Are there soft corals that don’t sting ?

[Idech]

Confused? Can you explain what you mean by your immune system isn't the best?

The ability of a coral to cause damage has nothing to do with your immune system.

I have an auto-immune disease that makes my immune system go berzerk. I don’t have any medical evidence of corals being more harmful with my condition, but I do have hypersensitivity to chemicals and drugs which makes my body over react when exposed to them.

I just don’t want to take the chance to make myself more ill. I’m doing this as a hobby to take my mind off things, not to worry even more.

 

[Idech]

If corals are a risk, though, why not go for macro? Dragon's breath is stunning under the blue lights, and halimeda (once it gets established) is great. Algae, along with fish and inverts, adds enough movement and colour to keep a small tank like this interesting.

I’m so new at this I don’t know all the options yet. I was wondering if you could have plants in a salt water tank but I guess this is it ? I’m definitely interested in macros and I’ll look into them !

Leathers will release a very mild toxin as a form of chemical warfare in your tank to keep other corals from over growing it. The toxin they release is a growth inhibiting type toxin unlike the neuro toxin that Palys and Zoas can relase that will straight up kill you potentially

Thank you ! I’ll research leathers.

Over 8 years old and still going strong; however, I use one of those gloves and one disposable nitrite now since it is harder to do sensitive tasks with those massive thick gloves.

Thank you. I thought you were supposed to get disposable gloves and get rid of them after one use ? Do you clean your glove after using it ?

I'm suggesting a Duncan to start once all your parameters are set....I like Xenia as well.

I wil definitely look into Duncans, they come up often.

If you’re just looking for something easy though, they aren’t soft corals but candy canes are easy to take care of and look cool. Plus your clowns may live in the branches

I’ve never heard of them, I’ll look into it !

 

[davidcalgary29]

I’m so new at this I don’t know all the options yet. I was wondering if you could have plants in a salt water tank but I guess this is it ? I’m definitely interested in macros and I’ll look into them !

While some marine aquaria do have "true" plants, like seagrasses, most of the decorative specimens are macroalgae. You can see a few on offer here, but do a search for some of the planted tanks on this site for better inspiration. Most aquarium macroalgae is red or green, but there are also two blue species that are hard-to-find but spectacular in the right setting.

Caution: red algae tends to be consumed quickly by herbivores. I had some stunning halymenia in my Evo, but it pretty much disappeared over the course of a week. Halimeda is great, and has a calcerous structure, and won't be eaten, but it has more exacting water demands and doesn't like new tanks. Mine sulked and flopped around in my three-month old Evo until about two weeks ago.

 

[ariellemermaid]

Honestly I don’t think you have too much to worry about with corals specifically. While your medical history is unclear, here’s my two cents.

I would break medical concerns down into two categories. 1) sensitivity to things, and 2) immunosuppression. Generally, sensitivity arises from an over-reactive immune system. Asthma, having a lot of allergies, reactive skin, those kinds of things. If that’s what we’re talking about then you should wear a good pair of shoulder (or elbow, sounds like you have a small tank) length gloves regardless of corals. Skin can react to anything in the water including the saltwater itself. I’m not reactive at all, but I’m very conscious about putting my hand in the tank based upon the last time I put lotion on. So I think it’s not as hard to forget the gloves as you might think.

As others have stated “danger” from corals comes in two varieties- stinging cells, and toxins like zoanthids. Both concerns are very small generally, but if you’re hyper-reactive, it’s best to avoid contact with the marine environment. Zoa toxins for instance- unless you’re fragging (putting it under stress) and/or have open wounds, the chance of getting sick from just having your hand in a tank with a zoa is pretty much zero. Not enough toxin in the water, or absorption in the body.

However your post to me suggests number 2; immunosuppression. Immunosuppression by itself doesn’t increase the danger from either stings or toxins. In fact with some toxin exposure such as in anaphylaxis, the immune system isn’t the solution, it’s the entire cause of the problem. Having a poor immune system has zero to do with dealing with mild stings or toxins. In fact it’s category 1 that has to worry about reacting to mild stings. If very immunosuppressed what you should be concerned about isn’t the corals...it’s the Petri dish of bacteria living in your tank! And only then for the most part, if you have any open wounds. Corals don’t kill immunocompromised people; bacteria and viruses do.

Even if you fall into category 1, IMO the danger from most corals is minimal. Maybe don’t get a super aggressive anenome and handle it with your bare hands, but the chances of having a severe allergic reaction from casually brushing by a soft coral the one time you didn’t wear gloves is extremely unlikely. Enjoy the hobby, try not fear it!

 

[Idech]

@ariellemermaid thank you so much ! This is reassuring. I’m a little bit of both possibilities so I’ll be careful. Even with my freshwater tanks, I always wash my hands and arms in soap after putting them in the tank.

I might buy my first coral : northern light Montipora sps.

 

[Vette67]

I have an autoimmune disorder, sarcoidosis, and I’m on an immunosuppressant, prednisone, and I don’t think twice about putting my hands into my tank. I have never used golves and have been stung by hammer corals and poked more times than I’d like to admit by long spine urchins. I have never had any problems that have arisen from handling anything in my tank. If you are careful, you’ll most likely be fine. There aren’t that many bad bugs in our tanks, and as was mentioned earlier, as long as you don’t go into anaphylactic shock from an allergic reaction, I don’t think you have anything to worry about.

 

[ariellemermaid]

@ariellemermaid thank you so much ! This is reassuring. I’m a little bit of both possibilities so I’ll be careful. Even with my freshwater tanks, I always wash my hands and arms in soap after putting them in the tank.

I might buy my first coral : northern light Montipora sps.

I’ll also add that I’ve killed soft corals while other LPS and SPS are going strong. It’s definitely not true that you’re guaranteed success with soft corals and that beginners will kill all SPS and LPS if you have good light and flow. The Tidal Gardens Acropora YouTube video addresses that a bit. Every coral regardless of soft, LPS, and SPS has its own qualities and resiliencies. Zoa’s for us have been very rewarding. Lots of color, movement, and very resilient. We almost killed one montipora but it staged a major comeback.

 

[Idech]

I’ll also add that I’ve killed soft corals while other LPS and SPS are going strong. It’s definitely not true that you’re guaranteed success with soft corals and that beginners will kill all SPS and LPS if you have good light and flow. The Tidal Gardens Acropora YouTube video addresses that a bit. Every coral regardless of soft, LPS, and SPS has its own qualities and resiliencies. Zoa’s for us have been very rewarding. Lots of color, movement, and very resilient. We almost killed one montipora but it staged a major comeback.

I’ll keep that in mind. Someone in my town has one for sale so I thought it was a sign that it should be my first coral, lol!

 

[Idech]

I went with the seller’s advice and bought a Bali green slimer instead. He said it would be more forgiving.

I couldn’t manage to cut the frag plug. I don’t have any tool that would help. What should I buy ? Thank you !

 

[Imaexpat2]

I went with the seller’s advice and bought a Bali green slimer instead. He said it would be more forgiving.

I couldn’t manage to cut the frag plug. I don’t have any tool that would help. What should I buy ? Thank you !

I use side cutters from Walmart for about 2 bucks to cut the stems off the frag plugs leaving a disk to glue to my rock work. A Bali Green Slimer s not the easiest SPS coral to do but from the Acro family it is one that is going to be the most robust and hardy of the bunch.

 

[vetteguy53081]

While there are some, assume they all sting and keep a distance between corals as a safety

 

[Teen reefer]

honestly most soft corals won’t sting and are pretty good around LPS and SPS but they do spread faster.

 

[ariellemermaid]

I went with the seller’s advice and bought a Bali green slimer instead. He said it would be more forgiving.

I couldn’t manage to cut the frag plug. I don’t have any tool that would help. What should I buy ? Thank you !

I would say it depends what you’re trying to do. Remove the coral from the plug completely, or just chop off the end to glue the plug onto your rock? If the latter, a cheap rotary tool from Harbor Freight with a diamond cutting blade works great. Otherwise bone cutters could get the job done. Or, just find a hole in a rock the plug will fit into.

 

[Ebbott]

I have an auto-immune disease that makes my immune system go berzerk. I don’t have any medical evidence of corals being more harmful with my condition, but I do have hypersensitivity to chemicals and drugs which makes my body over react when exposed to them.

I just don’t want to take the chance to make myself more ill. I’m doing this as a hobby to take my mind off things, not to worry even more.

Duncans have already been stated (and fun to feed). Green Star Polyps is also a favorite if mine (just keep it on an island)

Look into the large head duncans. Much cooler.

 

[ariellemermaid]

I also want to add; it’s a good idea to put the frag plug on the bottom for a bit and let it acclimate to the tank and light. It just sounds like you’re going from buying a coral to final placement all in one step. That might not turn out well.

 

[Rmckoy]

Every coral has some degree of stinging cells to defend itself .
that being said most soft corals you won’t notice .
some
Lps ... euphillia as mentioned above pack a punch .
torch corals being the strongest I’ve felt .
anemones are another story .
I have been stung a few times from my wrist to my arm pit and each time gradually worse
The last before re homing the massive anemone I had I broke out in blisters .

a
Rabbit fish ...... that 6” fish messed me up pretty bad for a week .
struck on my right hand. .
The whole left side of my face was numb and felt like I had a sinus cold

to protect yourself always wear gloves when working in your aquarium

 

[Idech]

Or, just find a hole in a rock the plug will fit into

That’s what I did. How does it look ?

That might not turn out well.

It’s not glued so I can move it of necessary. But so far, at first it did release slime but then the polyps or whatever they’re called opened and it looked happy, as far as I can tell from my 0 experience, lol !