Zoanthid Toxins

ok... everyone says it's awful. Zoanthid toxin. Can it kill you? What does it do? Are you hospitalized? How long does it last? And what safety precautions can i use to prevent myself from being "infected."

 

Some zoanthids contain the highly toxic substance palytoxin. Palytoxin is one of the most toxic organic substances in the world, but there is an ongoing debate over the concentration of this toxin in these animals.[citation needed] However, even in small quantities, the toxin can be fatal should it be ingested or enter the blood stream. If delivered immediately, vasodilators injected into the ventricle of the heart can act as an antidote.[1]
In order for this toxin to be dangerous to humans, the average aquarist would need to ingest the zoanthid in sufficient quantities, or brush a recent cut over it. Average handling, propagation and aquarium maintenance is unlikely to pose any danger beyond a localized skin reaction.[citation needed]


Taken from:


Zoanthid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




I just wear gloves whenever my hands are in the tank...

 

Its called palytoxin, one of the worst known to man with no antidote to date. Problem is no one is sure which zoos have it and in what quantity...Also other corals may have it such as green stars, certain sarcophytons and others.

To be safe when fragging wear gloves and eye protection and wash hands after handling. And if not wearing gloves keep hands away from eyes, nose and mouth which always seem to itch when you have hands in something!!

Happy reefing!!

 

Yep, I agree with the doctor It shouldn't be overlooked about wearing eye protection. When fragging, zoa's can literally squirt the toxin up to a few feet.

And just to go over the wikipedia references:
The debate is not over the concentration in the zoa's. The problem is that some zoa's have a really high concentration, and some don't. It varies species to species. And without doing DNA analysis, it's really impossible to determine the exact species. So it's imoprtant (at least to me) to treat EVERY species as one that may have a very high concentration.
As said, when fragging, you need to be very careful. Wear gloves and eye protection. I like to do it out of a seperate container, in an area away from any kids or pets. Wash everything very well immediately after you're done. This toxin can be fatal. Someone even had their dog die after it drank some of the water they were fragging in.

 

I look at zoas like rifles or pistols. Some may be loaded, some may not be. Some could kill you, some couldn't. But one of the first things you learn in general firearm safety is "treat all firearms as if they are loaded." Meaning, treat all zoas as if they could kill you.

One of the easiest things to do to prevent any infections or poisonings from happening on your person is to simply not put your hands in the water if they aren't in tip top shape. If you have a rash or scabbed over cut, the risk is small, but still there. If you have an open cut, the risk is huge for something bad happening to you. It's no fun.

And as mentioned earlier, palytoxin is the most (or one of the most?) toxic organic compounds known. You just gotta respect the zoas. Personally, I love them. It is very hard to actually get "poisoned" by them. If it were easy, we'd hear alot of reports about it happening.

 

This has been gone over, and over and over and over but as far as i am concerned it still not been gone over enough because that stuff is NASTY.

I think that this web site is all that ever needs to be said, even the title kinda tells you what to expect: Mechanism Studies on Palytoxin, a Hawaiian Spear Poison

 

wait a sec J, you just contradicted yourself...? you said the debate is not over the concentration and then stated the problem is that some zoa's have higher concentration's than others, I'm confused... which happens a lot now

 

Store credit

Wow... i will not let my mom see this thread ! She'd probably sell my aquariums . Should I be more experienced with saltwater before i try fragging...? I just thought it would be helpful with some store credit. Does anyone have experience with store credit from selling their frags?

 

Never sold frags to the LFS before...so I don't know about that. But fragging shouldn't be a problem as along as you wear gloves and eye protection, and don't use the frag water to water the house plant

 

Going off firsthand experience, I would never handle these corals ever again without wearing gloves. Check this out:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/coral/putting-my-foot-my-mouth-zoanthid-sting-56774.html