treesprite July 14, 2010 Share July 14, 2010 (edited) I was pulling out the little pieces of rubble and caulerpa from the back section of the hex, not able to actually see where I was reaching or what I was grabbing to pull out. The only pair of tweezers I have are some rusty ones I had been using to pull feather dusters off the liverock a few weeks ago. I pulled a bunch of the bristles out with those using a magnifying glass, then got out the masking tape to try to get the ones i couldn't really see. I can still feel some in there that I can't see and couldn't remove. Edited July 14, 2010 by treesprite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilary July 14, 2010 Share July 14, 2010 Youch!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iceman July 14, 2010 Share July 14, 2010 duct tape will do wonders... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypertech July 14, 2010 Share July 14, 2010 Soak it in vinegar. The bristles usually dissolve. It will stay a little red for about a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller July 14, 2010 Share July 14, 2010 ooh, get new pair of tweezers from fishnreef.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k July 14, 2010 Share July 14, 2010 Hydrochloric Acid works best. A quick dip dissolves all the spines, then rinse in water. Nice picture by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quantum Aquaria July 14, 2010 Share July 14, 2010 Been there, done that. Spent two hours pulling everything I could. It was painful and red for a couple of days but eventually was ok after a couple of days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind July 14, 2010 Share July 14, 2010 Wouldn't the tweezer or duct tape method be best since it pulls them out instead of just dissolving what is on the outside? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k July 14, 2010 Share July 14, 2010 Wouldn't the tweezer or duct tape method be best since it pulls them out instead of just dissolving what is on the outside? No- it dossolves the stuff that's inside your skin as well. I learned this from Justin- while fragging one day, I grabbed a big bristle worw and he said to go dip it in HCL and it worked very quickly and no rash or anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truestelf July 14, 2010 Share July 14, 2010 done something similar myself i used tweezers as i don't have acid laying around the house... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami July 14, 2010 Share July 14, 2010 Great picture, Forrest. Sorry for the incident. I like the acid idea, whether it's vinegar or diluted muriatic acid (HCl). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyD July 14, 2010 Share July 14, 2010 No- it dossolves the stuff that's inside your skin as well. I learned this from Justin- while fragging one day, I grabbed a big bristle worw and he said to go dip it in HCL and it worked very quickly and no rash or anything. Dissolved everything including parts of his finger.....that's why they call him nubby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite July 15, 2010 Author Share July 15, 2010 Finger is good as new now. I was a little panicked when I caught all those spines - I have never had it happen before, so I had no idea what to expect. Anyone know what the spines are made of? They remind me of tiny pieces of fiberglass - anyone who grew up in the days of old fashioned fiberglass insulation and had incident to handle it without gloves, might know what I'm talking about - it too was prickly and ouchy. It is a cool pic, huh? Maybe it could go in the newsletter under "hands-in-tank safety". It would be nice if someone would write an entire book on aquarium reef-keeping hazzards. Would also be nice to have a presentation on the subject at a future meeting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmontalvo July 15, 2010 Share July 15, 2010 I think they are calcium based. Any mild acid will dissolve them away and besure to use a triple anitbiotic cream just in the event some bacteria didnt get washed away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind July 15, 2010 Share July 15, 2010 This is just another good reminder for me to wear gloves when working in the tank. I'm glad your finger is all better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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