rash/bumps/???? after cleaning aquarium

[rsteagall]

ok ok ok... gotta tell the story first off... I've had some bad husbandry going on for about the last 5 months. It all started after a routine bulb replacement on my 96w JBJ. The bulb I ordered and the bulb I received were different. I ordered a straight 10k and got a combo 10k/6.5k bulb. Needless to say the aquarium was more yellow than I was use to and hair algae with this bulb started growing more than it was already. So I was kind of disgusted with the looks of it and interested dropped. Meanwhile, the UV filter bulb went out and my skimmer got clogged up. For the next 4-5 months, I did nothing except water top-off. The funny thing is that everything thrived and hair algae seemed to stop growing as fast. All corals and fish seemed to be fairly happy too. Anyway, since the frag swap was coming up Saturday I decided to get "things" working again. I literally pulled out a full 5 gal bucket of brown cheato and hair algae. I also cleaned my sump, fixed the uv filter, and got the skimmer running again.

Now that the story has been told... moving on. I woke up Sunday and the noticed a few hundred bumps on my face, neck, chest, and arms all spread out (not zits but they do have heads...more like a fire ant bite). The wife said she started noticing them Saturday morning, but they were not there Friday night. Here is a quick pic of them on my neck... again they are not zits and they only itch the slightest amount. :P

http://www.ryanandchristy.com/users/012207_08471.jpg

What do you guys think? I do have zoos and palys and did touch them a bit when pulling hair algae out. Beyond this... who knows what all is in my tank. Its fully of all kinds of unidentified creatures as with many of yours. The only other thing is since cleaning... I have noticed on my male clowns tail is torn a little and I think it might have ich. Although this may be s3x injuries. He always gets frisky when I clean. :P Could me mucking around with my tank have caused this or is this just a coincidence?

[geekdafied]

Some people have had allergic reactions to Palys. Its always reccommended to use long gloves when handling them.

[rsteagall]

I eat'em for breakfast. :P

I know this, but its never happened before. In the past only once have I've only felt slight numbing on my fingers and one time a little dizzy after moving some around.

Actually in cleaning everything... I was mostly in the cheato the most picking out stars that I didn't want to toss out. I've been in cheato before and felt a stinging sensation (probably a bristle worm), but didn't get any such sensation this time.

I think I'll just blame it all on Mel and go take a hit of benadryl! Those crazy eVil zooz!

[geekdafied]

Well ya might wanna look into some sort of shoulder length gloves. If you have any kind of reaction such as you mentioned, it would be safe to do so. Who knows what might happened next time. You might get a combo of different things and have bad reaction when nobody is home. Better to be safe then sorry bro.

[geekdafied]

oh yeah... Im sure there are medical professionals in the club who would be better suited about dealing with this, all I know is what I have read about them.

[rsteagall]

but dood... the numbing and dizzy feeling is the best! :D

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/lcoccapics/towlie.jpg



Honestly... I am joking here. :P

[geekdafied]

Im sure it is, haha... If you could single out what exactly is doing the numbing and tingling, let me know, an we'll have a party, hahahaha

[Fanof49ASU]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9043108#post9043108 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by geekdafied
Well ya might wanna look into some sort of shoulder length gloves.

Gloves?
Try a wet suit.

I'd definitely post this question on the main RC forum. You never know....

[rsteagall]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9043211#post9043211 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by geekdafied
Im sure it is, haha... If you could single out what exactly is doing the numbing and tingling, let me know, an we'll have a party, hahahaha

Ever heard of people licking toads? Just think ... if we find the right zoo! :P

I'm not overly concerned with it. They're starting to go away and I've not had any other ill side effects. In fact since this happened... my sinus infection is going away without antibiotics! Maybe I discovered a natural way to kick start your body into producing antibodies.

[geekdafied]

well Im not one for licking toads, but I'll try ALMOST anything once, haha!

[turboex901]

im not sure if its relevant but my wife is allergic to something in salt mixes. her first job years ago was at a saltwater fish store in memphis and they had to lay her off because everytime she would go into a tank her arm would look like youre pictures above. we never found out what it was but it happens whenever she touches saltwater. if you figure it out lemme know what it is!<~~steve

[DMBillies]

I've heard about people being allergic to saltwater. I know Moriah often get's a burning sensation on her arm after being in the tank. I also know that some bacteria can grow in decaying organic matter that can cause bumps similar to what you seem to have (have you ever seen Dirty Jobs when they go for crawfish?). I've experienced this myself as I spent a lot of time in salt marshes growing up near the Jersey shore (cue bad New Jersey jokes...). The only thing that sounds off about these "diagnoses" is that usually those reactions only occur on the area that was submerged.

[rsteagall]

I think I have UMAN ICH! Wouldn't that be sweet?! I think I'll go sit in the hot tub tonight as a form of hypo and doctor myself with Vodka.

/me chants stoli,stoli,stoli,stoli,stoli,stoli,stoli,stoli!

("uman" is from ALiG :P)

I did have some decaying cheato where I didn't do topoffs quite enough and it died due to being out of water :P


Lol... it sounds like my tank has been through hell lately eh?! I still have yet to take any readings except for SG. Maybe I'll do that tonight. It does feel good though to have everything working again. :) UV... Skimmer... and now all I need to do is replace this damn U G L Y 10k/6.5k combo light. I think I might go with a single 250W XM 20K or XM 15K. What do you guys think about one of these 2 bulbs for a single light system?!!?! The reason I mention these is because I already have a 250W magnetic ballast that has been checked out and working.

[gflat65]

I think fishdoc developed soemthign over time. He didn't had issues at all in the early days, but I think he started getting issues like that when he would work on the tank for extended periods of time. Same with CountZero when he was at Emerald bay.

I have to agree on the free dizziness from zoas;). Nothing wrong with a little zoa addled brain;).

[rsteagall]

I suppose you guys saw my little statement about my male clown? Well, looking at him yesterday I would have doubted his comeback. Today... he looks 500% better. Tail is of course still frayed and I can still see small lesions, but its nothing compared to yesterday.

The bumps on my face are about gone. There are a still on my neck though and have actually headed up like a zit ewwwwwwwwww :P I'd estimate it was some kind of bacterial infection. Also, the small sinus infection and ear ache I was fighting over the last 4-5 days is virtually gone. Related? Who knows. To test it, I think I'll go diving in cheato the next time I get sick. :) Seriously... isn't this how some medicine is found? :P

[Angela Short]

I am like fishdoc, the longer I was in the hobby the worse my reactions are. I was a hive basket case with the tank transfer! I have started getting pretty bad rashes on my torso now if I am exposed for long periods to the tank. I have to shower off if I get real wet. Sure hope my beach days are not ruined now that I am so sensitive to saltwater! And if a brissle worm gets me my finger swells so fat it throbs for about 2 days. My finger that got stung Sat. morning is just now to the itching stage today instead of throbbing. I use gloves 50% of the time but was in a hurry that morning.

[gflat65]

Don't quote me on fishdoc. I may be thinking of someone else. I do remember Jason (CountZero) starting a thread on it because he was having issues at the store (in and out of the water alot). My right arm has been tingling like an icy hot flash over the forearm and lower wrist for days (since I've had my hands in the tank for days and days consecutively). It comes and goes, but is an eerie feeling...

[rsteagall]

I've read the amount of bacteria and other "things" in our tank are much more concentrated than in the ocean. IE: fish in the ocean rarely die from ich. It will be interesting to see if the reaction happens again now that I have my UV filter running full force.

[Sir Knight]

Well I just wanted to comment on this being a former coral farmer working in my tanks 12 to 16 hours a day 7 days a week. I never well almost never, put my hands in a tank to work without gloves. Reason being handling coral and rock you can cut your hands which can/ will cause problems or you could have cuts on your hands and get infections. I also propagated a lot of zoa's I don't like feeling stoned or trying to explain to a doctor what a zoa is plus the poison and I even had on eye protection. I have had them spit when fragging and didn't want that stuff in my eyes. Hydra's could be one of your problems as could baby jelly fish to name a few. UV will not stop the problem IMO it may help but I just don't believe so. Also there are a lot of things that can and will sting you, another reason for gloves.

Hear is another good idea use paper towels instead of a cloth towel because with paper you get it wet and you get rid of it.

I know a guy in PA (who wrote a few books on corals) that poisoned himself a couple of times with a towel, that he was using when fragging zoa's. He wiped his hands and tools on the towel and then wiped his face without thinking and got some juice on his lips. So the best cure is prevention. When I say coral farmer I had 11 - 240 gallon tanks in a greenhouse, and in my basement I had 1- 240, 2- 120, 2 - 150, 1-210 and 4 - 90 and yes I did have the cops over to see what I was growing :lolspin: .

I think there are some pictures on the East TN website of my operation if you would like to see them (the green house not the cops).

My wife still can not believe I have a 40 gallon tank and I am not asking to get a bigger and bigger tank;)

Being from NJ myself I can not believe anyone would go into the water now. I can tell you a story about a case of beer in Feb and jumping into the Bay. I still can't believe I lived to be in my 50's, but as they say, I have been dead for years I am just to stupid to lie down.

Just something to think about.

Joe