Are Zoanthids Safe?

[Sick_man]

Hi, I got offered some free Bam Bam Zoas and I'm a little weary about them. I would like to add more corals later on but I heard that these are toxic. I have a dog and there are children in my home so I really don't want to risk anything. I'm worried that the aquarium water will become toxic and evaporate into the air or something like that. Or if any drips onto the ground. I really think that they are really nice looking corals, but I don't want to put anyone at risk.

 

[vanpire]

While Zoas do contain toxins, you have take them out of the water, have them squirt into your eyes, microwave them so they release fumes, eat them, cut yourself and have the toxin touch your wound, etc. for them to hurt you.

I have hundreds and maybe thousands of Zoas in my tank and no issues. I have a pet and my nieces and nephews came over to enjoy the tank often when they were little. Never had a problem.

 

[ichthyogeek]

Ask about what genus zoas they are. Then look up the genus. If it's one that produces palytoxin, then it's best you avoid them. You should know that most cases of palytoxin poisoning that are reported have to do with improper disposal of zoa rocks. The ONLY way to safely kill/sterilize rock that has had zoanthids on it (that I know of) is to soak the rock in bleach. Microwaving, boiling, leaving it out to dry, will all just leave the palytoxin on the rock or get it into the air.

I assure you, aquarium water does not just "become toxic and evaporate into the air." Toxins/everything are left behind in the process of evaporation, hence why it's recommended you top off with RODI water as opposed to saltwater. Should water drip onto the ground, wiping the area with water, then a dilute bleach solution (which breaks down the palytoxin) and then water again should reduce the palytoxin to non-harmful levels. The first water wipe is to dilute the toxin, the bleach to break it down, and the third wipe to get rid of the bleach. If you have bleach-proof floors (tile, concrete, brick, etc.), you can just wipe down with bleach.

What you should actually be worried about, is water getting aerosolized. That's when water is churned up and becomes a fine spray, which contains all the salt/toxins that you want to avoid. This can be avoided by securing any outlets that may spray (return lines, in tank pumps) that may come in contact with the air during a water change, thereby minimizing the chance of water aerosolizing. Keep the tank's cabinets closed to prevent dogs/small children from accessing the sump and playing with the water.

 

[KrisReef]

I don't know, but I wouldn't let the kids put them in their mouths, :)

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

 

[JessenD]

Handle with care and the risk is low. Ie gloves and eye protection.

 

[Anubisxii]

I did tons of research on this before getting any zoas I have a dog 4 cats and gf in the house. As long as you don't have open wounds and reaching in the tank or fragging the zoas your ok. As mentioned before never boil microwave or do anything that seems odd to live rick and you will be fine. So many people have zoas and never had an issue, I've asked every lfs I go to neat me, 5 of them within 2 miles of my house and they or any of their customers have never had an issue. Most of these stores frag their zoas colonies to sell and they wear gloves and face shields and are fine. There are a few horrible stories online that all stem from heating live rock in an oven or boiling them.

 

[Sick_man]

I did tons of research on this before getting any zoas I have a dog 4 cats and gf in the house. As long as you don't have open wounds and reaching in the tank or fragging the zoas your ok. As mentioned before never boil microwave or do anything that seems odd to live rick and you will be fine. So many people have zoas and never had an issue, I've asked every lfs I go to neat me, 5 of them within 2 miles of my house and they or any of their customers have never had an issue. Most of these stores frag their zoas colonies to sell and they wear gloves and face shields and are fine. There are a few horrible stories online that all stem from heating live rock in an oven or boiling them.

Will zoas grow so much that I will have to remove them? Or will they stop growing once they run out of rock? What worries me the most is my dog, he is a beagle and sniffs everything and if its a scent he likes, he'll roll all over it and lick it. I really don't want to touch or interact with the zoas and I'm scared ill drop some part of it on the floor or something. and itll be a hassle to clean up aquarium water with bleach because it is inevitable to get some on the floor during a water change.

 

[Sick_man]

Is there any type of zoa with little to no palytoxin?

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Don't stab them with a fork near your face. That being said, the few times I have fragged zoas I do it outside while wearing gloves, goggles and n95 cause i am deathly afraid. Be smart and you will be just fine

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Will zoas grow so much that I will have to remove them? Or will they stop growing once they run out of rock? What worries me the most is my dog, he is a beagle and sniffs everything and if its a scent he likes, he'll roll all over it and lick it. I really don't want to touch or interact with the zoas and I'm scared ill drop some part of it on the floor or something. and itll be a hassle to clean up aquarium water with bleach because it is inevitable to get some on the floor during a water change.

I just imagined a dog doggy paddling around a tank. Every reefer has the concern but realized its over stressed. Do you wear a helmet while on a bike? Do you tell yours significant other you would rather hang out with the boys than go out on your anniversary? Knowledge about a risk is all thats important. Spills are a non issue unless you had previously stabbed said zoa with a fork.

 

[Anubisxii]

It's a tough call, I said f it and got them I have 2 small frags but I've put my hands on my tank 100 times with no issues no washing after. Look up more info here there are people who have plenty of stories about it on here. I think the major concern is if the toxin becomes airborne from heating it that's where it's super dangerous. In normal form as how the toxin lives in the coral it not an issue to be overly worried about. Again I would just search on here and check other posts where people mention the toxin. I can't answer about which has less or more idk if that's a thing. If mine ever over grow I'll just let them grow their course I don't plan on fragging. I wish I had more info for you but I don't. I just wouldn't cook them and you and the animals will be fine.

 

[Sick_man]

I heard that brown uglier ones are more dangerous and the more colorful ones are safer but I wanted to know which ones specifically.

 

[Anubisxii]

Or stab them with a fork near your face which I think fall under my previously stated "odd" thing to do with a coral lol.

 

[Anubisxii]

I heard that brown uglier ones are more dangerous and the more colorful ones are safer but I wanted to know which ones specifically.

There must be hundreds if not thousands of zoas and like pot everyone has a different name for the same thing so idk would really help, I have twizzlers and green something. Oddly I bought that green frag for a coral that was hitchhicking on the zoa frag.

 

[Sick_man]

There must be hundreds if not thousands of zoas and like pot everyone has a different name for the same thing so idk would really help, I have twizzlers and green something. Oddly I bought that green frag for a coral that was hitchhicking on the zoa frag.

Thanks for the help. Do you have any recommendations for any good looking and inexpensive beginner corals?

 

[robbyg]

Ignorance must really be bliss or I am just lucky.
Never heard about Palotoxins in the 1990s and I handled them by hand, I took the larger rocks out of the water and cut them into separate colonies with a hack saw and then tweezerd off the damaged ones. Call me lucky but I am still alive. Not so sure I would try that now!

 

[Lowlandreef]

I'm not an expert on zoa's, but from what I've heard the smaller colorful ones usually have little to no palytoxin. The bigger palythoa species however do contain higher amounts of palytoxin.

I was a little worried about palytoxin at first as well, but if you understand how the corals release it, it isn't all that scary anymore. The poisonous amount what can kill you will only be released by heating it. So don't boil or cook it or put in the oven. Zoa's can also release their poison if you cut them very heavily. This can only happen when you frag them, but of course you should be doing that very careful anyway. When you cut them, make sure you cut clean between heads. This will limit the amount of palytoxin being released. The poison that will be released through cutting is a fluid. By wearing gloves and safety glasses the chances are very small you'll have trouble with the fluid toxin. When I frag my zoa's I keep them underwater as much as possible so the palytoxin will stay in there. Very easy to keep yourself palytoxin free IMO :)

I think you are only looking in keeping zoa's in the tank, so that should be no problem at all! If you don't wanna come in the position of needing to frag it you can keep them on a separate rock. They will stop growing when the rock is overgrown by zoa's.

 

[Galvano]

What you should actually be worried about, is water getting aerosolized. That's when water is churned up and becomes a fine spray, which contains all the salt/toxins that you want to avoid. This can be avoided by securing any outlets that may spray (return lines, in tank pumps) that may come in contact with the air during a water change, thereby minimizing the chance of water aerosolizing. Keep the tank's cabinets closed to prevent dogs/small children from accessing the sump and playing with the water.

Aerosolization is what a protein skimmer does very efficiently. And with an AIO tank with the skimmer's waste container overtowering the cover there's hardly a chance to seal off that source of pollution.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of scientific research on that topic, there's still a lot of uncertainty about adverse longterm effects of that group of toxic agents, where Palytoxins are even suspected of promoting cancer.

YMMV, but no matter how attractive these cute and hardy Zoanthids may look like, I'd think twice about inhaling their excretions day in, day out. Nevertheless l hope, with an increased awareness of that problem there some time will be certified non-toxic genera I can grow without feeling uncomfortable.

 

[BackToTheReef]

Will zoas grow so much that I will have to remove them? Or will they stop growing once they run out of rock? What worries me the most is my dog, he is a beagle and sniffs everything and if its a scent he likes, he'll roll all over it and lick it. I really don't want to touch or interact with the zoas and I'm scared ill drop some part of it on the floor or something. and itll be a hassle to clean up aquarium water with bleach because it is inevitable to get some on the floor during a water change.

What I would say is if you are that concerned just move on to something else like potentially Green Star Polyps (Some call them GSP which really confused me at first b/c as a bird dog guy a GSP = German Shorthaired Pointer) or if your tank set up is right how about some xenia?

Both of those are usually at the beginner end of the spectrum and can do well but also potentially do too well!

Or some mushrooms?

I had a few zoas in my 75 back in the day before I had ever heard about toxins and handled them a fair bit when I worked at an LFS about 15 years ago. Knowing what I know now I would have taken more care with them, just in case. I'll probably end up with a few in my tank at some point even with the risk.

 

[Michael Rossi]

You should enjoy your tank. Not worry about it making anyone sick. For piece of mind, just stay away from them. Look into acans as a potential replacement as well.

Personally, while i know the risk is very low with zoas/polys, I did have a frag if the ugly brown ones that were growing quite quickly. Again, just for piece of mind I got rid of them and will be keeping them out of my tank. Probably completely unnecessary, but it gives me piece of mind and I’m no longer agonizing over it.