<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13015586#post13015586 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gpd124
I was reading somewhere that zooanthus contains palytoxin. Is this something to be worried about?
Yes. And No. And both at the same time.
Palytoxin does come from certain zoanthids, but not all zoanthids produce palytoxin. Having palythoas or zoanthids in your tank does not insantly assure that your tank has a palytoxin producing species in it. You have bigger issues to worry about than palytoxin anyway that come from your tank in the form of stinging hitchhikers and the general array of pathogens already present in the water column. If you practice safe handling techniques, such as being sure to wash your hands after working in and around your tank before touching any orafice (face, nose, eyes, mouth, etc...) and handling foods (in addition to being cautious that you do not allow water from your tank to come into contact with open wounds.... because, aside from coming into contact with bacteria, you would be coming into contact with salt.... which is really irritating at best and burning at worst), you'll be fine. I would also recommend wearing protective lenses or goggles when using cutting tools near the zoanthids (as they squirt sometimes when bothered).
Think of it like turtles, snakes, and other reptiles. There was a huge scare about salmonella ages ago because children woulld handle these animals and get salmonella. Why? Because children are less likely than adults to practive safe handling such as sanitizing after handling the animal before doing something like rubbing an ichy eye or eating. It wasn't that children were anymore susceptible to it. It was just an odds game. The same thing holds true for palytoxin. You can get it, but your chances are really based off of the odds, which increase dramatically if you do not take care in washing up after working about your tank.
You stand equal, if not greater chances, IMHO, though, of get salmonella from raw or under cooked chicken.
By the by, your top picture is a little fuzzy for me. My computer is displaying an oddly orange color, and the sunken center leads me to want to say it's sun coral. Please take another pic just to be safe (as sun coral has vastly different care requirements than zoanthids, including the need for a dedicated target feeding schedule). Try checking the macro settings on your digital camera and checking if you have a "scene" feature that allows for through glass shots (while it's not as perfect as having a manual macro lens to take pictures of coral, this can help get some better details). If that cannot be helped, you could try actually touching the coral to be certain (VERY GENTLY, of course) If the coral has a hard internal skeleton and is an almost entirely neon orange to yellow, it's sun coral. If the coral is generally soft in nature through the flesh, it's zoanthids.
Try googling both just to make sure, because, without an excellent target feeding schedule, sun coral often withers and dies within weeks to months in the hands of hobbyists who were ill-prepared to take on such an endeavor.
