OUCH! Have you ever been injured while reefing?

[PaulPerger]

If injured while building a reef tank counts... I cut my finger wide open in two places on a drill bit about six weeks ago. Seven stitches and a bunch of embarrassment, but it's all good now.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Ibuprofen +1

Hydrocortisone - Bad idea, this could make it worse as it thins the dermis

Avoid Neosporin (triple antibiotic) if cut is deep (use polysporin or plain bacitracin ointment)

If pain persists, you can always buy a product that contains lidocaine otc (Aspercream is a good choice as some formulations contains aspirin to help with pain absorbed through the skin. If unable to find you can use this....

You can also do a makeshift ointment: Crush using a mortar and pestle (bottom of a glass works too) Ibuprofen 200mg 15 tablets/per 1 oz and suspend it in Aquaphor, Petroleum Jelly, or Eucerin Cream. Apply it directly and rub into skin around the wound every 2 hours until the pain subsides.

Who knew R2R was such great place for medical advice! Can we start a new forum section for this??? Jk jk

 

[ZoWhat]

 

[ZoWhat]

Does a spouse throwing a chair at you when telling them you spent $600 on a R2R Live Sale count????

 

[MombasaLionfish]

I have been tagged by bristleworms, sliced by a tang, and slightly electrocuted. I am sure there is more but I have been reefing for 1/3 of my life and I can’t even remember what I did last week lol. I also occasionally break out in a rash on my forearm after tank maintenance, I haven’t figured out why and it is random. I think we should change it from “no” to “not yet” lol.

The rash is from leaving your arm in the water to long or not rinsing it immediately after. If you have sensitive skin this will probably happen all the time.

 

[Dancingmad]

Okay okay, terrible memes from a terrible person aside I've had minor stings from my BTAs, clownfish attacks and had my hand slapped by a tang (blades missed me because I have the reflex of a monkey).

I might be immune to bristle worms. Either that or they don't bother me anymore.

 

[Timfish]

Don't know how many times I've cut my fingers on sharp edges moving rocks and corals around. Been stabbed by Lionfish a couple of times. Had a big female Percula who would hover when cleaning and dash in and bite the skin at the base of my fingers and actually draw blood ;Rage Inhaled salt dust mixing a barrel of salt. Rashes on the inside of my forarms from Euphylia and BTAs. Pulled muscles moving big tanks. By far the worst has been getting infections cutting or scraping hands or fingers dealing with rusty and broken hose clamps in tight spaces.

 

[ReefQueen]

The rash is from leaving your arm in the water to long or not rinsing it immediately after. If you have sensitive skin this will probably happen all the time.

I work at an LFS and when I am at work my arms are more often wet then dry, wouldn’t I constantly have a rash then lol? It is totally random and only happens every so often. It clears up within an hour usually.

 

[4FordFamily]

I’ve been in the hobby 15 years and never a serious injury. I’ve always washed my hands, cut my fingers moving rocks probably literally 100 times. Setting up my wall tank rock — literally could have lost my fingers. Virulent infection immensely painful!

Some ABX and little tolerance for it after 24-36 hours of excruciating pain saved me! Be careful out there! Boil your hands in the hottest water and soap you can handle for as long as you can handle (within reason). I used to think infections were somewhat of a joke — or at least, I didn’t take them very seriously. Now I do!

 

[Billldg]

Besides stabbing myself or gluing my fingers together, No, Never, LOL!!!

 

[hatfielj]

I slipped and fell in Hawaii while walking across some rocks to get from one tide pool to another (Stupid move on my part they were wet and covered in algae). Had a pretty nasty gash on my hand and some scrapes on my foot but I went immediately back and washed it all with soap and water and applied antiseptic and bandaids and it never got infected. Ruined my snorkeling for the day though.
It happened here:

 

[4FordFamily]

I slipped and fell in Hawaii while walking across some rocks to get from one tide pool to another (Stupid move on my part they were wet and covered in algae). Had a pretty nasty gash on my hand and some scrapes on my foot but I went immediately back and washed it all with soap and water and applied antiseptic and bandaids and it never got infected. Ruined my snorkeling for the day though.
It happened here:

Beautiful shot! Sorry for the ruined snorkeling!

 

[MombasaLionfish]

I work at an LFS and when I am at work my arms are more often wet then dry, wouldn’t I constantly have a rash then lol? It is totally random and only happens every so often. It clears up within an hour usually.

Do you have sensitive skin? It only happens to me every once and awhile from all the nitrates/nitrites/ammonia/salt. Sometimes it can be to much for your skin to handle so you break out in a rash clears up in an hour your fine.

 

[MombasaLionfish]

Don't know how many times I've cut my fingers on sharp edges moving rocks and corals around. Been stabbed by Lionfish a couple of times. Had a big female Percula who would hover when cleaning and dash in and bite the skin at the base of my fingers and actually draw blood ;Rage Inhaled salt dust mixing a barrel of salt. Rashes on the inside of my forarms from Euphylia and BTAs. Pulled muscles moving big tanks. By far the worst has been getting infections cutting or scraping hands or fingers dealing with rusty and broken hose clamps in tight spaces.

I've always wondered what being stabbed by a lionfish is like.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

I was fragging palys with a dremel and got debris all over my neck and lower face. The next day I broke out in a contact dermatitis. I needed 2-4 applications of topical steroids and a 5 day dose of oral steroids.

 

[cracker]

Slipped in a little spilled water after a water change. Landed right on my hip. Been gimping around ever since. Does that count ?

 

[vlangel]

I have never technically been injured reefing but I was hurt at my job at a lfs. A customer wanted to get a better look at one of the eels that we had. It was a more aggressive eel, (the type with a pointier snout) so when I used my hand to try and swoosh him out of his lair he responded by crunching down on one of my fingers. The 70 gallon tank instantly turned red with my blood. I calmly closed my hand into a fist and told the customer that I needed to get a bandaid, LOL. When I got to the office and surveyed the damage, his 3 rows of razor teeth had cut me to the bone. I washed the wound well, smothered it with neosporin and butterflied it shut. That was 16 years ago and the scar is not even visible anymore.

 

[Salty.Reefer]

I threw out my back while moving my 110 gallon rimless. The thing is a tank.

 

[BestMomEver]

I’ve scraped my fingers across the shells of vermatid snails. They are like barnacles... they will cut you to bits.

 

[FishLipz]

Eel bite! Lucky for me it was a golden dwarf moray and nothing large.