Foxface fish are the species you cannot ignore being a fish lover. Even if you know that it can sting, you can assure yourself of hundreds of safety tips that can prove to be your saviors. But the reality is often different than these assurances. Being bitten by a Foxface fish is not as uncommon as you might feel it initially.
So, if you are planning to keep such a fish in your aquarium, you must be very cautious about how you manage things within your tank. It is highly likely that once this fish stings and poison enters your body, you’ll be in a lot of pain and probably be searching different forums for remedies.
We have covered the following topics in this article to guide you related to the Foxface fish sting. Have a look at the possible impacts that Foxface fish can create before making it your pet.
- Is the sting dangerous?
- What can you do to ease the pain?
- Precautionary measures to avoid Foxface fish stings
Is the Foxface fish sting dangerous?
The first thing that you must be worried about in this situation is how deadly could the sting be, and is it important to rush to a doctor?
In most cases, the sting of a Foxface fish isn’t deadly. It contains poison, and it can hurt you badly too. But it is not able to create any permanent damage to your body. So, you can relax a bit and not overwhelm yourself with the thought that you are doomed.
With this mental security, you’ll probably be in a better position to endure the pain that comes with this Foxface fish sting.
As mentioned earlier, the sting is usually not a problem for your health, but if you are allergic to the venom, this could be problematic. Being allergic to poison, you must be very careful about the sting. But in case you still were stung, the best you can do is rush to the doctor and report the incident. Your doctor will give you anti-allergens along with treating you for the poison. All of this might take a bit of your effort and time, but this is worth it. Doing all the treatment yourself when you are allergic might complicate the matter.
In a few cases, you should also expect the transfer of bacteria with the sting to bring in some added problems. It can be in the form of infections. Inform your doctor about the nutrients in your tank and the risk level you are exposed to, so the doctor will understand the bacterial infections you are susceptible to attracting as a result and treat you accordingly.
How severe is the pain?
Even if the Foxface fish sting isn’t dangerous for you, you’ll still feel an enormous amount of pain at the sting spot and the associated area. But how strong is it actually? Or if you can compare it with some other pain to know more about it? This isn’t possible because pain is a subjective term.
There are multiple instances where painful things for one individual aren’t painful for the others and vice versa. Usually, people who go through this stage explain their experience as awful. However, you cannot compare it with other individuals or the other triggers.
You must follow all the precautionary measures when putting your hand in the tank with Foxface fish in it, so you will not have to go through any of it.
How can you relieve the pain?
Now, you must be thinking about what you should do immediately once you have been stung by the Foxface fish.
Put your hand under warm water
Putting your hand under hot water should be the first thing you do. The hotness of water can partially neutralize the impact of the venom. A similar impact can be generated by putting your hand under the MH bulb. Be careful when using the MH bulb procedure because the heat from this bulb can cause burns on your hand too. So, covering the extra area with a cloth might help in this situation.
Even doing all of it will not relieve the pain entirely. It might lower a bit, but the degree of benefit will be small enough that it might go unnoticed. The pain lasts from 30 to 40 minutes in most cases.
Even when the pain goes away, you can still experience the symptoms like redness of the hand and soreness for a few days.
Apply alcohol
One of the other remedies that might help you in this situation a bit is the application of alcohol. You can use a cotton bud, soak it in the alcohol and apply it to the affected area. It will numb the area so that the pain sensation will reduce significantly. Of course, medical alcohol is only allowed.
Precautionary measures to adopt
Here are a few precautionary measures to adopt to help you in such a situation.
Pair of Gloves
Buy a pair of gloves for all your aquarium activities. You must measure that you wear the gloves whenever you put your hand in the tank with Foxface fish or the other stingy animals. Many people neglect wearing it when doing minor tasks; they are exposed to the higher risks’; stop doing that.
Train your Foxface fish
Well, you can’t expect your fish to listen to you just like your pet dogs. But it doesn’t mean you cannot tell them anything. When you give them food, you must ensure that they are learning some good habits too. Even if you manage to do so, you cannot neglect your safety with these types of fish. So, be mindful of that.
Keep some alcohol handy
As the nature of Foxface fish is to sing, there is a significant risk involved when you keep them in your tank. To relieve yourself from immense pain when stung, you must keep the alcohol handy. Rub it on your hand once you have run a lot of hot water over it, and it can prove helpful.
Do not consider the Baby Foxface fish as non-harmful
If you have baby fish and after reading this entire discussion, you feel that it won’t affect you much even it stung, then you are wrong. The smaller the fish is, the more poorly it hurts. They get more scared and put all their force in stinging when you put your hand close to them. Besides, the control of small fish over their venom is less than the bigger one, so the impact they can create is a lot more than an adult fish.
Summing up
Foxface fish might look beautiful, but you have to keep in mind that it will be in your tank where you will be exposed to its poisonous glands quite often. During water changes, feeding, or fixing other issues in the tank, you are highly likely to come in direct contact with the fish. If they sting you, you’ll have to suffer a high pain that can last for half an hour to an hour, but the feeling of discomfort, hand soreness, and redness might extend up to days. So, adopt precautionary measures and wear gloves whenever you interact with your Foxface fish.
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