Toxic?!?!

[fretfreak13]

I read somewhere on the net that Zoas are extreeeeemly toxic! If you happen to put your hand in the water and have a cut, you'll die?! I also read that someone lost their beloved pet dog because he taste tested the water while the guy was putting them in a bin before leaving for a frag swap. Sure, Zoa's a pretty, but I'm not going to risk losing my dogs and cats, my life, and anyone elses who is just too stupid to put their hand in the tank. Yesterday my nine year old brother put his hand in my tank to spook my feather duster and watch it recede into it's tube. I was not home, but he told me about how "cool" it was later and I screamed at him. He learned his lesson, but what about those other kids? You can't watch them all the time, and I personally thought it was common sense to NOT put your hand in a tank, but guess not. Usually your first sentace to a little kid about your tank is "Look at the pretty fish!" not "Oh by the way if you happen to put your hand in the water you'll kick the bucket."
Ok, my little rant is over. I'm just wondering, if they're that toxic and could kill your beloved pets and family, why on Earth would someone put them in their tanks?
Link to lost Dog

 

[alix2.0]

dont lick your palys or your hands after handling them and odds are youll be fine. also, if you have a large open wound, it is advisable to stay out of the tank. google palytoxin.
ive never heard of anyone dying from just putting their hands in the tank, even with a cut. i have cuts and nicks all over my hands all the time and have tons of zoas and palys and i havent died yet.
just use common sense, always wash your hands, keep small children and animals away, etc. and youll be fine.

 

[fretfreak13]

Thanks. It's nice to hear different sides of the story when there are so many toxic and venemous critters in the hobby. Any other input?

 

[loopy101]

Originally Posted by alix2.0
http:///forum/post/3126498
dont lick your palys or your hands after handling them and odds are youll be fine. also, if you have a large open wound, it is advisable to stay out of the tank. google palytoxin.
ive never heard of anyone dying from just putting their hands in the tank, even with a cut. i have cuts and nicks all over my hands all the time and have tons of zoas and palys and i havent died yet.
just use common sense, always wash your hands, keep small children and animals away, etc. and youll be fine.
+1 use common sence not all zoas/palys contain the palytoxin.or leathal amounts of it but like this poster i have nicks and cuts on my hands as well and have even fraged many zoas with out gloves on and no problems at all(just when i ran out of my latex gloves)but yes some people may be more allergic to certain things then others but its nothing to go over board about. IMO
side note though there are all sorts of different bacteria growing in our tanks that some may be allergic to and some not at all. i think this is where alot of the horror story's come from

 

[fishtaco]

I have had problems handling coral, not a huge deal, but my hand felt like a 2 day old yellowjacket sting for a while.
Fishtaco

 

[nigerbang]

Wow.. That has to be the biggest pile of steaming crap ever...
Yes SOME contain PT, not all.. Sticking your hands in the tank with a scratch on your hand isnt going to hurt you.. Well the salt might sting.. If you have a huge gash on your hand.. The last thing you need to do is stick it in any aquarium.. I dont buy the story about the dog either..Yes... It is possible to sustain injury/inconvience from zoa's and palys.. I suppose if you were super allergic you could die if you ate a few but other than that its going to be more of an annoying itch or rash.. Dont get it in your eyes and always wear gloves while you are fragging them.. Thats the key here.. They have to be damaged to release.. And of course that only goes for the ones that contain PT..
as for screaming at your brother... I think you might need to read more than one account by some crazy yahoo before flying off the handle...

 

[nolanrob123]

It wouldn't surprise me if it was the saltwater that killed the dog either. I know my dog drinks a ton of water at a time and I'm sure if he drank that much, mixed with pt, then he probably would die too. Then again a dog usually dies from eating too much chocolate as well, but I'm still kicking!