Is palytoxin released when zoas shaded?

[JAMSOURY]

Does palytoxin spread when zoas/palys are shaded? Or only when irritated?

Trying to find the best way to kill/remove unwanted zoas to my glued rock work but trying to do so in the safest way possible. Any ideas?

 

[Lavey29]

Majority of zoas don't have palotoxins

 

[JAMSOURY]

Majority of zoas don't have palotoxins

How about for palys, when shaded? Does that irritated them to want to go into defense mode and release?

 

[Besieged]

Does palytoxin spread when zoas/palys are shaded? Or only when irritated?

Trying to find the best way to kill/remove unwanted zoas to my glued rock work but trying to do so in the safest way possible. Any ideas?

AFAIK, actually shading palythoas is one of the safest ways to remove them without a tank reset and risk of toxin release. See this article: https://reefbuilders.com/2024/07/02...dentify-and-remove-dangerous-palythoa-corals/

Works either way with zoas, just the same.

I do believe that no few species of zoa may contain some palytoxin, but usually nowhere near as much as palys do. It may only be a VERY few species, but the prudent person rule suggests one should treat all zoa's you don't have 100% positive ID as being unquestionably toxin-free, as though they do contain it, and handle with care accordingly.

Kind of like handling a random firearm you found until you clear the chamber, you just don't know until you know.

I got the exact same advice from a mycology professor re: eating wild-harvested mushrooms: if you aren't 100% dead certain you have a positive ID that its known edible, don't eat it. There's a good chance you'll just be dead if not, as there are roughly 1 - 3 known and catalogued deadly (or exceedingly toxic) look-alikes for nearly every edible variety of mushroom.

I think that's probably worth applying to zoas as well, just to be on the safe side. Handle with caution and use appropriate PPE in a well-ventilated space.

 

[Quietman]

First time I had to remove a bunch of iffy zoas was several years ago. Couldn't kill that stuff on the rock and you couldn't peel it off with pliers and way too big to cover. I ended up in a Walter White hazmat suit and carrying the entire rock out to the sunny part of a flower bed (heard that sunlight breaks down the toxin). It's still there all bleached white now as a monument to my excessive caution.

Overkill? Sure. Wife has lung condition which is what triggered me removing it so was being extra cautious. If I did it today, I'd probably do the same thing without the drama.

 

[Lavey29]

How about for palys, when shaded? Does that irritated them to want to go into defense mode and release?

I've got zoas and palys all over my tank some in light some shade. My hands have been in and out of the water for 4 years. I peel stuff off or cut them back as needed. I've never had any issues or concerns. My LFS told me that most of the softs are aqua cultures and over the years of tank harvest they lose any toxins they may have had. I just wash my hands after before I eat

 

[Besieged]

I've got zoas and palys all over my tank some in light some shade. My hands have been in and out of the water for 4 years. I peel stuff off or cut them back as needed. I've never had any issues or concerns. My LFS told me that most of the softs are aqua cultures and over the years of tank harvest they lose any toxins they may have had. I just wash my hands after before I eat

I don't know that I'd count on this with my life and health, however, it's not unreasonable to believe that in an aquacultured environment the zoas or palys may not be getting whatever it is they need in their diet to produce the toxin. I know I was reading about something in the ocean for which that was true, I feel like it might have been a nudibranch or similar.

 

[Lavey29]

I don't know that I'd count on this with my life and health, however, it's not unreasonable to believe that in an aquacultured environment the zoas or palys may not be getting whatever it is they need in their diet to produce the toxin. I know I was reading about something in the ocean for which that was true, I feel like it might have been a nudibranch or similar.

A lot of coral vendors around the country got their hands in their tanks a lot more then I do for many many years without issues. Common sense approach is all you need to use to maintain balance. If you do some zoa research you will see. Palys, certain subspecies I would be a little more concerned about but you generally don't see those types in hobbyist tanks.