frogspawn stings - ouch!

[treesprite]

I had no idea frogspawn could do this. I was pulling some hair algae off of a rock in my tank and didn't realize that my wrist was against the frogspawn. I now have a rather large area on the inside of my wrist (the sensitive side) of a couple hundred bumps that I believe are stings, the whole patch very red, swollen, burning, and painful if touched. I can't do anything with the tank now until this goes away because even non-saltwater hurts. Very ouchy.

 

Be careful folks!

[Hilary]

I have scars from my frogspawn! Pretty, but mean!

[Amuze]

When you get stung, run very hot water over it until you can't stand it anymore. This does NOT mean scalding. If you burn yourself, that's your own fault. What this does is numbs the sting and seems to neutralize it. I've had to do this quite a few times. You get used to it. Lol.

[jason the filter freak]

When you get stung, run very hot water over it until you can't stand it anymore. This does NOT mean scalding. If you burn yourself, that's your own fault. What this does is numbs the sting and seems to neutralize it. I've had to do this quite a few times. You get used to it. Lol.

 

I believe this comes from the poison being organically based and the extremely hot water denatures it so it doesn't act as a poison anymore

[SeanCallan]

If I'm remembering correctly jellyfish and coral share the same specialized stinging cells. Pee on it.

 

Edit: I'm actually being serious, so you know. It sounds crazy, but I know thats what fixes stings.

Edit Again: I confirmed this with my college biology book! Yay, I did learn something. You can also soak the area in vinegar if you don't want to pee on it.

Edited December 10, 2008 by SeanCallan

[SkiCurtis]

If I'm remembering correctly jellyfish and coral share the same specialized stinging cells. Pee on it.

 

Edit: I'm actually being serious, so you know. It sounds crazy, but I know thats what fixes stings.

Edit Again: I confirmed this with my college biology book! Yay, I did learn something. You can also soak the area in vinegar if you don't want to pee on it.

 

What comes to mind is... those window stickers with some cartoon dude peeing on a ford or Cowboy. maybe someone can make one with a hand holding a frogspawn and some pee pee

[Origami]

I believe this comes from the poison being organically based and the extremely hot water denatures it so it doesn't act as a poison anymore

 

Actually, I believe that the heat accelerates the breakdown the histamines that concentrate in reaction to the irritation. You can do the same thing to temporarily relieve the itch of insect bites.

[Hoyden]

Divers Alert Network offers a course in First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries - their general recommended treatment for stings by coral, hydroids, anemone or jellyfish is as follows:

1. Flush the injury with large amounts of seawater to remove any remaining tentacles.

2. Immerse the affected area in hot water (113 degrees F) for 30 -90 minutes to neutralize any remaining unfired namatocysts.

3. Remove any remainig tentacles with forceps/tweezers.

4. Shave the area with a safety razor and shaving cream.

5. Apply hydrocortisone lotion or cream.

6. Monitor for allergic reaction.

 

Baking soda, papain powder (meat tenderizer), rubbing alcohol or vinegar may be applied dependingon the species. Vinegar is only recommend for box-type jelly fish stings - do not use it on Portuguese Man-o-war stings as it can cause any remaining nematocysts to fire.

 

A good rule of thumb unless you have specific knowledge of how to treat a injury caused by a specific species is water as hot as you can stand it for as long as you can stand it (unless you pain tolerance is crazy high:)). This works on almost everything stinging.

[yauger]

those window stickers with some cartoon dude peeing on a ford or Cowboy.

 

man no love for the cowboys!!! I do admit I have seen those stickers on a lot of pick up trucks!!!

 

some corals you have to becareful with.... prime example.... Does anyone remember what happened to a fellow reefer who messed with the zoanthids that put him in the hospital?!?!??!?!?!?! sometimes I wish I purchased those aquarium gloves while moneking around in my tank!

[jason the filter freak]

man no love for the cowboys!!! I do admit I have seen those stickers on a lot of pick up trucks!!!

 

some corals you have to becareful with.... prime example.... Does anyone remember what happened to a fellow reefer who messed with the zoanthids that put him in the hospital?!?!??!?!?!?! sometimes I wish I purchased those aquarium gloves while moneking around in my tank!

 

I remember.... . I haven't had any bad reactions since i ditched my condy anem. Unless you count being chewed on my my cleaner shrimp and shark nose goby every time I stick my hand in the tank.

[yauger]

I remember.... . I haven't had any bad reactions since i ditched my condy anem. Unless you count being chewed on my my cleaner shrimp and shark nose goby every time I stick my hand in the tank.

 

yeah I wish he would post his experience on this thread... to this day he will not keep zoas....

[jamesbuf]

You should also take 50mgs of benadryl every 6 hours for the first day. That along with 800mgs of ibuprofen every 6 hours. The combination of fighting the allergic AND the inflammatory components will help you tremendously. Trust me, I start this combo immediately when I get stung by stuff in my tank, and it makes a huge difference in decreasing the longevity of the attack.

[trble81]

I remember.... . I haven't had any bad reactions since i ditched my condy anem. Unless you count being chewed on my my cleaner shrimp and shark nose goby every time I stick my hand in the tank.

 

 

I've got those PVC gloves that come all the way up your arm and I use them when hand feeding my condi the silversides it so loves. Sure I look like a messed up super hero when I put them on but at least I know I'm safe (plus, it's great when you don't want to strip down to a t-shirt in order to go elbow + deep into the tank).

[lanman]

some corals you have to becareful with.... prime example.... Does anyone remember what happened to a fellow reefer who messed with the zoanthids that put him in the hospital?!?!??!?!?!?!

 

Steve is just fine. He inhaled palytoxin boiling a rock with nuisance palythoa's on it. Few courses of steroids, and he is pretty fine. But it turned him into a real wimp... his wife is making him get out of the hobby.

 

bob

[treesprite]

Nice to know now how to treat it if it happens again, thanks.

 

I've been putting hydrocortisone cream on it which I think is helping. There's no more burning sensation, but the area is still inflamed and covered with what looks like a severe rash, but I believe the bumps are all separate stings... the infividual bumps aren't as swollen but the wrist is. What I find interesting is that in addition to surface pain, touching the area gives the same type of "deeper tissue" (?) pain that touching a bad bruise would have.

 

I wonder if people with allergies to insect bites and stings have more severe reactions than other people to coral stings.

[tischdog32]

Funny this thread popped up, I just got stung tonight, but mine is just a small bump, not really swollen at all ... it happened a few hours ago and I ran hot water on it, and its pretty much unnoticeable.

[treesprite]

Funny this thread popped up, I just got stung tonight, but mine is just a small bump, not really swollen at all ... it happened a few hours ago and I ran hot water on it, and its pretty much unnoticeable.

Lucky you - I'm glad you knew to run the hot water on it. Unfortunately I didn't just brush against it; my wrist was fully against it with enough of a delay for the entire creature to get pissed at me, so I ended up with as many stings as polyps were touching me, 2/3rds of the way around my wrist.

[dzekunoi]

Lucky you - I'm glad you knew to run the hot water on it. Unfortunately I didn't just brush against it; my wrist was fully against it with enough of a delay for the entire creature to get pissed at me, so I ended up with as many stings as polyps were touching me, 2/3rds of the way around my wrist.

I got a sting from my frogspawn a couple of days ago. Big ouch! I run hot water as well, then flashed with alcohl, then put some cortizone on the sting did the trick.

 

Mean creature!

[treesprite]

I got a sting from my frogspawn a couple of days ago. Big ouch! I run hot water as well, then flashed with alcohl, then put some cortizone on the sting did the trick.

 

Mean creature!

I used to put alcohol on insect bites and doctor told me to stop doing it, though not sure why. I think if it works for something as nasty as frogspawn sting it would be worth whatever risk she was talking about.

[treesprite]

Can you believe this is still not completely healed? Itches a lot, the mass of stings still looks/feels like a bumpy rash. It still swells and feels worse when having been in salt water, and I'm wondering if the toxin is specifically "designed" to react to the presence of salt water.