I need help identifying these.

bossman818 · Mar 30, 2024

Hello guys,

New Reefer here. Please help me identify these. Worth keeping? Will they spread like crazy? Thank you all?

Ron Reefman · Mar 30, 2024

They will grow and spread. How fast is 'like crazy'? I can't say. They aren't very colorful. In a simple tank that isn't going to be filled with sps and lps corals over time, I'd say keep them. If you intend to have a colorful and sps &lps filled tank, get rid of them. Or at least have them on a rock that is isolated from the rest of the rockscape so they can't spread too far.

Sharkbait19 · Mar 30, 2024

Palys - they won’t take long to smother everything nearby.

WalkerLoves_TheOcean · Mar 30, 2024

If you are going to remove them or mess with them, make sure you look up what palytoxin is.

Nano_Man · Mar 30, 2024

Above is correct
Protective Gear for palys
Gloves and eye protection

Uncle99 · Mar 30, 2024

Paly trouble.
Exercise great care with these, some have powerful toxins.
Gloves and eye covering.
Remove

bossman818 · Mar 30, 2024

I have never thrown a rock so far away in my life lol. Jk. Thanks guys. I really appreciate it. Might not end up keeping these because of the color. Going to look up a way to break the rock and discard the palys safely. I appreciate you all.

twentyleagues · Mar 30, 2024

Palytoxin isnt a joke but I do tend to joke a little about how prevalent its become over the last 9-10 years of people freaking out about it. I will not joke here. If you dont know look it up as you have said. Good job in your willingness to research it. Wear ppe and follow all protocols involving its use. Get a hammer and chisel, break that part of the rock off or remove the entire rock. Keep them out of reach of children and pets. As for disposal I am not 100% sure how to go about it exactly but I would put them in a container wrap it in a bag or plastic and throw it away. May help to put it somewhere "safe" and let them dry out and die first.

WalkerLoves_TheOcean · Mar 30, 2024

twentyleagues said:
Palytoxin isnt a joke but I do tend to joke a little about how prevalent its become over the last 9-10 years of people freaking out about it. I will not joke here. If you dont know look it up as you have said. Good job in your willingness to research it. Wear ppe and follow all protocols involving its use. Get a hammer and chisel, break that part of the rock off or remove the entire rock. Keep them out of reach of children and pets. As for disposal I am not 100% sure how to go about it exactly but I would put them in a container wrap it in a bag or plastic and throw it away. May help to put it somewhere "safe" and let them dry out and die first.

Yes, I agree. People are way more scared of palytoxin poisoning now, then back then, but if there is a risk of getting hospitalized it's always better to take precautions.

It is very rare to get palytoxin posioning, and the most common way to get it is to eat sea food that is contaminated with it.

Ron Reefman · Mar 31, 2024

I've been hit twice by paly-toxin sickness and it's no joke. Both times I was sick in bed with flu like symptoms along with chills and hot flashes.

twentyleagues · Mar 31, 2024

Ron Reefman said:
I've been hit twice by paly-toxin sickness and it's no joke. Both times I was sick in bed with flu like symptoms along with chills and hot flashes.

Do you have any idea as to cause? I am not discounting you just curious as if it was user error or some other reason. I am going to be 100% honest I used to frag P. Grandis ( known to have this toxin) all the time. It used to grow like a weed in my previous reef. This time I got a 2 polyp frag a year ago and now have 4 polyps. I used to get that growth in a couple weeks. I have fragged and interacted with this coral so many time with 0 ppe. I have never felt fine before messing with my reef and ended up sick after. Probably lucky, or maybe ones that are not wild dont have the toxin or as much. I would really like to hear what people that have been confirmed as poisoned actually did or didnt do to get poisoned. I get the stories of someone boiling them causing everyone in the house to get sick, thats just dumb. (sorry if thats what you did but common sense and all).

Ron Reefman · Apr 2, 2024

I think the toxin is in the slime that zoas & palys produce when stressed like being taken out of the water or treated with hydrogen peroxide to remove algae. I was hit the first time when I was doing a lot of handling of zoas while re-arranging the rockscape. After that I was more careful.

Then I had an outbreak of algae and treated rocks with zoas by putting them in a hydrogen peroxide bath. Again I did it without gloves because I only handled them for a very short time. My best guess is they produced more toxin due to the bath and I got sick again.

BTW, the start of my feeling sick was about 8 to 12 hours after handling the zoas. The hours from 12 to 36 after handling the zoas was the worst. After 48 to 60 hours I was pretty much back to normal. And it was bad enough that I will never again deal with zoas or palys without wearing gloves.

Nate Chalk · Apr 2, 2024

Arm length yellow gloves, safety glasses, close your mouth.

Chisel away. Or just throw that rock into the woods it isn't worth it.

They will cover everything and grow fast as mine did. New rock is cheap.