Long Nose Butterflyfish Stung me!?

[Parad1s3lost]

Hi everyone,

I am currently acclimating a long nose butterfly fish from QT to my display tank. When i was trying to scoop it into a large 1 liter beaker for movement into my acclimation setup, my thumb was in the beaker stupidly and the fish had a spasm in fear..

It seemed to have gotten me with its spines, because i didn't feel like it bit me. It stings kind of like a bee sting, maybe with a little numbness and redness. I was just wondering if anyone has ever gotten sliced by one of these guys before? Are they poisonous? I already did a slightly exhaustive google search and couldn't find much..

Thanks!

[Steve McKay]

I believe a net would have been safer for the fish and apparently for you.I have a 1 liter beaker and would not consider such an idea.You will survive the attack.

[kevinpo]

Hello,
Many of the Butterfly species use their dorsal fins as a defense. They are not venomous but the slime coat on most fish will cause a temporary irritation, swelling and redness that quickly goes away.

HTH,
Kevin