Dipped zoas in h202 and found a worm

[Fishko]

So i dipped my zoas in h202 they had some bacteria on them and algae. And the thing is everything went well but i saw just one tiny tiny worm maybe 2mm come off and was orange ish. Im not sure if it was a bristle worm since i could see any bristles the peroxide quickly killed it but just wondering should i be concerned when picking up the zoa rock or doing work in there. My hand the other day was stinging so maybe something got me like a worm (i thought it was the zoas)

 

[ludnix]

You probably got stung by the bristleworms but I wouldn't be too concerned. I would absolutely get a box of nitrile gloves to use when handling the rocks or corals though.

 

[ludnix]

I thought I'd add a tip for treating bristle worm stings for any other readers. When your stung you can actually see the bristles in your hand if you look closely. They will be tiny transparent hairs sticking out where you made contact with the worm. If you allow your hand to air dry (do not use a towel on the bristles!) You can then use packing tape or other strong adhesive clear tapes to gently lay across the stinging site. Lay it down from one side and gently press along it across your sting. Then gently remove the tape and you will pull a majority of the bristles out. repeat with new tape as needed to get the remaining bristles out.

Rinse the area with hot water and be aware you might not react to the bristles at all or it may be a delayed reaction. For myself the bristle sting sites usually becomes red, itchy and mildly swollen about 4 hours later. For others they may not have any reaction to the bristles beyond the initial irritation or the actual physical annoyance of the bristles themselves.