Help! Please advice got stunt by the fire worm ouch!

[Tri Bui]

I got stunt from the fire worm last night while cleaning my tank, it was huge fire worm 4-5" got about 10-20 long white hair from the worm sticking in my fingers, ofcourse I took it out right away but the fingers still itch this morning. Any advices help!

 

Thanks

[cabrerad]

Tri Bui,

 

You should be ok. The itching is a normal response and will eventually go away, You should keep an eye out for any inflamation or redness that does not go away as this could signal an infection (in which case you should consult a doctor). I have attached a link for suggested treatment for the itching.

 

fireworm contact treatment

 

David

[Tri Bui]

thank David!

Edited February 9, 2007 by Tri Bui

[stevil]

I was just reading about this in Vol 1 of the Natural Reef Aquarium series... Calfo/Fenner suggest using liquid bandage to cover the area that you were stung in and then peeling it off. That will get out the bristles.

 

Duct-tape might work to

[squiddly]

Don't forget the scuba diver's remedy - white vinegar. Really helps with that itch. Been there... done that :-)

[Grav]

You were a great reefer, we will miss you.

 

Super glue and a good wood glue work too.

[Pat_13]

Yes Grav, old carpenters trick. Plain old white glue works great! Super glue is a little hard to get off.

[davelin315]

Soak it in vinegar, since the bristles are made from chitin which is calcium based, it should dissolve them away. If you are going to try and pull them, I would do that first as the vinegar in theory should dissolve the nubs that you are going to try and get a grip on. You may also want to try one of those pore cleaners or a hot wax. I'm assuming that if hot wax will pull off hair, it'll do the trick with bristles!

[NRehman]

Also, try the tape/wax/glue, etc, the vinegar, and then don't mess with it too much. If you need cut down the itching, wrap your fingers around a nice cold beer.

[Prunfarm]

Squiddly, don't forget about the 'true' diver's remedy. The one used for jellyfish. Vinegar will work too.

[fab]

White vinegar serves two purposes here.

One is to neutralize any unfired stinging nematocysts. Probably a bit late now for that to have any more effect.

The second is to dissolve the barbs. I don't know whether that will really work here or not.

 

Let us know how well vinegar works if you use it at this late time.

 

fab

[Guest CapHillReef]

I used to use super glue for metal shavings stuck under my skin. Put it on and when it dries scrape it off with an xacto knife. Don't know if it would work for this.

 

I speak from experience here when I tell you not to use accellerant to dry the super glue. Trust me on this one.