Stung By Paracanthurus Hepatus
i leant something new today. I was transferring a regal tang / hippo tang to another tank and he wedged himself into an ornament. I tried to gently nudge him out and bang! I tried to nudge him under the mouth (less pointy bits) and he slipped and my finger caught his anal fin spine. It hurt like a muther! I've been stung by a fox face and it was easily more painful.
I did the usual trick of putting my finger in hot water to break down the venom (which until doing an extensive search, I didn't know they had). The finger swelled up to about twice the size and initially I had to lie down such was the pain (and adrenalin rush). It took a few hours for the pain to go away.
So my public service announcement is DO NOT HANDLE REGAL TANGS! I had never heard of them being venomous but they sure are.
Cheers Dave
I did the usual trick of putting my finger in hot water to break down the venom (which until doing an extensive search, I didn't know they had). The finger swelled up to about twice the size and initially I had to lie down such was the pain (and adrenalin rush). It took a few hours for the pain to go away.
So my public service announcement is DO NOT HANDLE REGAL TANGS! I had never heard of them being venomous but they sure are.
Cheers Dave