Swollen fingers

[wrightme43]

Do any of you all get stung by stuff on live rock when handling it, and have your fingers swell up? Or have the joints hurt after handling it? I got a pair of diving gloves and they help but something is still getting me. Wondered if I was the only one. Steve

 

[cwrenge]

Old-Timey-Medicine........ if a Stingray stings you or a Jelly Fish......? Pee on the Sting....? ? ? this was passed on to me from an old man in texas, who lived on the shore... intresting concept...? cw.

 

[clayswim]

How often does it happen? The only thing that comes to mind are the fire bristle worms; those things can hurt I guess if you get poked. I've never had the problem myself.

Clayton

 

[wrightme43]

No its not the bristle worms. Its stuff living on the rock, like bryzoans and hydrozoans if I spelled it right. Its only certain pieces of rock. Some tanks I mess with have nothing that causes any problem. Some tanks my fingers hurt a little. The one I did yesterday has my right hand swollen up like huge, and joints hurt, the tips feel like they have been burned almost. Its really wierd. I have another tank that does the exact same thing and it has a different kind of live rock in it. Thanks for trying to help alot. Anybody else or any other ideas from you all?

 

[cwrenge]

can you get some Pic's of the rock... so we can see the biting rock.....? cw.

 

[clayswim]

It sounds like an allergy to something on the rock.

Clayton

 

[Scooterman]

Before putting on the gloves put on some laytex gloves first the thin long kind that go way up your arms.

 

[NaH2O]

Steve - absolutely you can have an allergy to coral, anemones, etc. I always have to have gloves on in the tank. If I don't, my arms get hives on them. I have the long veterinary sleeves that go up to my shoulder, and I also put a nitrile glove over the hand (the veterinary sleeves seem to leak a bit, and this helps). I would seriously consider always wearing gloves. Sensitivity can increase the more you are exposed.

 

[mungus]

I got some carribean live rock from etropicals that I had an allergic reation too / stung by. I never had any problems before that. I had to go to the doctor for it. Took about 6 weeks before it healed and I lost all the skin on my fingers and hands.

Urine will work to take the burning away. Vinegar will have the same effect without the yuck!

Brian

 

[Flatlander]

Do any of you all get stung by stuff on live rock when handling it, and have your fingers swell up? Or have the joints hurt after handling it? I got a pair of diving gloves and they help but something is still getting me. Wondered if I was the only one. Steve

Always Steve. Everytime I handle my rock without gloves on. Its especially bad from grabbing the undersides, where it seems rougher and i would suppose more things growing there.

I,ve had it so bad, I had to take Benadryl.

 

[mojoreef]

Hmmmm fighting the temptations.........oh the temptation .........lol



Mike

 

[o2manyfish]

From handling the SPS corals I ended up with numb fingers on both hands - Thumb through middle. My neurologist said to not touch the corals and give the nerves time to heal.... So I wear surgical gloves for ALL tank maintenance.

It's been almost 2 years -- And still no feeling in the fingers.

Becareful - don't risk it

 

[Woodstock]

The only reaction I have every had was when I had a wrestling match with my blue haddoni anemone putting it in a corner of the tank..... I ended up with blue spots (part of its tenticles) all over my hand and wrist. Talk about freaky looking!! LOL~~ Just a little tingling in my finger tips for about an hour and that was it.

Ohh... it hasn't moved out of its corner since... I WIN!

 

[snowstar]

Hmmmm trying to decide if I should admit to putting bare hands in the tank or not I really try not to - really I do but....

I have noticed that over the 13 years I've been keeping tanks that most every time I have put my hands in the tank without my trusty gloves on, after implementing a DSB my hands wind up pretty much in the mess you describe --- swollen fingers, joints and sometimes palms - especially if I handle the underside of the rock. If you look at your hands at the correct angle in good light you might probably see very small clear filamentous bristley looking things (sometimes hundreds of them) sticking out of your hand. I'm not sure if it's the bristles from all the bristleworms on the underside of the rock or if its some other worm entirely.... but it does not seem to be rock type I've had it happen with Caribbean, fiji, and even some seeded tufu rock....

I can also say that when I have ran BB tanks this never happened. Of course if I put my gloves on it dosen't happen then either....hmmmm

 

[wrightme43]

I have a pair of oceanic dry gloves and a pair of kona wet gloves. I normally use them. Yesterday I broke stupid for just a few minutes and then went and got my dry gloves. They stop the stuff from getting thru. Today one finger on the back of it now has a bunch of little blisters just like from poison ivy except it doesnt itch. It just hurts like hell. I wonder since I have read of stinging hydroids if that is what is happening. It is usually on the dark side of the rocks. I can look at the rocks and see the stuff growing there. My POS SONY DSC P93 camera wont take a picture that close so you all are out of luck seeing what I am seeing. They look like something you would see in a science fiction movie for upside down white trees or something. Thanks for all the response. And just so you know, I am not going to pee on my hand. Thats part of the reason I quit drinking. LOL

 

[NaH2O]

From handling the SPS corals I ended up with numb fingers on both hands - Thumb through middle. My neurologist said to not touch the corals and give the nerves time to heal.... So I wear surgical gloves for ALL tank maintenance.

It's been almost 2 years -- And still no feeling in the fingers.

Becareful - don't risk it

Dave - I'm glad you posted this. Recently I left my gloves at a friend's house and I had to reattach one of my acros to the rock without them. There was a ton of slime from the acro, and 2 of my finger tips wound up feeling tingly for an hour or so, but I couldn't imagine I would be so sensitive to even SPS.

Hopefully soon, the feeling will return in your fingers.

Hmmmm fighting the temptations.........oh the temptation .........lol



Mike

LOL - I can only imagine what is in you want to say! :lol: