Xenia toxic to humans?

[johncash]

Are Xenia Corals toxic to human beings, like zoanthids are?
Kind of freaking out a little, would love an answer. Thanks.

 

[JamesJR]

I don't think much is known about their toxicity. I haven't done any formal research on the matter but I have seen secondary metabolites that have been extracted from these soft corals in the literature and many of these metabolites have shown interesting biological activity. I doubt much has been looked for humans.

 

[johncash]

I just want to know if I have to worry about the fact that I took them out of the bag with my hands and I have a cut on my hand. This was an hour ago and I feel fine, but I would like to know. That is, if the information is available.

 

[sandrifter]

I don't know about being toxic, but they sure do leave a bad smell on your hands after touching them.

 

[johncash]

YES on the smell, but that won't kill me !

 

[DThompson]

I have handled almost all type of Xenia with no problems for years. I think you are fine, just don't eat it.

 

[LegendLand]

no there not toxic to humans, & have very weak toxins to fight off other corals actually. & zoa's are not deadly to humans, only Palythoa Toxica & another type, Commonly Called The "Rubber Coral's" that is the only 2 species that carry Palytoxin. But dont go eating the corals or exposing open wounds to the corals either

 

[B-Willz]

I fragged some last week with a cut on my hand with no problems.

 

[johncash]

Thanks guys, I was a little worried after reading some stuff about corals and their toxins to humans. I am more relaxed now. Nonetheless , safety first, and I will be more careful in the future. After all, there is no reason to expose wounds to the bacterial cultures that exist in our mini reefs.

 

[johncash]

I just wanted to add that I am new to RC and I am incredibly impressed ! Fast responses. When I become more knowledgeable I will certainly reciprocate.

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/fotm/index.php

During the process of fragmenting Xenia one day, I felt an itch in the area on the left side of my mouth. Thinking my left hand was "clean"I made the mistake of scratching that itch. I quickly realized that there was mucous from the coral on my hand. Anyone who has removed Xenia from the water knows that it smells terrible, and I can tell you it's a fact that it tastes even worse than it smells. I managed to maintain my composure, resisted the urge to regurgitate and finished mounting the fragmented Xenia. After awhile my lip began to tingle and became numb. Within an hour and a half the entire left side of my mouth was numb and my tongue began to feel "thick" - for lack of a better word. While collecting information about Xenia for the doctors in anticipation of an upcoming trip to the emergency room, the numbness began to subside. After about another hour my mouth was back to normal - but I wasn't! I learned a valuable lesson about the corals we keep and the unknown dangers we’re likely to encounter. I now clean everything that comes into contact with corals with very hot water, and wash my hands with hot soapy water after fragmenting.

Apparently xenia can make you numb.

 

[DThompson]

no there not toxic to humans, & have very weak toxins to fight off other corals actually. & zoa's are not deadly to humans, only Palythoa Toxica & another type, Commonly Called The "Rubber Coral's" that is the only 2 species that carry Palytoxin. But dont go eating the corals or exposing open wounds to the corals either

I would never say they are NOT toxic. As a general rule, all corals should be considered as possibly toxic to some level. Eaten or ingested, all can carry toxins, bacterial, or unknown parasites.

The bottom line is, we still know very little about the true toxicity of most corals.

I am certainly not going to ever say that a certain coral, ie; Xenia, is non toxic to humans.

In the case of the OP, we are assuming he means some brief exposure to a open cut.

 

[johncash]

Yes I mean to establish whether or not, in practical terms, an aquarist can poison themselves by brief exposures to this particular coral that would commonly occur during aquascaping or fragging.

Or in a nutshell, whether or not I am at risk of a potentially harmful outcome, given the circumstance.

 

[Remn]

I just fragged my xenias the other day and they really stink and leave a really bad odor on your hands, but I haven't had issues or irritations.

 

[reefer31]

I have noticed that if you lemon juice wash your hands it gets the stink out a bit.

 

[khaosinc]

I would expect that the biggest worry would not be the toxicity but the possibility of an allergic reaction. In m y line of work I almost never don't have a cut on my hands, and I am bad about wearing gloves, but I also know I don't tend to react to things. Past that, I know I am taking a crap shoot.

There are so many variets of life in the ocean that we don't know anything about. If you are the sort to worry about that sort of thing, or have had past reactions then you should go at your tank like you would a $20 hooker.

 

[johncash]

LOL, or a $10 one. A valid point, I am looking for gloves and tongs, no more messing around.

As a side note:
I am curious if anyone has gone to ER or to a doctor with one of these "dangers of our hobby" issues. My guess is they would have no clue how to diagnose the problem, fix it, or identify it unless you specifically tell them what happened. This fact is a little scary to me.

 

[blasto_master]

xenias = non toxic

 

[ibnozn]

Whenever I frag my Xenia I make sure to eat a bunch of peanuts for good measure. Keeps the hobby exciting.

I've been able to get a really good RTN session going with some newly fragged Xenia combined with poor circulation so the bacteria is certainly something to always be wary of.

 

[Big Country_IL]

+1 to the smell of xenia...seems like it might dry my hands some when I work with it, but I'd imagine actual results may vary.