Palytoxin effects?

[The Aquarist]

Hi,

 

I picked up some brown palys yesterday: they look like these: http://www.fishnet.org/images/Palythoa_jchump5415.jpg

Does anyone know if these contain dangerous levels of palytoxin?

I was wondering that if I have to frag these down the road, would the toxin affect my other corals? I have lps, other softies, and an sps. I plan to add more hard corals down the road.

 

Thanks

[Sancho]

GET RID OF THEM.

[ndrobey]

All palys have a lot of palytoxin. Comes with the territory. Risks are up to you, but I hope you have a good health insurance plan if you want to keep those.

[Sancho]

I was doing some re-aquascaping in my 34. I moved a rock that had a bunch of those on it. It Tore some and they released chemical warfare on my tank and myself. Woke up in the morning to my eyelids swollen shut and a rash on my hands and arms. Missed a day of work as I was unable to open my eyes. My daughter was playing with the the tubing that I used to change water that night. She had a the same rash on his hands as I had on my hands and arms. Overnight all my SPS was bleached. It is no joke. Many can keep them with no problems but the risk is not worth it. Yes I could have been more careful gloves and goggles. But seriously who does that? Stay away from the cheap button Palys.

 

http://www.sdreefs.com/forums/showthread.php?113306-All-SPS-bleached-overnight!

[The Aquarist]

I'll see about exchanging them for something else then...

 

Too bad, I've always wanted them.

[afyounie]

Those types will take over your tank in no time. Smother everything out. You usually see someone trying to give them away for free on the local forums. Only the jerks try to sell them. I got a rock with similar types of palys. They took over the rock they were on and started spreading. I threw the rock out and smothered the remaining palys with epoxy. So now, when someone wants to give away a free rock full of uncolorful palys, I know to say no. I never got a full on allergic reaction from them, but I got a slight allergic reaction. Swollen itchy hands and puffy face. Made it somewhat difficult to breathe. Not worth it.

[Andrew_Reef90g]

I got squirted in th eye by captain america palys. I got pink eye, but that's it. I also got pink eye from getting LPS mucous in my eye.

[Eckozulu]

My friend removed a bunch from his tank and threw them away. Then his dog got in the trash. 5K of vet bills later, dog was dead, took 2 weeks and was not painless.

 

Burn with fire!!!

[kylhcky]

My friend removed a bunch from his tank and threw them away. Then his dog got in the trash. 5K of vet bills later, dog was dead, took 2 weeks and was not painless.

 

Burn with fire!!!

i recently started flushing unwanted creatures down the toilet instead of throwing them in the trash for this exact reason, last thing i want is my dog eating that poison.

[GHill762]

LOL @ everyone freaking about palytoxin.

[Bingo1213]

It is not that big of a deal. You all know zooanthids have palyotoxins too right??? I have silver Pally's that I love. Just keep them on their own island and use some common sense when handling! I have never had any problems with their poison. I have fragged both those, buttons, and zoas. So wear gloves, goggles, keep them away from your other pets/children, keep your mouth shut while fragging, don't touch them with a cut on your hand, and lastly don't suck on them and or eat them in any way shape or form hahaha. Many corals contain toxic chemicals pallys just have a little more in them. It is very rare for them to nuke a tank, I have had them break open under water with no ill effects. If you are worried about it run some carbon, that's what I do as leathers put off as many if not more chemicals than pallys do!

[The Aquarist]

I'm more worried about the toxin harming other tank inhabitants more than it harming me.

[CCXGT]

I'm more worried about the toxin harming other tank inhabitants more than it harming me.

Don't mess with them in the tank then..

 

If you plan to frag, do it out of the tank, don't touch your face and clean up properly.

[Chadf]

All palys have a lot of palytoxin. Comes with the territory. Risks are up to you, but I hope you have a good health insurance plan if you want to keep those.

Lol.

[The Aquarist]

Don't mess with them in the tank then..

 

If you plan to frag, do it out of the tank, don't touch your face and clean up properly.

 

so if left alone, they wouldn't release any toxins, right?

In that case, I could just leave them on the sandbed so they don't get on the rocks

[Chadf]

so if left alone, they wouldn't release any toxins, right?

In that case, I could just leave them on the sandbed so they don't get on the rocks

A polyp will eventually release and start a new colony somewhere if you don't see where it ended up, I've seen it many times.

[Lawnman]

All palys have a lot of palytoxin. Comes with the territory. Risks are up to you, but I hope you have a good health insurance plan if you want to keep those.

lmao

[GHill762]

A polyp will eventually release and start a new colony somewhere if you don't see where it ended up, I've seen it many times.

I can attest to this

this I've got random polyps popping up in places I've never had them.

[SchnauzerFace]

As others have said -- any risk is drastically minimized if you're careful when you're in the tank, wash your hands after putting your hands in the water, and take extra caution when/if fragging.

 

That said, I do suggest getting rid of them. The biggest concern for me is that brown button polyps are ugly as sin. Keeping palys is fine, but only when they look cool

[Bingo1213]

I can attest to this

this I've got random polyps popping up in places I've never had them.

My pallys have never done this in 2 years (knock on wood) haha

[Sancho]

so if left alone, they wouldn't release any toxins, right?

In that case, I could just leave them on the sandbed so they don't get on the rocks

They grow like weeds. They will get to the rocks.

plus they are ugly

[Sunstar]

Wear gloves and go with a face shield as opposed to goggles - this will protect nose and mouth as well. As suggested above, remove the animals to frag them later. Palytoxin is no laughing matter, however if handled properly, and with respect, they should be relatively okay.

 

I have had these, and they do sting, and they do take over quite quickly, save up the money spent on them and pick up some other beauties. Zoas and all them do have this toxin, but if handled, as suggested above, you should not have too much trouble.

[Dramad1]

Ha ha, I have these in my tank, hitched in on a mini zoa colony, they have exploded all over the tank since. I just leave them alone, lil here, few there. Filler!

[CCXGT]

so if left alone, they wouldn't release any toxins, right?

In that case, I could just leave them on the sandbed so they don't get on the rocks

Not unless something injured them.

 

If they're just there, they won't harm anything.

 

However, I will agree with the majority here and say that there is no point in letting those spread, they're horrible.

[Psychosis]

Do you have any idea the levels of nasty you'll find in even a sterile looking tank? Use proper etiquette around a tank, wash your hands before and after, never touch your face, and if at all possible use personal protective equipment. I don't, but for the paranoid it's a sound investment.

 

Unless you boil the palythoa in large numbers, I wouldn't be any more concerned about it than the very likely possibility you're already cultivating a dozen diseases that are communicable to humans in your system. That said, they are a weed,so treat then like you would gsp/xenia/etc etc if you think they're worth the trouble to you.