I kissed a zoa....

[wolfen281]

My hand brushed up on some zoas in my tank while I was rearranging some furniture.

Is this just harmless zoa-curiosity?

Or do I need y’all to tell me what to tell the ER personnel later tonight?

I was in the tank bare back so feel free to give me a safety briefing. Just feeling a little leary since I watched a video on youtube last night where a british coral farmer got zoa poisoning while fragging even though he had safety gear on.

 

[laezur]

This reads like a weird fan-fiction about Zoa's.

I don't keep Zoa's in my tank because I'm paranoid and scared of this very thing. I ASSUME you'll be fine since it was in the water. That toxin is mostly aerosolized UNLESS you have an open wound and the toxin manages to get into your blood stream. Which I doubt it did, they tend to release when they're super-stressed like when they're being fragged.

I think you'll be fine. Just keep an eye on your health over the next few hours I guess???

If you ever do need to go to the ER, ask for poison control and tell them it's palytoxin and they'll do some frantic googling and someone will help. It's very unlikely though lol.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Wash your hands well, you should be fine.
It’s only if you really bother them that they release toxins.

 

[wolfen281]

This reads like a weird fan-fiction about Zoa's.

I don't keep Zoa's in my tank because I'm paranoid and scared of this very thing. I ASSUME you'll be fine since it was in the water. That toxin is mostly aerosolized UNLESS you have an open wound and the toxin manages to get into your blood stream. Which I doubt it did, they tend to release when they're super-stressed like when they're being fragged.

I think you'll be fine. Just keep an eye on your health over the next few hours I guess???

If you ever do need to go to the ER, ask for poison control and tell them it's palytoxin and they'll do some frantic googling and someone will help. It's very unlikely though lol.

Worst MarySue fanfic ever

Thanks for the info.

 

[JJ"sSouthernAquatics]

If you don't have any cuts on you and you washed yourself well afterwards, you ought be fine. but if you do have symptoms (flu like symptoms, rashes, itching, dizziness, muscle cramps, etc.) you should go to the ER and TELL them that you have zoanthids that produce palytoxins. and/or call poison control. Other than that palytoxin poisoning is actually pretty rare. hope this helps!

For more you should read this: https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/...me/palytoxin+poisoning+marine+aquarium+safety

 

[NowGlazeIT]

“And I LIKED IT!”

 

[wolfen281]

“And I LIKED IT!”

 

[blaxsun]

This could be the title for some Japanese fetish site...

 

[NowGlazeIT]

This could be the title for some Japanese fetish site...

Oh man I don’t even think we can say that here hahah definitely can’t say what it made me think of

 

[sp1187]

If you don't have any cuts on you and you washed yourself well afterwards, you ought be fine. but if you do have symptoms (flu like symptoms, rashes, itching, dizziness, muscle cramps, etc.) you should go to the ER and TELL them that you have zoanthids that produce palytoxins. and/or call poison control. Other than that palytoxin poisoning is actually pretty rare. hope this helps!

For more you should read this: https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/...me/palytoxin+poisoning+marine+aquarium+safety

was teaching first aid classes back in the late eighties when hiv/aids was the big scare in the news.
when discussing personal protection in the class, gloves for treating open wounds, mouth protection for giving respirations during cpr (no longer do this), a funeral director taking the class made comment that most people have five to ten cuts on their hands at all times.
paper cuts, scrapes, you don't even think about them.
but you'll be fine.

 

[SlugSnorter]

My hand brushed up on some zoas in my tank while I was rearranging some furniture.

Is this just harmless zoa-curiosity?

Or do I need y’all to tell me what to tell the ER personnel later tonight?

I was in the tank bare back so feel free to give me a safety briefing. Just feeling a little leary since I watched a video on youtube last night where a british coral farmer got zoa poisoning while fragging even though he had safety gear on.

unless you squished or stabbed them you are fine. Not all zoas even have palytoxin.

That said take more care in the future

 

[Sean Clark]

This reads like a weird fan-fiction about Zoa's

That is how I was reading it. It started to get good and then kind of fizzled out.

 

[gbru316]

Taken from The Dangers and Myths of Zoa Toxicity

It is important to understand that palytoxin is not present in every species of “zoa”. I have heard many knowledgeable aquarists incorrectly state that all “zoanthids” contain it and are therefore dangerous, which is not accurate whatsoever. Such blanket statements show a lack of expertise in these corals and the extensive research recently published on them. One such study (Deeds et al 2011) focused on aquarium specimens and found that there is likely a single lineage of button polyps which is truly dangerous to the general aquarium community. This makes proper identification of the utmost importance, so lets jump into the esoterica of invertebrate taxonomy and attempt at last to correctly identify these deadly corals and their harmless relatives.


Common aquarium “zoas”: Zoanthus sansibaricus, kuroshio & gigantus. Note the white pots of the latter.

First and foremost, if your button polyps are a bright and colorful red or yellow or orange or pink, you are not in any danger. The vast majority of such specimens which enter the trade are either Zoanthus vietnamensis or Zoanthus sansibaricus. The abundant red and green zoas exported from Vietnam are the latter, and these are apparently lacking in palytoxin at any detectable level. The relatively common pink zoas are likely to be Zoanthus kuroshio, which is likewise a safe addition to your reef tank. The species most commonly referred to as “palys” in the aquarium trade are actually Zoanthus gigantus, which, if the general trend holds, can be presumed to be safe (though confirmation is needed). These are a bit larger than the previous species and come in a variety of unique and popular color patterns. The key identifying trait for them is seen in closed polyps, which have white spots and streaks apically.

The truly potent species appear to be limited entirely to the genus Palythoa, which is currently placed in a separate family, Sphenopidae. Pedantically speaking, these are neither “zoas” nor zoanthids, so be careful with your choice of words when discussing them. The outdated synonym “Protopalythoa” (formerly used for species not conjoined into a thick mat) is still in common usage throughout the aquarium industry. The best option would be for the aquarium community to come to a consensus on referring to these exclusively as “button polyps” or “palys”, but trying to get the aquarium industry as a whole to come to any consensus is similar to herding cats.

 

[EricR]

I'm bad about this -- never even wear gloves.
Just tore down and scattered a rock pile and pried off and re-glued 7 zoas (with still some amount of frag plug on bottom of all) -- bare-handed in tank,,, plus dipped a couple in the process.

Please BE SAFER than that but just trying to ease your mind a little that you're likely OK.

 

[wolfen281]

But, to help people out, I'm not freaked...just need the information. I actually am an infectious disease researcher (nothing above BSL3). And, back in the day when I was younger and thinner, I was an F-16 crew chief. I don't rabbit easy.

As far as fanfiction, I can and have done much better.

Oh...and I have a cut on my hand right where I touched the little beasties. If I die, I'll let you know.

Bu I can't die because I have corals coming from all these addictive live sales.

Thanks for the info and the safety precaution briefs.

 

[A Young Reefer]

Click bait!

 

[Dburr1014]

Let me tell you a story about a boy who cried wolf....

 

[laezur]

I remember there was a time I first started reefing I had a trigger. Now I read everywhere who it how triggers are “venemous” and I was terrified of this little bigger touching me.

One day I’m cleaning the tank and he brushes right across my hand and then nips at me. Straight to Reddit I went, in panic that I was about to die.

I didn’t die. At least I don’t think I did.

 

[blaxsun]

I have a frag plug with a half dozen green apple palythoas on it. I know they contain palytoxins. And the plug has been knocked off the rocks every day for the past week. I know one of the little buggers in the tank is plotting to kill me...

 

[Sean Clark]

I remember there was a time I first started reefing I had a trigger. Now I read everywhere who it how triggers are “venemous” and I was terrified of this little bigger touching me.

One day I’m cleaning the tank and he brushes right across my hand and then nips at me. Straight to Reddit I went, in panic that I was about to die.

I didn’t die. At least I don’t think I did.

Pretty sure we can call shenanigans on Triggers being venomous. Either way, glad you didn't die, or don't think you died.