Safer Zoas?
- Thread starter 71Percent
- Start date
TX..r33f
New member
As far as I know no. Unless your kids are actually touching the zoas and rubbing their eyes, you will be fine. Now when I handle zoas I usually put on gloves and then wash my hands. But like I said unless your kids are actually putting their hands in the tank or touching them you should be fine. Also while your at it you can teach them that the reef tank is an exciting thing & yet dangerous. so they will be aware.
A. Grandis
Active member
Nope, all zoanthids could have toxins and should be handled with extreme caution.
The use of gloves, goggles, closed mouth and a good clean up after handling them is aways highly recommended.
No pets/kids around!
Grandis.
installman
New member
I have had Reef tanks for several years. My children have always enjoyed watching the fish and corals. That said there is always some danger of something going wrong with any tank. Palytoxin is no joke!
71Percent
New member
Thanks for the info. I think I will continue to view them in other folk's tanks! The reason I first asked the question is that I thought I read some research where a lab went out and sampled Zoas in LFS in the DC area and only a few strains had the Palytoxins. Anyone remember reading something along those lines?
NanoReefWanabe
Active member
personally i take palyotoxin with a grain of salt…heck getting water from your tank in your eye regardless of what critters you keep will give you a nasty infection…i have handled thousands of different zoos and palys, and every time i tell myself wash my hands, and what do i do…wipe my hands on my pants and sit down and eat a bag of chips…unless you are squeezing and rubbing the goo in your eyes there is no more chance of getting toxins on you then there is filling your gas tank and spraying gas all over yourself…as serious as this toxin can be, the chances of it even existing in hobby tanks is very unlikely (that is what i have read) and tend to believe more then all the " i got poisoned from my palys" threads…as i said it far more likely people are getting bacterial infections from the water itself or from the slime coat of bacteria that exists on all surfaces in your tank…
i say get the zoos and palys and enjoy the hobby and teach your children the tank is to be observed and not touched, my kids are more afraid to touch the tank for fear of killing something then something hurting them…that said they know that they are not to touch the water under any circumstances, even if something they are playing with ends up in the tank, they are to get me to get it out. they know they will be in more trouble for trying to get it out themselves then just telling me.
i say get the zoos and palys and enjoy the hobby and teach your children the tank is to be observed and not touched, my kids are more afraid to touch the tank for fear of killing something then something hurting them…that said they know that they are not to touch the water under any circumstances, even if something they are playing with ends up in the tank, they are to get me to get it out. they know they will be in more trouble for trying to get it out themselves then just telling me.
