Everytime I clean my tank, my chest gets tight

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by Diana A

One of my son's is allergic to shell fish. He was feeding his fish flakes and pellets and was having breathing problems. Flakes and pellets have shrimp in them. He had to dismantle is tank

maybe i can just stick to frozen mussels

[ReeferNoob4ever]

It's the salt mix.

[hkgar]

Are you certain that there are no Zoa's https://www.google.com/search?q=zoe+...ueHNnHCtGtVeM:
growing on one of your rocks that you may disturbing when you clean. Paly toxin produces those symptoms.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2515630

[JTL]

To the OP. You will do what you want but why are you not talking to a medical professional?

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by JTL

To the OP. You will do what you want but why are you not talking to a medical professional?

i will, but its not like im rushing to the emergency room. my chest is better now, i will hold off going near my tank for now.

i made an appointment at my allergy doc for next week.

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by hkgar

Are you certain that there are no Zoa's https://www.google.com/search?q=zoe+...ueHNnHCtGtVeM:
growing on one of your rocks that you may disturbing when you clean. Paly toxin produces those symptoms.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2515630

my rock is all boring white color. i never put any coral in, is it something that can grow on its own?

[hkgar]

Originally Posted by moneymm

my rock is all boring white color. i never put any coral in, is it something that can grow on its own?

I doubt it, but it could have com in as a hitchhiker on live rock

[JTL]

Originally Posted by moneymm

i will, but its not like im rushing to the emergency room. my chest is better now, i will hold off going near my tank for now.

i made an appointment at my allergy doc for next week.

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by hkgar

I doubt it, but it could have com in as a hitchhiker on live rock

i have had all my live rock for 3 years now, nothing seems to be on there.

if it was, it would have either grown much bigger or died correct?

[Sk8r]

Your answer from the hobbyists is---no, it's not normal and we don't experience this.
Your next answer needs to be from your doctor, seriously. There are many rewarding hobbies, and this one may not be for you. There are a lot of toxins that do exist in this hobby, but your reaction is severe and nothing any of us are experiencing. In any case, make your doctor aware: he may order an EKG and stress test to see if there's an issue outside the tank: any heart problem is usually far easier to head off than to deal with after there's damage; but it could also be respiratory reaction, and that can be serious really fast. Try to find out WHAT it is. None of us can think of any common allergy that could be doing it.
My advice would be to find something else you truly long to do, be it model ships or bonsai or whatever.

[Dr RBG]

Get a cardiac evaluation ASAP to be safe How old are you, do you smoke? Let a professional give you advice.

[moneymm]

I am 35, dont smoke, i just played basketball for an hour and half, its def not my heart. its happened several times and always during or right after smelling this unique odor that i smell when the sand gets moved around and tank gets cloudy.

Its definitely something in the tank.

thanks. I will report back with what my doctor says.

the reaction I am getting here is quite def from my wife who thinks I am nuts and to just where a mask when i do water changes.

[five.five-six]

Originally Posted by rocsec1

It might not be the tank. It might be that it just happened to happen when you were the tank. Maybe you should go see your doctor.

Yes, it could be the extending of your arms from an awkward position.

This is not normal, I bring this to your doctor, just make any increases to your life insurance first LOL


Could be stray voltage, have you checked it with a DMM?

[moneymm]

are these tiny white worms that I have all over my tank, "bristle worms".

I just want to make sure I tell my doc everything thats in my tank, and hope he has some idea what might be causing this issue.

Crabs
Snails
Alage
Live Rock with who knows what on/in it.
Sand with Fish food Waste
Bristle worms?

[moneymm]

So I talked to my allergy doctor. He said that my lungs are being irratated by something. and that i should wear a mask and then vacate the tank area for a few hours after doing water changes.

So my plan is to do that, but first off to have someone else remove all the sand. go without sand for a month or so (if my tank will be okay with out it?) and then put in new dry sand and then going forward to make sure I keep a very clean tank and stay on top of water changes.

[crawlerman]

You don't need sand, many go bare bottom. Looks pretty cool when corals encrust to the glass bottom. But if I were to guess, whatever is in the sand is also in the live rock. Those white tubes are tube worms. But there are probably bristle worms in there somewhere, I've never had a tank without them.

[Sk8r]

WIshing you good luck---and teach your wife to do some tank maintenance, for one thing---trade her a weekly dinner out or a household chore. Less exposure is better. Likewise, wear latex exam gloves and have your hands in the tank as little as possible---for one thing, it's better for fish and corals. Our hands are oily and shed it into the water. Bare bottom is perfectly feasible. Dry sand cannot be used without extensive washing and will then give you the world's worst hair algae bloom (phosphate in the unconditioned dry sand.) Bare bottom would be best for you and simplest to maintain.

[Fiver]

It's good to try to identify the cause through process of elimination, and I'm sorry to be a downer, but what makes you think it's the sand? Sounds unlikely to me.

Sorry, and, good luck.

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by Fiver

It's good to try to identify the cause through process of elimination, and I'm sorry to be a downer, but what makes you think it's the sand? Sounds unlikely to me.

Sorry, and, good luck.

when it gets moved around, and the water gets all cloudy, it creates a foul odor, when this odor hits me is when this tightness happens.

It could have alot to do with the lack of water changes for the past year, abundance of waste & dead snails just dominating the sand over that time period.

i had so many algae problems over the first 2 years, that i just gave up about a year ago, and was just keeping the fish alive, never cleaning tank at all.

[moneymm]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

WIshing you good luck---and teach your wife to do some tank maintenance, for one thing---trade her a weekly dinner out or a household chore. Less exposure is better. Likewise, wear latex exam gloves and have your hands in the tank as little as possible---for one thing, it's better for fish and corals. Our hands are oily and shed it into the water. Bare bottom is perfectly feasible. Dry sand cannot be used without extensive washing and will then give you the world's worst hair algae bloom (phosphate in the unconditioned dry sand.) Bare bottom would be best for you and simplest to maintain.

LOL, my wife doing tank maintenance is about as likely as my clownfish hopping out of the tank and asking "Where's Nemo".

So if I do want sand, replacing this sand with live sand will allow me to bypass any out of control algae growth and allow me to instantly add in some new CUC members?

I am just worried that any live sand may contain some unwanted critters or perhaps some microscopic shrimp that I am allergic to and dont want in the tank ever.

I try and keep my tank 100% shrimp free.

[JamesZebedee]

Originally Posted by hkgar

Are you certain that there are no Zoa's
growing on one of your rocks that you may disturbing when you clean. Paly toxin produces those symptoms.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2515630

Wow, that's wild. I remember hearing about this happening to an Australian family, but never knew exactly what it was.
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-0...spores/8488910

[Diana A]

Just remember that if you are allergic to shell fish, you can not use flake food, pellets or frozen fish food. It will cause you respiratory problems. Know this as a fact.

[Alma Knack]

Are your gloves made with latex? A RAST test can be done by your MD which may reveal a latex allergy

[rfgonzo]

You said the tank is in your office. Could the chest pain be from added stress? If your fighting algae in the tank for 2 years could this be stressing you out every time you work on the tank?

[Punchanello]

palytoxin? respiratory distress is a symptom.