in my head but now I wear gloves an wahs my hands like 3 times

[patback]

Usually you won't feel anything, but a cut on your hand and rubbing against something can irritate the area. Not to say some people aren't just real sensitive. When I first started I thought an aiptasia I touched stung me... Now I'm guessing it was a bristle worm.

 

The real dilemma is getting shocked with your equipment. I never hocked myself before but this past week I was shocked twice with dry hands by two different items.

[Psychosis]

Bristleworms are a different story. 15 minutes and a roll of duct tape later...sheesh. The most annoying sensation, having 40 splinters in your thumb at once.

[Mordoff]

Its never happened to me but my cousin told me about how his girlfriend's dad was cleaning his tank one day and didnt know a cut on his hand and accidentally touched the elegance coral in his tank. I guess the pain was really bad and he could see the track from the poison go up his arm to his shoulder and had to be hospitalized for a couple days. Doesn't sound fun to me!

[Thelizardkin]

Usually you won't feel anything, but a cut on your hand and rubbing against something can irritate the area. Not to say some people aren't just real sensitive. When I first started I thought an aiptasia I touched stung me... Now I'm guessing it was a bristle worm.

 

The real dilemma is getting shocked with your equipment. I never hocked myself before but this past week I was shocked twice with dry hands by two different items.

 

That's the worst and if you have a fresh cut sometimes the saltwater sting feels like it and it scares the crap out of me

[chrisK]

I had a cut on my finger that were few days old, the salt water did not irritate the cut. But while i was moving my frogspawn the slime got on my cut finger, which then i felt a nice sting on the cut like it was fresh.

 

Other then that i've never actually got stung by a coral or my anemone.

[slickwill613]

Its never happened to me but my cousin told me about how his girlfriend's dad was cleaning his tank one day and didnt know a cut on his hand and accidentally touched the elegance coral in his tank. I guess the pain was really bad and he could see the track from the poison go up his arm to his shoulder and had to be hospitalized for a couple days. Doesn't sound fun to me!

Cousin's girlfriend's dad. Mmmmmmmm, yeahok.

 

Usually you won't feel anything, but a cut on your hand and rubbing against something can irritate the area. Not to say some people aren't just real sensitive. When I first started I thought an aiptasia I touched stung me... Now I'm guessing it was a bristle worm. The real dilemma is getting shocked with your equipment. I never hocked myself before but this past week I was shocked twice with dry hands by two different items.

Yeah, electricity doesn't care if you're wet, it just wants a path to ground.

[jestep]

Scrape + Anemone or LPS coral is very painful. I had a road-rash like scrape on my hand and I brushed my BTA. It was unbelievable how painful it was.

[Thelizardkin]

The reason corals can't stung us is their stinging cells aren't long enough to go through the skin that's why some of them are sticky it's a bunch of barbed hooks trying to sting you and if you have a cut or scrape they can sting you and for some it can be really bad

[Sub]

Bristleworms are a different story. 15 minutes and a roll of duct tape later...sheesh. The most annoying sensation, having 40 splinters in your thumb at once.

dont use tape! vinegar dissolves the bristles. soak your hand in it for ~30 minutes and they are totally gone!

[Acielot]

I don't think I have ever been affected by my coral. If so it was probably my inner hypochodriac surfacing.

[Neatfish]

Freak that man. I don't want no corals now.

[Psychosis]

As stated, nematocysts really aren't effective enough to bother a human being, cuts excluded. It's just a tiny barb that is actuated, like a microscopic harpoon. Kind of cool, really.

 

 

dont use tape! vinegar dissolves the bristles. soak your hand in it for ~30 minutes and they are totally gone!

I did not know that. Reading rainbow gif. goes here. Some how, my tank is still mostly bristle worm free, even though I feed more heavily now than ever. Weird, right?

[Sub]

They're there, you just cant see them.

[Mordoff]

Cousin's girlfriend's dad. Mmmmmmmm, yeahok.

 

Is there something wrong?

[robs.mark]

ive had wierd tingles from chalices before, it doesnt last long though, and i know blue tangs can be very painfull if they catch you with their dorsal.