Fiji Foxface, how venmous are they?

[elekamit]

Well, tomorrow I am getting myself a Fiji Foxface, and I know they are venomous, and just wanted to know, are they like lionfish?

Do I need to be really carefull when handling inside the tank now?

[CrazyLionfish]

I'm not sure exactly HOW venomous they are, but you do need to be careful when handling inside of the tank now because if you get hit, it will hurt.

[Vili_Shark]

No they're not.
The FFF will become very friendly under normal condition and will eat from your hand after a week or so.
Unlike Lion Fish, they wont get alert or defensive when you put your hand into the water, so it's less a chance to get a sting.
FME the only chance to get a sting from a FFF is to handle them, so just avoid handling them and if you must do it with care or use a glove.

I wouldnt put them in the same category as Lion Fish or any of the Scorpaenidae family.

About the venom itself, I got a couple of stings from the S.vulpinus so I assume it's the same , it hurts a bit but passes within minutes with hot water, if you're sensetive to the venom it's a different strory.

I know of a guy who called me from the hospital to get the scientific name of a Blue Tang after his hand became huge and he suffered pain that he cant recall suffering in his life, and we are talking Paracanthurus hepatus (!!!)

[AquariumPerson]

heh, thats odd. i didnt think hippo tangs were that bad...

[cwbroden]

I think I read somewhere that the venom would feel like a bee sting. As Vili_Shark said, not bad normally unless you are alergic to the venom.

[Ninong]

I have a Siganus vulpinus and it hides whenever I put my arm into the tank to clean the glass but it will take food from my fingers. They are not a threat to attack you like a lionfish.

Their dorsal and anal spines are venomous but not as bad as a lionfish. I'm not about to find out for myself how bad they are.

:D

[reefpeep2004]

I had one eating out of my hand for a year before I let a friend adopt him. The only time I was "stung" was when I netted him and he started flapping around. In a panic I closed my hand over the net so he wouldn't scrape his scales, completely forgetting about the spines. Ouch. Did I say O-U-C-H ? 5 minutes under hot water and the pain went away.