PALYTOXIN

[Shawnreef]

I just got a zoa and now I’m paranoid of the toxin please help!

 

[NY_Sea]

As long as it stays in tank you don’t have to worry. Just don’t take it out of tank, don’t cut it, don’t boil it and don’t touch it if you have a cut on your finger or hand. With that being said my entire family was in ER a couple months ago. All
We’re fine but def scary. Just leave it be.
And don’t lick it !

 

[Mongo1.0]

Just out of curiosity, is that in the clear mucous like stuff that comes out when you are moving/gluing them down?

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

You don't need to worry... very very few zoas have it and very few palys have it. Just wash your hands well after handling any zoas and wear eye protection when cutting outside of water.

 

[Shawnreef]

Just out of curiosity, is that in the clear mucous like stuff that comes out when you are moving/gluing them down?

I don’t know but that’s scary

 

[Billgasser]

Don’t get it in your eyes. An eye doctor I know had a patient that really messed up their eye after handling a paly and touching their eye.

 

[Mongo1.0]

Just out of curiosity, is that in the clear mucous like stuff that comes out when you are moving/gluing them down?

I don’t know but that’s scary

I have had skin irritation when I moved my corals around. Washed my hands and it went away after a couple of hours

 

[PapaFishRocks]

Just leave it be.
And don’t lick it !

Now you got me wanting to lick my zoas!

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

With that being said my entire family was in ER a couple months ago.

Oh wow, I hope everyone ended up being okay! If you're willing to share, I'm curious to what the situation was that caused this. It could be a great learning oppertunity for all of us here.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I just got a zoa and now I’m paranoid of the toxin please help!

Very to few if any cases and often associated with mishandling and advised it to wear gloves as shown below if nervous.

$20 - aqua gloves

 

[BonnieB]

If you love them, get them and as advised wear gloves, goggles and mask when handling. @vetteguy53081 thanks for posting the gloves! I’ve been looking for some just for regular cleaning of my tanks!

 

[vetteguy53081]

I just got a zoa and now I’m paranoid of the toxin please help!

Something I posted a while back:
Palytoxins often are a result of mishandling. Most aquarium-related cases occur as a result of skin exposure after prolonged handling through cuts on hands or inhalation of coral dust, steam vapors or water droplets and aerosols while cleaning, separating, growing/propagating, collecting, transporting mechanically removing or eradicating over-growing corals by pouring boiling water on live rock as well as cleaning home marine aquariums.

Some symptoms of Pox and zoa poisoning are:

• Flu-like symptoms – Chills, Fever, Headaches, Cough, Sore Throat, Chest Pains, Muscle Aches
• Rash, Itching, Numbness in Affected Area
• Trouble Breathing, Shortness of Breath, Runny Nose, Wheezing
• Dizziness, Blurred Vision, Fatigue, Irregular Heart Beat
• Possible Foul Smell or Bitter/Metallic Taste in Mouth

 

[TankYouVeryMuch]

The latest research seems to indicate that it’s not actually the palythoa themselves that produce palytoxin, but Ostreopsis dinoflagelletes. The palythoa take up the toxin, accumulate it, and use it defensively. Palytoxin has been found in quite a number of different coral species, but generally in much lower concentrations.

There are reported cases of people getting poisoned through skin contact, but it’s much easier to do so through the mucus membranes or by inhaling it. Thankfully the odds of this happening are extremely low, but even in a few of the worst documented cases the people were taking precautions and got sick anyway.

If you have a dino outbreak in your tank you should definitely be mindful. Ostreopsis are one of the most common types of dinos found in reef aquariums.