Zoanthus facts

By then, the arthritis pain will keep you from working in the tanks anyway....wise guy. Don't make you be the first person I give negative karma to

 

LOL what makes you think you'd be the first? Remember the thread about how God awful terrible I am...but everyone who said so had no idea who I was? lol

I'll give you credit where it's due. You get along amazingly well for your age.

 

Yeah, badmouthing should be left to those of us who know you personally

And what was your name again sonny?

 

They should also look into Heliacus sp. Zoo eating snail. They seem to enjoy them without feeling the effects of palytoxins....

 

This Is Wonderful Info For All Newbies. I Read A Few Articles On Toxins In Corals...scared Me To Death But Yet I Still Bought Them. Lol. I Just Use Gloves When Handling Anything.

 

Rick,

I'm going to PM Dr. Roy Caldwell of Berkely about this. However, in the mean time....enquiring minds need to know. I put Heliacus and Hapalochlaena lunulata into Google and Google Scholar and didn't find anything. Do you have any links?

 

No worries...just use common sense. I recommend gloves but if you don't use them, wash your hands well after your hands have been in the tank. Never rub any mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) until you've washed. If you're fragging zoos and you don't wear eyeglasses, get a cheap pair of goggles from Home Depot. (An aquaitance of mine got squirted in the eye and mouth when fragging....he had to go to the hospital). Keep Benadryl (or similar) in your medicine cabinet. (I told him to take Benadryl and the ambulance workers gave him even more via I.V. while en-route).

Last but not least....know what toxins you might have in your tank. These might be from box snails that Rick is talking about, might be palytoxins from Zoanthidae, might be Mycobacterium marinum from fish, toxins from specific fish like foxfish, etc.

 

that's very interesting, i'm glad you brought that up...i'll definitely have to follow up on that.

p.s. don't mess with the mods...they'll make you wish you were up against a blue-ring instead of knocking at their door.

 

Heliacus sp. Guy is a zoo eating maniac of a snail. Hard shell that coils and looks like a sun dial. They are also known as "sun dial" snails.

Here's a link to a pic of one in action. I'm intrigued as to how they devour the polyp. I've experienced these types of snails in my reef. However, they tend to be easily removed and do not seem to spread fast. Of course, if you take them out the moment you see them and not let them thrive. They seem to just eat zoo's and sleep. Good thing about this pest is that they are easily spotted and can easily be removed by hand. They also hang around the zoo colony they are currently "working" on so they wont go anywhere and are easy to track down. Now the nudis... ugh.. that's bad.

http://www.reefs.org/hhfaq/img/faq_heliacus2.jpg

 

I'm as gentle as a pussycat.....truly