Zoa paranoia

brettinteriors

brettinteriors

New member
Knowing well and good some zoanthid species are extremly poisonous I decided to scrape part of a zoa rock off witha hack saw in hopes to save the colony from a white fungus/mold. I wear glasses and used my grap claw to hold the rock. A little paranoia set in and my eyes were burning but of course IM just fine. I woke up this morning with the thought that maybe it would be prudent to throw the blade away. I washed it butif a month from now I scrapedmyself with the blade would this potentially have toxin. How about the sinkI washed the blade in. I have kids so I am a little extra paranoid.
 
From what i've read, only a few zoas have that toxin. I assume it's a protein based toxin, so hot water should destroy it. I'm pretty sure you'd have to eat a few zoas to be in serious trouble :)
 
I'd throw away the blade, just incase. Hacksaw blades a pretty cheap, long ER visits are not.
 
Go with goggles, Murphy's law can and will take over every time. I feel with kids you can't be too safe, throw away the blade and wash the sink out real well.
 
Cant be too careful. I was picking nudibranchess off my giant orange zoos and *issed one off. it expelled a brownish substance in the water. I can only guess it was toxin. I run carbon and nothing died. I also saw somthing shoot liquid at sea when Mike took it out if the water and it barely missed his face.
 
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Murphy's law is definetely being enforced at SEA lately. Hopefully those guys get to have some smooth sailing for a while now.
 
FWIW - I wouldn't be so much worried about having cuts on your hands etc... I think the more pervasive problem would be touching your face afterwards. Your nose, mouth and eyes all have mucous membranes that will absorb the toxin regardless of broken skin. I definitely don't like tearing up zoas for that reason... I wash up to my elbows afterwards.
 
+1 on washing up to my elbows after fraging zoos. With a leathal dose of just 8-200 one-millions of a gram, it can be scary. But, i've always wondered; if palytoxin is so deadly (and can also be reproduced in a lab) why isn't used for biological warfare or in homicides? Think anthrax and castor beans...I think the palytoxin may be metabolized quickly or destroyed easily when released from the zoo. I have no scientific backing to my logic however. Just a hunch.
 
I have been poisoned by a shipment of Zoas. I suspect it was mostly from cuts on the hands. It was one of my extra large vietnam shipments of zoas and clams. The major things I noticed was a metallic taste in my mouth for a few days and I felt like I was in a brawl with 10 bikers for a month or so. Kinda like being sore from the flu or a fight. The taste was like putting a nickel in your mouth.
 
Jeez, I have been blissfully unaware. Good thing they don't grow very well for me. I knew some palys were toxic but I didn't take it seriously at all? Are there some to watch out for in particular?
 
I really believe they're all toxic to some level or another. Be careful and wear gloves and goggles when fragging and you'll be fine.
 
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