Spent the evening reading about toxins and venoms in marine invertebrates, when I should have been working on art stuff. Originally it started off art related. I was looking up some info and references for art stuff.... but who can resist looking at related links about organic toxins and venom. Only until you come across an image that looks exactly like something your father-in-law has in his saltwater tank and go ..... o_O
I knew zoanthids /
palythoa contained palytoxin and other toxins that can be deadly. Many marine
invertebrates do. I have always wanted
saltwater tanks, and aside from the insane cost of one, stuff like that is
really the major thing that makes me leery of trying live corals / reef tank
stuff. I've always been fascinated by
corals, anemones and zoanthids ( they reminded me of the deeper sea organisms
like tube worms ). Like some alien life form of awesomeness. And they're easy
to keep. But they can also be highly toxic.
Don't be scared of zoanthids and palythoa. Don't get rid of
any you might have just because it is possible for them to be dangerous. I just
want to make people aware of how dangerous they can be and to be careful when
handling them. It's really no different than precautions you'd take having a
lionfish in your tank.
The best thing to do is wear goggles or a face shield to
protect your eyes ( they squirt water ) and gloves to protect your skin, and
use tools like forceps or special tongs when handling aquatic invertebrates. Be
careful with your fragging - do it under water so organisms like this can't
shoot water at you, and so there isn't a risk of dust/debris being inhaled,
among other things. Always wash your hands extremely well after handling
anything in your tanks even if you wear gloves and use other tools.
Reports say that Palythoa toxin can build up in your system
over time through bio-accumulation, and lead to symptoms one might assume is
bad allergies or a mild case of the flu.
There was also mention of scientists studying Palythoa toxin finding
that the toxin might be found in other nearby corals that do not produce it on
their own (I'd have to do more research to find out how true this is ). It's
always a good idea to know the history of your frag sources and to keep a list
of items in your tank, just in case.
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