Poisonous Zoas

[EHaddad]

So I am wanting to add some Zoas to my tank, but I am trying to figure out if there is a way to figure out which ones are poisonous or not. I have you kids and am nervous that it could potentially be dangerous for them.

 

[N.Sreefer]

The worst ones are palys like palythoa grandis. I have a collection of the ones with the highest levels of palytoxin and Ive never been poisoned from my tank. Just don't eat them and be careful when fragging (they can squirt). The more colorful zoas are alot less risky than the plain brown or green palys

 

[EHaddad]

The worst ones are palys like palythoa grandis. I have a collection of the ones with the highest levels of palytoxin and Ive never been poisoned from my tank. Just don't eat them and be careful when fragging (they can squirt). The more colorful zoas are alot less risky than the plain brown or green palys

So a good rule of thumb would be “ if they are bright colored they should be good”

 

[blaxsun]

Nope. With the exception of the grandis palythoa (which is probably the most toxic), there's no way to tell which zoanthids or palythoas might have palytoxins.

As long as the kids aren't physically touching or handling the zoas they should be fine.

 

[blaxsun]

So a good rule of thumb would be “ if they are bright colored they should be good”

A good rule of thumb is get a lid and don't let the kids stick their hands in the tank.

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

So a good rule of thumb would be “ if they are bright colored they should be good”

No. The super bright wild green paly have the most play toxin. I honestly wouldn’t worry about any of it though. I have paly grandis, and 20+ type of zoa. I frag barehanded all the time and don’t have any side effects. Long as they aren’t eating large portions of zoa or you aren’t boiling a rock full of wild palys nothing will happen

Edit: Current research suggests most (like 80-90%) of the bright ones we tank breed in the hobby don’t have any palytoxin at all.

 

[N.Sreefer]

So a good rule of thumb would be “ if they are bright colored they should be good”

Bright colored and smaller heads palys are normally bigger. But unless you boil them and aerosolize the toxin or they're physically messing with them they are at no risk. A lid would be a good idea nomatter what zoa or paly just to be safe. There's alot of nasty bacterium in reef tanks so best to keep the kids hands out anyway.

 

[EHaddad]

A good rule of thumb is get a lid and don't let the kids stick their hands in the tank.

A good rule of thumb is get a lid and don't let the kids stick their hands in the tank.

They are kids they are sneaky. Even with a kids it makes me nervous.

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

They are kids they are sneaky. Even with a kids it makes me nervous.

Teach your kids about your tank. I would die before I touched my dads tank as a kid

 

[N.Sreefer]

No. The super bright wild green paly have the most play toxin. I honestly wouldn’t worry about any of it though. I have paly grandis, and 20+ type of zoa. I frag barehanded all the time and don’t have any side effects. Long as they aren’t eating large portions of zoa or you aren’t boiling a rock full of wild palys nothing will happen

Edit: Current research suggests most (like 80-90%) of the bright ones we tank breed in the hobby don’t have any palytoxin at all.

Thats why I mentioned the bright part but ya better to be safe than sorry with this stuff

 

[blaxsun]

They are kids they are sneaky. Even with a kids it makes me nervous.

There are other soft corals like leathers, xenia and mushrooms (also colorful). So if it's a concern skip over the zoas.

 

[EHaddad]

Teach your kids about your tank. I would die before I touched my dads tank as a kid

I try but they are 2 and 3

 

[EHaddad]

There are other soft corals like leathers, xenia and mushrooms (also colorful). So if it's a concern skip over the zoas.

Yea I want a softie tank I don’t want a ton of Zoas maybe 3 or 4 frags.

 

[blaxsun]

I try but they are 2 and 3

At that age, if they can reach the tank I'd be more concerned with them falling in... Make sure it's definitely on a stand and well out of reach.

 

[Scottsquatch]

Teach your kids about your tank. I would die before I touched my dads tank as a kid

I hope my son shows my current build the same kind of respect you showed your dad's tank. 11 year olds can be notoriously unpredictable though...

 

[N.Sreefer]

I live with a person that has organic brain syndrome and poor impulse control because of it. I put a heavy glass lid on my aquarium that he cant lift so he's unable to access the aquarium. That might work for you, it is uber inconvenient when doing maintenance but worth the peace of mind. I'm honestly more worried about my foxface than anything if prodding hands end up in my aquarium. I think one of the diy screen lid kits comes with a lock that may be an option.

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

Yea I want a softie tank I don’t want a ton of Zoas maybe 3 or 4 frags.

Some leathers are more dangerous than zoa. All corals carry some risk. I wouldn’t worry much about zoa honestly just don’t buy any palys.

 

[TriggersAmuck]

Maybe in lieu of the super heavy lid idea above you could construct a canopy which is reasonably inaccessible and put a combo/pad lock on it so that the only way for anyone else to access the water would be to remove it altogether.

Do be cautious (for yourself and family members) about exposing your bare skin to the aquarium water if you have exposed cuts and scrapes on your hands. While odds are that the toxins aren't at a high concentration unless the Zoads have been disturbed/ticked off recently, many dealers will tell you that you can become more sensitive over time with repeated exposure. Low risk, but it is there none the less.

If you have cats or kittens (we just recently adopted two kitties) this can be really problematic (due to both scratches and curiosity)!

 

[EHaddad]

At that age, if they can reach the tank I'd be more concerned with them falling in... Make sure it's definitely on a stand and well out of reach.

Yea it’s on a stand. They are some climbers haha

 

[elysics]

They are kids they are sneaky. Even with a kids it makes me nervous

You really should rule it out as much as possible though. There's plenty of other dangers, sharp rocks, sharp animals, parasites visible or invisible, flesh eating bacteria, high numbers of bacteria in general, chemical warfare of the corals themselves, electricity

Kids really shouldn't rub aquarium water in their face, with or without zoa's in it.