Need ID please

[aheath]

Hi, my 16 gallon biocube has been up and running since April. I’ve started adding corals and posting the images to my Instagram page and someone that has been in the saltwater world for years said I need to get rid of this coral ASAP as it is one of the deadliest corals to have.

Just wanted others opinions.

Thanks!

 

[threebuoys]

Did he say what the coral was? Looks like a zoa or paly but I don't know which variety. Most zoas and palys are poisonous, but need to have a more specific ID. Maybe someone will see this and respond.

 

[crazyfishmom]

This looks like a standard paly. Yes, eating it would be bad. Yes, if you are physically handling the coral, you may want to wear gloves. Yes, if you bring it out of the water, eye protection would be a good idea in the event that it squirts if it’s squeezed. Other than that, enjoy your coral in your tank safely.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Palytoxin is the concern - it is a valid thing to be concerned about, but with proper precautions (such as waterproof gloves and some protective eyewear, good ventilation, etc.), it shouldn't be an issue:

with proper precautions it shouldn't be an issue (I can only think of one instance where the poisoning would have been really unexpected; the rest all came from doing less-than-wise things with the corals without PPE).

most incidents with zoas/palys come as a result of aerosolizing the toxin by doing things like boiling rocks with them, scrubbing them off rocks with a toothbrush in a room with poor airflow, etc. - these are very bad ideas.

Ingestion, absorption through cuts, getting sprayed in the eyes, etc. can all happen with bad results as well, but with a little a common sense and personal protective equipment, these shouldn't typically pose a threat to adults.

As a general rule, though, if it lives in the ocean and doesn't move/doesn't move fast, it's probably safe to assume it's toxic to some degree

Activated carbon also removes palytoxin from water, so if there are concerns about it being in the water (such as if the palys were recently upset by something while in the tank), running activated carbon can help remove any palytoxin.


For some heavy reading on palytoxin:

Palys, zoas, and other things (surprisingly, it can be a bit complicated what does and doesn't fit this category) may all contain palytoxin, but as long as your not ingesting it/something that contains it, getting it in cuts (or your eyes), or (most commonly) aerosolizing it, it shouldn't hurt you at all.

If you want some in depth reading (that I think covers most of the topic) on palytoxin, see my posts in the threads below (some of threads have multiple posts from me):

Can the toxins from zoas actually kill you?

My family is worried about me getting zoas because there toxic, can the toxins actually kill you?

www.reef2reef.com

Newbie Palytoxin Concerns

So a little background info to start…we set up a 55 gallon tank with the intent of having a fish only tank. At the end of November we purchased 2 small ($10.00) coral frags. Unfortunately we did not do research and blindly purchased what turned out to be a Zoa and a Paly I believe. Fast...

www.reef2reef.com

EMERGENCY - Anyone ever haddermal palytoxin poisoning on here.

To some ot up had a patch of gha on a huge zoa rock in tank was using forceps to pull it off while in the tank. Think i may have disturbed them a bit but not much and yes these are the big uglys ones that everyone says have it. Well wasnt wearing gloves and did it at probably 1 am monday...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[encrustingacro]

This looks like a standard paly. Yes, eating it would be bad. Yes, if you are physically handling the coral, you may want to wear gloves. Yes, if you bring it out of the water, eye protection would be a good idea in the event that it squirts if it’s squeezed. Other than that, enjoy your coral in your tank safely.

Not Palythoa; Zoanthus cf vietnamensis. Note the thick tentacles, lack of capitulary ridges, and smooth column.