Coral Toxin

michaelmmreef01

michaelmmreef01

aka redsea
Hi everyone,

Do any SPS corals contain/give off any toxin?

Do ALL soft corals give off toxins? Are they deadly?

Do LPS corals give off toxins? Are they deadly?

Lastly, do Acan Lord Corals contain/give off toxins? I will have one very soon so I hope not (it is an Aussie). LOL

Thanks, I would just like to know so I don't buy anything toxic/deadly.
 
It is all about proper care when working on your tank. Every time my hands touch the water I wash them before touching anything else. If I do any big maintenance on the tank (i.e. cleaning the glass) I will shower afterwards. Dont always remember where the water got on me and I want to keep it away from my eyes.

Zoas and Palys are ones I know to be particularly careful with.
 
I agree with Zalman. Palytoxin is the most common, but I do know of someone who got infected when they scratched themself on a piece of live rock. Always be careful. Wear gloves when working in your tank, and wear protective eyewear whenever you frag something. Palys and softies squirt stuff, and the other corals secrete a protective slime. Be especially careful in your tank if you have an open cut. My opinion is, if they can sting and kill each other, it's probably not good for us either.
 
it all depends on YOU , they do have toxins and will only effect people that are allergic to their toxins , i do not take any measures to protect myself and i do naot have any issues and most lfs workers i see dont do anything pre or post handelin / cutting but that may noet be the same for you and how your body reacts to it . I have heard some people get really sick . like the rest of the hobby , what works for some may not work for others .cut up some palys and let us know how it worked for ya ....just kidding
 
Some people definitely react more strongly than others. If you're in your tank often enough and stay in the hobby for long enough, you'll eventually find out if there are certain corals you react strongly to. I rarely wear gloves or eye protection in addition to my regular glasses, and the strongest effect a coral has had on me is an unpleasant numbness/tingling in my fingers after handling some palys.
 
Like reefer, I take no precautions and never have... I'm not sayin that anyone else should follow suit by any means... I always rinse my hands well with warm water before doing anything... And u absolutely NEVER wana use soap or any lotion or the like, sanitizer included anytime prior to sticking ur bare hand/arm in your water or even handling tools or food or anyhing that may touch your water... It's really best to jus leave your hands out, gloves or not...
 
Reefir said:
it all depends on YOU , they do have toxins and will only effect people that are allergic to their toxins , i do not take any measures to protect myself and i do naot have any issues and most lfs workers i see dont do anything pre or post handelin / cutting but that may noet be the same for you and how your body reacts to it . I have heard some people get really sick . like the rest of the hobby , what works for some may not work for others .cut up some palys and let us know how it worked for ya ....just kidding
Click to expand...

so true , my girl has no prob except gorgonions. she looks like she gets stung by jelly's when she brushes any........yup and palytoxin is bad for everyone. it truely is a poison.

also cutting leathers, can be harmful to sps, i recommend charcoal if a number of leathers are in an sps tank(mix reef). i have also aggravated of all my corals when killing of a number of palys in the reef.
 
Last edited:
I agree with reefer for the most part. I have touched lps with a cut on my hand, it was irritated by the slime but nothing serious. Also aquariums have a high level of bacteria, easy to get an infection if you have a cut on you already. I wear goggles when I frag Z's and P's or when using a dremel to cut. I always wash my hands thoughly w vinegar after(kills the nematocysts). I have made the mistake of touching my eye after fraging something. Even after a hand washing with soap and water my eye became irritated so now I am very concious about that. If you are concerned about toxin grab some gloves. Most likly you will not have any problems. You may want to search palythoa toxin on the big forum, that's what you need to watch out for.
 
Thanks all!

I try to stay away from zoas and palythoas. So palytoxin is actually in the water? I am scared to death about it, all toxins from coral for that matter.....
 
If I handle Acropora for too long I get sick to my stomach. An if I make the mistake of getting my skin anywhere near my elegance, you can see a red mark where each and every tenticle touched me.

Everything else doesn't seem to affect me.
 
I go shooting often. I remember during a training class the instructor told us that after shooting you should always use cool water to wash your hands as hot water will open your pores and allow the lead into your system. I use the same caution when handling corals. Cool water and lots of soap, then hot water and lots of soap.

When fragging zoas I also wear safety glasses in case of a wayward squirt.
 
Food for thought...


Deadly Dose:
Intravenous: Mice 0.054 μg/kg
Rats 0.089 μg/kg
Intratracheal: Mice >2 μg/kg
Intraperitoneal: Mice <1 μg/kg
Oral: Mice 767 μg/kg

1 nanogram = .000001 grams.

Toxicity in humans can be caused by between 2.3 and 31.5µg palytoxin. An acute reference dose was suggested to be 64µg for a person with weight of 60 kg.


Think twice before handling/cutting Zoanthus without at least wearing glasses. We've all seen the horror stories.
 
I am trying to figure out what kind of coral to keep in my tank. I am trying to avoid as many toxins as possible, so that means I don't want any "chemical warfare", right?
 
crossing the street nowadays can be dangerous. you should keep what feels right for you. the most commin time there is a problem is when we cut or aggravate palys,and softeys, other then that a little charcoal is all you need with multiple leathers w/sps.
 
michaelmmreef01 said:
Thanks all!

I try to stay away from zoas and palythoas. So palytoxin is actually in the water? I am scared to death about it, all toxins from coral for that matter.....
Click to expand...

Michael, you take the same precautions as crossing the street, you dont wait until a 18 wheeler is bearing down on you.
It is good that you are looking at the possibilities ahead of time and doing research. You are creating a very sound understanding of the maintenance and care.
I understand your concerns. I do not frag but will be setting up a clinic with chriskid soon. hope to see you then, Charlene
 
About 6 months back I cut my finger slightly whilst it was submerged in my sump and about 6 hours later I had a temperature of almost 102oF and felt very sick. I was on the point of going to the ER when the fever started to break. Could have been coincidence, but I learned a valuable lesson. Now I try to use disposable gloves when handling stuff in the tank and especially when hacking up zoas and palys.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Trying to identify what ate my Torch Coral
Replies
12
Views
236
Uncle99
Uncle99
Z
New lps frags - 1 day not doing well
Replies
16
Views
2K
Reefing102
Reefing102
J
feeding
Replies
5
Views
3K
austin_socal
A
N
75 gallon set up and stocking advice
Replies
8
Views
2K
Newham94
N
oceangopher
Tankpocalypse Now
Replies
2
Views
160
Reefing102
Reefing102
Back
Top