Venom in general is not something to be taken lightly- different venoms target different systems in your body and either temporarily impair them or shut them down/destroy them. I can't speak for the venom of
as I don't know its chemical properties or its affects on the human body but any venom with human fatalities to its name demands respect. Even venoms without such claims should be treated as they could. My brother got stung by a
when he was 10 which I believe is much less venomous but still the pain was intense enough to send him into shock.
I would treat this venom like I would treat any other medically significant species of animal. Even if you aren't allergic to a venom, you can become so. Some scorpion venoms desensitize your immune system so the next time your stung your more likely to have a severe reaction. A women recently died during bee acupuncture (apparently a thing...) even though she had undergone that process several times before.
First of all buy an epipen to keep close to the tank and make sure to swap it out when it expires.
Never use your hand in the aquarium unless the catfish are secured in or out of the tank.
Have a extremely secure lid a) because they are walking cats b) toxic ones.
If you have a family, roommates, spouse, children or other make sure everyone understands what could happen and what to do if it does. Also have the tank and Lid labeled with Caution- Extremely Venomous and the scientific name.
Use tools with long handles- algae scrubbers, syphon, tweezers, nets (not for catching them but for pulling out debris). Scape the tank in a way that allows the fish to feel secure but also allows you to know where they are at any given time. another option would be to make or find a trap box that they could use as a hiding space and you could close them into when you had to do maintenance.
Have a maintenance routine and adhere to every step and every precaution religiously.
Don't fear the animal you keep, its not productive and won't keep you safe. With that said respect will. Understand what this animal is capable of, the possible outcomes of working with it and then ultimately decide if thats something worth keeping to you.
I'm sure this seems excessive and thats because it is. I'm not trying to scare you away from
, in fact its a fish that fascinates me and I would love to work with. I just want to give you pause on something that demands it and I hope that the tone of this message does exactly that, my apologies if it comes across as anything else.
Regards
James
I can stop keeping catfish whenever I want. I just don't think I'll ever want to do that...
