There are reports of poisoning mentioned in every forum. Maybe not common, but they are out there. Here's the thing. We know about it, we know its dangerous. Whats worse, approaching things with an abundance of caution which results in no real harm done even if it was overly cautious, or definitively stating something that may be harmful is not with no real proof?
OP thats just coral poop or slime. Still won't hurt to be cautious and your approach to this dipping shouldn't change whether you think you see toxin in the water or not.
Courtney Aldrich
Active Member
Zoanthids (which is apparently refers to all corals of the Zoanthraria order) include the genus Palythoa, which is toxic as mentioned above, but no other Zoanthid genus has been shown to contain palytoxin.
Here's an excellent 2-part series by an esteemed zoologist discussing Zoa toxicity:
The Dangers (and Myths) of Zoa Toxicity – Part 1
The oceans are full of creatures capable of killing us; one of the more surprising marine menaces is a group of popular aquarium corals known variably as “but
reefs.com
The Dangers (and Myths) of Zoa Toxicity – Part 2
(Continued from Part 1) When it comes to toxic palys, it is the drab brown specimens that we see most often, but there may be at least some colorful phenotyp
reefs.com
Palytoxin has only been found in Palytho spp. (spp is the abbreviation for plural species), some dinoflaggelates (Ostreopsis spp.) and some cyanobacteria (Trichodesmium spp.)
If you have more literature or examples, then please share and correct me.
Rmckoy
7500 Club Member
I’m not concerned with the corals mentioned above. .
But use extreme caution when handling palys .
Scary thing up until recently reading so many cases , I never wore gloves , eye protection and only a few times felt a little off hours later .
Rmckoy
7500 Club Member
There was a study and video I was watching with Julian sprung a few nights ago .Zoanthids (which is apparently refers to all corals of the Zoanthraria order) include the genus Palythoa, which is toxic as mentioned above, but no other Zoanthid genus has been shown to contain palytoxin.
Here's an excellent 2-part series by an esteemed zoologist discussing Zoa toxicity:
The Dangers (and Myths) of Zoa Toxicity – Part 1
The oceans are full of creatures capable of killing us; one of the more surprising marine menaces is a group of popular aquarium corals known variably as “butThe Dangers (and Myths) of Zoa Toxicity – Part 2
(Continued from Part 1) When it comes to toxic palys, it is the drab brown specimens that we see most often, but there may be at least some colorful phenotyp
Palytoxin has only been found in Palytho spp. (spp is the abbreviation for plural species), some dinoflaggelates (Ostreopsis spp.) and some cyanobacteria (Trichodesmium spp.)
If you have more literature or examples, then please share and correct me.
there are many different species of zoa and paly that produce palytoxin and different levels of toxin from mild to extreme . I’ll try to find the link if it actually matters.
but as mentioned above . If everything is treated as having the most extreme toxin and to handle with care , those that have and handle them are aware of the possible risks . Educate new members of the potential risks of handing them or even proper ppe and procedures to handle .
Everything should be good .
Courtney its neat you found that I truly thought z sociatus would have at least some but just not enough to be stat significant compared to the constant handling josh pork sandwich and all his friends do with them harmlessly.
Zoanthids (which is apparently refers to all corals of the Zoanthraria order) include the genus Palythoa, which is toxic as mentioned above, but no other Zoanthid genus has been shown to contain palytoxin.
Here's an excellent 2-part series by an esteemed zoologist discussing Zoa toxicity:
The Dangers (and Myths) of Zoa Toxicity – Part 1
The oceans are full of creatures capable of killing us; one of the more surprising marine menaces is a group of popular aquarium corals known variably as “butThe Dangers (and Myths) of Zoa Toxicity – Part 2
(Continued from Part 1) When it comes to toxic palys, it is the drab brown specimens that we see most often, but there may be at least some colorful phenotyp
Palytoxin has only been found in Palytho spp. (spp is the abbreviation for plural species), some dinoflaggelates (Ostreopsis spp.) and some cyanobacteria (Trichodesmium spp.)
If you have more literature or examples, then please share and correct me.
There are reports of Parazoanthus spp having it as well as well. Unfortunately I don't have full access to the article so I don't know the details : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18433818/
Stuartmercer
Valuable Member
Some zoas can also be toxic
Patientman
Well-Known Member
Almost EVRYTHING in the previous posts are correct. Some are...some aren't ….very dangerous … hardly dangerous. Most of it depends on the individual person's immune system. A bee sting simply irritates me but could kill another … latex materials have no affect on most but can throw others into Anaphylactic shock. Take standard precautions: gloves, eye protection, well ventilated area. Respect "Ma Nature" and the unseen powers she possesses.
Courtney Aldrich
Active Member
Thanks for finding. Here's the article you found (attached). It mentions other species besides Palythoa contain palytoxin including Protopalythoa, Zoanthus and Parazoanthus.
Nice, thanks for providing the paper. Really interesting that the specimen they ID'd as Palythoa sp. in this case study showed no signs of palytoxin in their test yet the Parazoanthus did. They also cited a few other papers (that I can't read) with further information on other corals that might contain it.
iMi
Well-Known Member
There seems to be a lot more awareness and concern about palytoxin recently and that's good for both reefers and the corals. Downplaying the danger or making some feel dumb for being concerned should be avoided, but the risk is extremely low. It's even lower if one is wearing gloves and eyewear while practicing basic hygiene.
Yes, a man has died recently in Texas. It's very sad and maybe if he was made aware about the risk, he would still be with us and his family would not be going through the pain they are no doubt going through now. He was likely allergic. 100 plus Americans die from bee sings every single year. It's important to know there is risk, but equally important to assess that risk in context. I still wear gloves and glasses when handling any coral. It's simply a good idea.
Yes, a man has died recently in Texas. It's very sad and maybe if he was made aware about the risk, he would still be with us and his family would not be going through the pain they are no doubt going through now. He was likely allergic. 100 plus Americans die from bee sings every single year. It's important to know there is risk, but equally important to assess that risk in context. I still wear gloves and glasses when handling any coral. It's simply a good idea.
