Polytoxin from Xenia?

Bao · Apr 6, 2018

Hello Everyone,

just read this story online about polytoxin from Xenia?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...c-fumes-location-chris-matthews-a8291441.html

I always thought that Polytoxin is coming from Poly or Zoas. But from the story, it is coming from Xenia. Is this true?
Beside polytoxin, is there any other poisons or dangers that could come from out little reef tank?

How about Acropora or Frogspawn or Hammer?
I pull those corals out of the water and frag them quite often and now I am a bit worry about doing it again. There is always that bad smell and sometimes I do feel nauseous. But is it dangerous at all?

Thanks.

Crabs McJones · Apr 6, 2018

Bao said:
Hello Everyone,

just read this story online about polytoxin from Xenia?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...c-fumes-location-chris-matthews-a8291441.html

I always thought that Polytoxin is coming from Poly or Zoas. But from the story, it is coming from Xenia. Is this true?
Beside polytoxin, is there any other poisons or dangers that could come from out little reef tank?

How about Acropora or Frogspawn or Hammer?
I pull those corals out of the water and frag them quite often and now I am a bit worry about doing it again. There is always that bad smell and sometimes I do feel nauseous. But is it dangerous at all?

Thanks.

I've never previously heard of xenia being toxic at all. Being that it has the potential to take over a tank and reefers have been pulling it out and cutting it for years to keep it trimmed back. I agree that it's always been zoas and palys.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 6, 2018

I also do not specifically know about toxins in Xenia, but there are many toxins in our systems, and I wouldn't even be sure that every reported "palytoxin" issue was actually that toxin and not another.

We have all sorts of organisms that are either trying to kill their neighbors, or to deter things that are trying to eat them. Scientists are finding new toxins all the time. They are in macroalgae, sponges, diatoms, dinos, corals, and even fish.

Taby · Apr 6, 2018

Wow, I just tear them off the rocks and toss them in the trash.

Scubafrog · Apr 6, 2018

I wondered why my 75 y.o. father was texting me asking about toxic Pulsating Xenia.

I replied to him that the toxic stories were usually related to zoanthids or boiling live rock.

BenitaSolo · Apr 6, 2018

FAKE NEWS!!!

ChiCity · Apr 6, 2018

Those articles that have been popping up sure are sensational...
Causing quite the stir.
But unfortunately, they bungled the story by mentioning Xenia.
I think the guy had green button polyps, either they were the dominant species (weeds) in the tank, or they were under the Xenia....
Either way, the pulsing Xenia did not harm his family

CNDReef · Apr 6, 2018

I’m not 100% Xenia isn’t toxic but not to the extent of paly toxins. It slimes pretty easy and smells of death almost instantly upon being taken out of water.
Now the firefighters going in and being hospitalized almost instantly is for sure a made up story. Those people would be dead already if it was that strong.

Js.Aqua.Project · Apr 6, 2018

I went searching through a bunch of articles (including this one from the National Library of Medicine https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4771986/) but can't find anything that has analysis pointing to xenia having palytoxin - in this article it is only mentioned in a section referring to common soft coral sold in the hobby.

I believe this article/aquarist are mistaken pointing towards xenia as the source of the palytoxin.

ca1ore · Apr 6, 2018

I think that boiling any kind of livestock is a generally poor idea. I don't find this story to be particularly credible on many fronts.

Pntbll687 · Apr 6, 2018

If there are toxins in Xenia, I must be immune!

They do slime some when cutting them. But I've had them all over my hands when fragging.

tautog83 · Apr 6, 2018

a friend sent this to me but it was a fox news article so i figured it was wrong on purpose..lol kiddin..deep breaths ..

kecked · Apr 6, 2018

http://web.augsburg.edu/~capman/aquaria/SpeciesInfoFiles/soft_XeniaElongata.html

The toxin mentioned is diterpenes. Some of these are found in coffee. I do not know the whole family and its properties but it at first glance doesn't look anything like palytoxin.

Legal Reefer · Apr 6, 2018

I found this to be interesting reading https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4771986/

shred5 · Apr 6, 2018

That article is wrong it was palys not xenia.. for some reason on this event some of the articles say palys and others say xenia.
There are several threads on this now..
Most are calling BS even on palys doing what is claimed.

Sea MunnKey · Apr 6, 2018

Corals like Leathers are also pretty toxic IMO.

Halal Hotdog · Apr 6, 2018

Prior to this, I have never heard of xenia having a significant toxin that is harmful to humans. All softies can release things in the water to combat each other, but never heard of a person getting sick from it.