# lionfish sting



## smokinbubbles (Mar 25, 2005)

well for the past day from the tip of my pinky and ring finger down to my elbow have been numb. well just right before this started happening (like a couple of hours) i cleaned out my salt tank with my lion and i was just wondering if there was any way for lion poison to get in your hand form just the water and not even touching the fish. (i did have open cuts on my hand due to clearing out some shrubs in my front yard.) i have read that numbness is a sympton of a lionfish sting. im really thinking no thats not what it is and just thinking it is a bite from something else but i just want to make sure. im goin to the doctor though on tuesday if it is still like this tomorrow to see whats up. 
J-Rod


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## spec-v (Feb 27, 2005)

you would have to grab the fish or brush his spines it dosen't leak into the water the sting usally last 3-4 hours associated with small blisters which will develop within an hour of envenomation belive me it hurts like nothing you have never felt so if you get popped you will know it


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## smokinbubbles (Mar 25, 2005)

spec-v said:


> you would have to grab the fish or brush his spines it dosen't leak into the water the sting usally last 3-4 hours associated with small blisters which will develop within an hour of envenomation belive me it hurts like nothing you have never felt so if you get popped you will know it
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alright thanks, yeah i didn't think so i was just making sure.
J-Rod


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## 00nothing (Mar 26, 2004)

got any zoos if u touched those u might have gotten poisoned


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

don't mean to offend you:

but what are you smoking?


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## joefish219 (Feb 8, 2005)

it may be from the fish but like said earlier you must touch the fish, no poison in the water. But if you did get toxin from the fish, it is numbness and it can last from one hour to a few days. it is like a bee sting for the duration of illness is same but also people react differently for different period of time.

Becarful yo, they have that inflict pain


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## 00nothing (Mar 26, 2004)

thePACK said:


> don't mean to offend you:
> 
> but what are you smoking?
> 
> ...


if you are asking me what i am smoking do some research on zoanthids

http://waquarium.mic.hawaii.edu/MLP/root/h.../Zoanthids.html

anthony calfo reported that in one instance after fraging some zoos he touched his lips and they went numb for several days

there was also a member of RC whos dog may have died of ingesting some zoos

some species are known to contain the most toxic naturally occuring nuerotoxin known to man and if u dont believe me go grind some onto your spaghetti j/k by the way


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## Scrap5000 (Mar 4, 2005)

Are you sure it's not an infection? Saltwater can carry some pretty nasty bacteria...


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## smokinbubbles (Mar 25, 2005)

well it has gotten worse and the numbness has gone a lil past my elbow, the zoo things u are talkin about? i have this anemone thing that was on this hermit crab of mine that i got from florida and it kinda looks like thoes. i well get some pics of the anemone on here when i can.
J-Rod


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## Guest (Apr 11, 2005)

With regards to the Lion, the spine must pierce your skin at least. Brushing up against you will have no effect. The spine must stick in you. At work Lions have brushed past me on a few occasions. They sort of deliberately stab you if they want to get you. I guess the toxin is let out from the point of the spine.The sting is painful but even a Foxface packs more of a punch. It must be something else, sounds harsh though.


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## 00nothing (Mar 26, 2004)

smokinbubbles said:


> well it has gotten worse and the numbness has gone a lil past my elbow, the zoo things u are talkin about? i have this anemone thing that was on this hermit crab of mine that i got from florida and it kinda looks like thoes. i well get some pics of the anemone on here when i can.
> J-Rod
> [snapback]974933[/snapback]​


your best bet would to be to go onto reefcentral and also take soem pics of things in your tank so that the real experts can help u out and possibly identify the creature that may have poisoned you as well as possibly assist in determining what the poison is might help the doctors that treat you

this isnt something to be taken lightly people assume that all those nice fishies and corals are safe well that is the furthest thing from the truth scientists are discovering new things about sea creatures all the time and i think a lot of hobbyiest jstu assume that since they got it at a pet store and nobody told them anything that it must be safe

my advice is to go to the hospital right away whatever the problem is it may be nothing much but it could be something serious that may cause nerve damage not worth it to take a risk as soon as u find out what has happened make sure u let us know so that otehr reef keepers can be aware of things to look out for, I hope the best for you

hey pack no offense but now whos smoking something


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

lets get down to the nitty gritty..first things first....smoking bubbles should not be on this site discussing this matter with us... as soon as you felt anytype of numbness or pain he should of rushed to the hospital to consult a doctor about the matter.

no offense taken 00nothing by your remarks..but you trying to uses zoas toward a fish is apples and oranges..two totally different animals..one being a fish and the other an invert.

do you know how lionfish release its venom? if not let me explain..the venom is not located in the tips of the spine...its located at the bottom of the spine,inside of glads... for venom to be released the glad must be (keyword)"compressed".. lionfish does not have the ability to shoot or spray venom at just any given moment......quick to the point.. ask yourself this q,if the lionfish would of release it venom..let just say for the sake of arguing..wouldn't the other fish in his sytem die or illness would be in place? if it brought numbness to S.b just imagine what it would of done to smaller fish in the sytem?

bottomline-lionfish do not secrete anyform of venom.i will produce links later this evening when i get out of work for you to read.










..btw i been keeping lionfish over 20 years in this hobby..







..i think i know just alittle about them by now don't ya think


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## 00nothing (Mar 26, 2004)

I am fully aware that zoos and lionfish have nothing to do with each other i was just trying to come up with an alternate source of contaminant that may have caused the numbness he was feeling, the only reason i mentioned zoos at all is that his symptons were totally in line with what i have read from people who have had experiences with zoos and being poisoned by them. in smokin bubbles first statement he never actually said he was stung by the lionfish but had an unexplainable numbness, and myself knowing that it was not the lion unless he was actually stung and knowing that it is definitly not a numbness i ruled that out immediatly, zoos were jsut the first thing that came to mind but there are a variety of corals that contain nuerotoxins

too many people look into there tanks and only see the beauty and not realize the potenetial hazards that all those beautiful creatures pose to our own health


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## Scrap5000 (Mar 4, 2005)

I still say you might have an infection from some of the bacrteria in your tank...


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## smokinbubbles (Mar 25, 2005)

i don't have any idea what it is, im probally goin to the doctor tomorrow. also i never said it was my lionfish. i was just asking if there was anyway there poison can get out into the water without even touching them. and the reason why i was asking on here was becasue i think it was somethin in my tank that did it. im not tryin to sound all mean and stuff im just sayin i came on here to find out casue i think it has ot do with my aquarium and wondering if any of yall have ever heard of this.
J-Rod


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## 00nothing (Mar 26, 2004)

hey smokin sorry to make ure thread seem like a test of knowledge the most important thing is that u get yourself to a doctors as soon as possible while it may seem like nothing some nuerotoxins (if thats what it even is) can cause irreparable damage to the nervous system

jsut an fyi for future things while p-fury has some very knowledgable people on it reefcentral is a site jsut crammed fulled of saltwater keepers and has a lot of both knowledgable people and experts in the hobby that may have experienced similar things so u would be more likely to get more solid response, my rule is if i really must know post on few forums jsut to get a better variety of views


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## smokinbubbles (Mar 25, 2005)

00nothing said:


> hey smokin sorry to make ure thread seem like a test of knowledge the most important thing is that u get yourself to a doctors as soon as possible while it may seem like nothing some nuerotoxins (if thats what it even is) can cause irreparable damage to the nervous system
> 
> jsut an fyi for future things while p-fury has some very knowledgable people on it reefcentral is a site jsut crammed fulled of saltwater keepers and has a lot of both knowledgable people and experts in the hobby that may have experienced similar things so u would be more likely to get more solid response, my rule is if i really must know post on few forums jsut to get a better variety of views
> [snapback]975565[/snapback]​


yeah my brother thinks it is some sort of nuerotoxin also.
J-Rod


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## spec-v (Feb 27, 2005)

good luck go to a doctor don't wait


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## nomaddan (Nov 26, 2004)

Do you have any other symptoms? Redness, swelling? Are any of the cuts from the shrubs not healing or red and soar? Do you have a fever? If you do go to the ER tonight, especially if your symptoms are getting worse.


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## smokinbubbles (Mar 25, 2005)

nomaddan said:


> Do you have any other symptoms? Redness, swelling? Are any of the cuts from the shrubs not healing or red and soar? Do you have a fever? If you do go to the ER tonight, especially if your symptoms are getting worse.
> [snapback]975708[/snapback]​


no nothing else besides the numbness. i am goin either tomorrow or wend. to the doctor,casue u know what it is like when your hand is asleep, well its like that on my pinky finger and ring finger down to my elbow, been like that for almost 3 days now.
J-Rod


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## spec-v (Feb 27, 2005)

dude go tommarrow it your arm man


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## elTwitcho (Jun 22, 2004)

Damn dude, never EVER put your hands in your tank when you've got open wounds. You could get all sorts of nasty things and even end up having an apendage amputated. While I doubt you've got mycobacterium I would still say that it's quite likely you have an infection of some sort and I'd insist on asking your doctor for a blood test.


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## smokinbubbles (Mar 25, 2005)

elTwitcho said:


> Damn dude, never EVER put your hands in your tank when you've got open wounds. You could get all sorts of nasty things and even end up having an apendage amputated. While I doubt you've got mycobacterium I would still say that it's quite likely you have an infection of some sort and I'd insist on asking your doctor for a blood test.
> [snapback]976230[/snapback]​


well its is still numb, still the same it has been. but i didn't think about that today is that they take blood







ahhh i couldn't take that akkk. man i hate shots and that is just like em. but i guess i need to be







.
J-Rod


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## Alexraptor (Jan 30, 2003)

when you goto the doctor be shure to mention that you keep a reef tank, sometimes doctors havent had a clue about things until they find out that the patient has a reef tank

saw a thread about a guy who nearly lost his finger to a infection after working in a reef tank


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## 00nothing (Mar 26, 2004)

any update on the outcome of this i think it is useful information to other reefers to find out what happened


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## smokinbubbles (Mar 25, 2005)

00nothing said:


> any update on the outcome of this i think it is useful information to other reefers to find out what happened
> [snapback]984100[/snapback]​


well haha........ i haven't gone to the doctor and it is just my palm and pinky now that are numb, i know i really should go but ugh, they would have ot take blood, and i know how they take blood. i don't do to well with needles.







.

J-Rod


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## acestro (Jul 7, 2003)

I've had a little experience with this sort of numbness. It could be a toxin, but it sounds like a pinched nerve to me. The ulnar nerve goes from the elbow down to the pinky and ring fingers. Just a thought.


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## smokinbubbles (Mar 25, 2005)

acestro said:


> I've had a little experience with this sort of numbness. It could be a toxin, but it sounds like a pinched nerve to me. The ulnar nerve goes from the elbow down to the pinky and ring fingers. Just a thought.
> [snapback]984733[/snapback]​


yeah i have someone else tell me that and i think thats what it might be casue i really can't think of anyhting ever biting me or stinging me.

J-Rod


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## Tinkerbelle (Oct 14, 2004)

erm, i hate to say it... but even though you're afraid of needles, imagine how many MORE needles you'll have to get if something needs amputated or whatnot. just suck it up and get the blood drawn. blood borne infenction is serious stuff.


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## 00nothing (Mar 26, 2004)

Tinkerbelle said:


> erm, i hate to say it... but even though you're afraid of needles, imagine how many MORE needles you'll have to get if something needs amputated or whatnot. just suck it up and get the blood drawn. blood borne infenction is serious stuff.
> [snapback]984762[/snapback]​


agreed


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## smokinbubbles (Mar 25, 2005)

haha, yeah i know but where they put em at to draw blood, ugh. god ughhhhhhhh i can't stand it. like i have pierced my ears and my left nipple (friends said i wouldn't) and i don't have a problem with that. i don't know it just makes me all weak feeling and stuff. im not thinking it is anyhting major but it has been numb for over a week.

J-Rod


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