palytoxins

swnewb562

swnewb562

Member
i was reading some stuff on the net about palytoixins. what kind of precautionary steps do you guys take when touching your zoo's?.. or can anyone chime in what they know about palytoxins.
 
onyx

onyx

Member
I always wear rubber gloves when moving or handling palythoa or zoanthids just to be safe. It may not be necessary, but i'd rather not risk it.
I believe palytoxins are so potent that some small dosage, like 4 micrograms or something, can cause severe health problems or even death.
 
swnewb562

swnewb562

Member
when are these toxins realeased?.. i had one of my zoa heads that came on my lr as a hitchhiker break off, is that bad?
 
sickboy

sickboy

Active Member
Oh...and I'm like Onyx. It may not be necessary to wear gloves, but I wear latex gloves when moving things around (thicker if I'm actually rearranging rocks), but not if I'm spot feeding coral etc. I figure the chance of palytoxin poisoning is about the same as winning the lottery....but people DO win the lottery...and knowing my luck....
 
jaymz

jaymz

Member
Originally Posted by swnewb562
http:///forum/post/2757010
when are these toxins realeased?.. i had one of my zoa heads that came on my lr as a hitchhiker break off, is that bad?
No that is not bad that your zoa fell of. that usually happens to a head or 2 when introduced to a new environment with conditions that may be less than favorable. basically the zoa released its self so it can float around and hopefully find a better spot.
I really dont wear gloves unless i am fragging them or have a huge cut on my hand. The toxins are only released if something damages the animal or they are really unhappy(like being fragged, they dont like that)
 
michaeltx

michaeltx

Moderator
I beleive it was calfo that was doing a fragging demonstration at one of his seminars that he did that he slipped up and touched his face after fragging zoas and ended up in the hospital for a short time because of it. This toxin is not something to take lightly and not protect yourself against it only takes one slip up that could hurt you pretty bad.
The toxin is a defense though so cutting and desturbing them is where its released natural polyp release wont release the toxins normally but if you smash it or cut it them it will release it.
rather be safe than sorry when it comes to this type of stuff.
Mike
 
dogfaceman

dogfaceman

Member
i suggest wearing gloves but more importantly wear goggles, Ive had some shoot up into my eye(but i was wearing goggles so it just hit the goggles) when i was fragging.
 
D

dennis210

Guest
When fragging Zoa's I always tell folks to wear eyewear of some find, keep a towel and some cleanup water around, keep your mouth closed when actually hammering!, and after handling new frags wash up vigorously! People have been temp blinded, loost feel in cheek and mouth (like a stroke), lost feeling in hands due to it entering through a cut. There are real occasions out there when accidents have happened so lets not read about any of our friends having an accident!
Dennis
 
S

swalchemist

Guest
To make matters worse, not all zoas have the same levels of toxicity so a person could get to relaxed and dismiss the danger. It is there, just wear gloves and other protective gear and avoid fraging if you have open wounds, although strong palytoxins such as some of these can enter through the skin after prolonged exposure.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Palytoxins get more press than they deserve. I strongly doubt that any Zoas in a hobbiests tank produces Palytoxin.
However, there are hundreds of other toxins that ARE present. Personally I've been make very ill twice by Protopalythoa. Both times I was too lazy to put on my gloves when handling these Zoas.
My advice it to treat all Zoanthids as highly toxic. Don't handle then bare-handed, don't cut them inside the tank, if you take them out to cut off some polyps threat the slime and any water around them as highly toxic.
 
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