Good morning America just contact me about my palytoxin experience.

Cleo642 · Aug 19, 2015

philfree said:
kinda sad this thread is over.....
Its like the last episode of LOST.....

I just started watching Lost on Netflix, I know it's kinda to start watching it, but I read somewhere in the finale that they die. I don't like that if it's true, I wish some would have gotten rescued or escaped.
That's why the castaway movie must be a little better, he made it back.

reefbeard · Aug 19, 2015

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/aquarium-coral-releases-poison-harm-33174408

Sorry @cb684, I will watch the female viagra video later.

Lonelyreef · Aug 19, 2015

I was skeptical but after watching the video it wasn't to damaging but more info would have been better seems like they glazed over the fact that many people have tanks with no problems at all.

Kurt Copeland · Aug 20, 2015

Cleo642 said:
I just started watching Lost on Netflix, I know it's kinda to start watching it, but I read somewhere in the finale that they die. I don't like that if it's true, I wish some would have gotten rescued or escaped.
That's why the castaway movie must be a little better, he made it back.

What you hear about the finale is not exactly true. I won't elaborate since you just started watching the series. I will say this much, though: I found the series to be really entertaining and it brought me back to watch it every week. The last season, I understand, had issues between the network and the writers because they never found a way to wrap up all the various story lines and loose threads they created and the network actually replaced the writers in the last season. In my opinion, the very last episode was a cop out, an all-too predictable way to end the story which could have been drawn up by a grade school theatrical project. Nothing was answered the way it should have been. I have always wanted the original writers to come back and redo the last episode.

Anyway, having said that, I hope you enjoy the show and I apologize for hijacking the thread!

Fish! GMA! Palytoxin! Interview! Fish! Fish! Fish!

zwulfke · Aug 20, 2015

and the media makes it about hey its bad

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/med...ums-can-poison-you/ar-BBlJXZ7?ocid=spartandhp

Kurt Copeland · Aug 20, 2015

"Flank pain"

That's a new one.

jared graves · Aug 21, 2015

Already saw a comment on instagram worried that it was no longer safe to keep aquariums

Reef_a_holiks · Aug 21, 2015

Is there some place where explains hows exactly to get contacted with this toxin and what ways to prevent it. I feel we still need to know more about this.

Tahoe61 · Aug 21, 2015

Reef_a_holiks said:
Is there some place where explains hows exactly to get contacted with this toxin and what ways to prevent it. I feel we still need to know more about this.

Actually this information is all over the forums.

The way to prevent it is

Wear googles when fragging.
Glove when handling.
If you're actively moving a colony wash your hands, do not wipe your eyes, avoid contact with open wounds.
Do not boil or microwave rocks regardless, just do not do it.

The concentration of toxin is found within the body fluid of the animal, be aware that if you are some how molesting/fragging/damaging tissue of the zoanthids or palys you need to take the above precautions.

Reef_a_holiks · Aug 21, 2015

Tahoe61 said:
Actually this information is all over the forums.

The was to prevent it is

Wear googles when fragging.
Glove when handling.
If you're actively moving a colony wash your hands, do not wipe your eyes, avoid contact with open wounds.
Do not boil or microwave rocks regardless, just do not do it.

The concentration of toxin is found within the body fluid of the animal, be aware that if you are some how molesting/fragging/damaging tissue of the zoanthids or palys you need to take the above precautions.

Got it, i always do the list of ways to prevent it you listed after learning a year ago about this toxin, though i have been reading of cases where people were contacted with the toxin by not cutting nor damaging the coral in anyway, but by simply having the fish tank in the same living area. Now im not sure how true that story is, but would be important to know if that is possible or not

Lonelyreef · Aug 21, 2015

I think this is not even pally toxin poison and is possibly something else. Pally toxin is one of the deadliest poisons on the earth one drop they say is enough to kill 20 adult men. So if this was aerosol used in a huge amount you would already be dead this is just bacteria and other contaminants causing this. Also not all pallets have that level of toxin if you were to actually read scientific articles on it you would find out in most cases it's a cold and then anxiety. Pally toxin poison is real this however wasn't a case

Reef_a_holiks · Aug 21, 2015

Ive also always wondered if running carbon will help trap the toxin.

Tahoe61 · Aug 21, 2015

Different Zoanthid/or Palys types from different geographical locations do indeed have different concentrations or potency of toxins. I have been keeping Zonthids and Palys since 1996 with varying types of fish and never ever even considered it an issue. I have run charcoal and not run charcoal, still no issue. Those tanks that are Zoanthid dominated might perhaps have a greater concentration of toxin found within the water column but we are talking parts per billion.

To the average hobbyist that uses some common sense, like not letting your dog drink out of your water change container or as mentioned above boiling rock, then the risk in not significant. Reef in peace but knowledgeably.

To speculate regarding how one individual or an individuals family reacted to an aerosol form is just that speculation, far too many variables to consider.

leilanni · Aug 21, 2015

I just watched the clip of this and I admit it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Still, I would never believe or have any faith in media outlets telling you they won't portray something of this nature in a not so negative light. Obviously, no matter how innocent or educational something can be, it will be spun out of proportion and a huge deal will be made of it. This is just our society.

I'm glad it went well for you Mario and that it didn't turn out to be a bad thing.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Aug 22, 2015

Reef_a_holiks said:
Ive also always wondered if running carbon will help trap the toxin.

GAC should bind palytoxin to some extent as it does have some hydrophobic portions (parts of the molecule below without OH or NH groups) despite otherwise being very hydrophillic (hydrophobic chemicals bind better to GAC).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palytoxin

klp · Aug 22, 2015

3 different things to think about from the piece need to be considered. 1. "The CDC warns that not all aquarium stores carry signage warning customers that zoanthid corals may be toxic, and there are no government regulations requiring labeling or testing of such corals." 2. "According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), several people have become ill from exposure to toxins released by zoanthid marine corals called palytoxin." 3. There are talking in generalities such as "
a. The CDC report mentions other patients who have required medical attention after being exposed to the airborne toxin. In 2014, a few live polyps broke and fell on the floor while coral was being transferred to a large aquarium. Several hours later, one of the members of the household had to be hospitalized. Two others experienced symptoms of poisoning as well." b. "In another case, several people needed treatment after cleaning a tank that contained zoanthid corals." c. "You do not need to come in direct contact with the coral to fall ill. A pregnant woman passed through the room while a tank was being cleaned and went into preterm labor the day after. Hospitalized for palytoxin exposure, she delivered her baby three months early. Thankfully, the child suffered no ill effects."

This is what we are facing. There will be a move for govt control (restrictions or outright bans) and examples will be given with no provable documentation such as the pregnant woman who may have gone into labor with or without walking into the room or the CDC report of "several". Is several 2? Is several 3 in the last 10 years? When they (govt, environmentalists ) go after a group this is how it starts. For good or bad we need to do a better job such as warnings of what to do or not do with every animal that contains toxins when shipped, sold or traded in clubs. We should have a suggested standardized warning in the industry that all will use. Either we do it ourselves or it will be done for us. The warnings could also be used against us but that should not preclude safety and responsibility.