Should I rinse out my Reservoir, because of calcium buildup, and the toxicity of zooanths

[Newbie888]

So my make up water bin is kinda crusty I was thinking about scrubbing it out and then making sure its dry before trying to mix again is that bad? The next part is about corals being toxic. I heard of zooanths being extremely toxic and having the toxin become airborne!!!!!!!! I mean I understand wearing glove and a mask and goggles,  but what the hell toxic gas is definitely not what I want to put my family through. Is it only polyanths and zooanths that do this , because I have no coral as of yet just yellow tail damsel and a few snails , and red leg hermit that hides all the time. I really want to do corals and I can deal with having them being slightly toxic,  but not airborne toxic that's freaking crazy and I want no part of that. I mean what do you do if its growing out of control and you want to cut it back,  but even if you do it underwater the gas escapes and kills everyone in your home???!!!!!! Also it is a 10 gallon tank,  temp 77f, sg 1.024.

[seabass]

1 hour ago, Newbie888 said:

So my make up water bin is kinda crusty I was thinking about scrubbing it out and then making sure its dry before trying to mix again is that bad?

Use a vinegar solution to dissolve the mineral buildup.  Then just rinse it out before use.

 

1 hour ago, Newbie888 said:

The next part is about corals being toxic. I heard of zooanths being extremely toxic and having the toxin become airborne!!!!!!!! I mean I understand wearing glove and a mask and goggles,  but what the hell toxic gas is definitely not what I want to put my family through. Is it only polyanths and zooanths that do this

Palytoxin won't become airborne unless you do something like boil them.  Also, you wouldn't want to use a brush on them (especially out of the water).  Some palythoas are much more toxic than others.  Fortunately, they tend to be the less desired green and brown button polyps.  In general, keeping zoanthids (or even most palythoas) isn't a particularly risky practice.

 

You mostly have to worry if you are physically damaging them (cutting, smashing, brushing, etc).  Common sense precautions are usually more than adequate to keep them (or even frag them).

[Christopher Marks]

Great advice @seabass!

[Ratvan]

46 minutes ago, seabass said:

Also, you wouldn't want to use a brush on them (especially out of the water). 

I forgot about this today dealing with GHA and Aiptasia on my Colony.  Whoops. 

 

Yeah Vinegar or Citric Acid for cleaning. I prefer the acid myself.

[banasophia]

Hi there! Welcome to Nano-Reef!! 

 

 

 

I understand your concerns about palytoxin, and it’s good to educate yourself so you can make informed decisions when stocking your tank. The article I’m linking below happened to come out in Coral Magazine the month I started my tank, so I really took it to heart. I personally decided to avoid stocking any zoas or palys until I was more comfortable in my reef-keeping skills and ended up waiting until I was 6-8 months in to add them. This was a good move for me as I wanted to feel at ease working on my tank and it also forced me to learn about and stock many other great corals that are good for beginners.

 

https://www.reef2rainforest.com/palytoxin-in-the-marine-aquarium/

[Newbie888]

11 hours ago, banasophia said:

Hi there! Welcome to Nano-Reef!! 

 

 

 

I understand your concerns about palytoxin, and it’s good to educate yourself so you can make informed decisions when stocking your tank. The article I’m linking below happened to come out in Coral Magazine the month I started my tank, so I really took it to heart. I personally decided to avoid stocking any zoas or palys until I was more comfortable in my reef-keeping skills and ended up waiting until I was 6-8 months in to add them. This was a good move for me as I wanted to feel at ease working on my tank and it also forced me to learn about and stock many other great corals that are good for beginners.

 

https://www.reef2rainforest.com/palytoxin-in-the-marine-aquarium/

Man thanks,  I'll read that when I get a chance

[Newbie888]

14 hours ago, seabass said:

Use a vinegar solution to dissolve the mineral buildup.  Then just rinse it out before use.

 

Palytoxin won't become airborne unless you do something like boil them.  Also, you wouldn't want to use a brush on them (especially out of the water).  Some palythoas are much more toxic than others.  Fortunately, they tend to be the less desired green and brown button polyps.  In general, keeping zoanthids (or even most palythoas) isn't a particularly risky practice.

 

You mostly have to worry if you are physically damaging them (cutting, smashing, brushing, etc).  Common sense precautions are usually more than adequate to keep them (or even frag them).

So when making this vinegar solution how much vinegar do I use , and mix with ro/di water or is tap fine , I'm under the impression that you never let tap water contaminate your tank if you can help it. 

[Newbie888]

Not related to the subject,  but wanted to add that is gravity/ pressure differential auto top off is awesome,  I was afraid of DIY making one because it is known that mechanical parts always fail eventually and I don't have a shelf nearby that I could gravity feed, pressure,  or siphon from so this thing is Awesome ( I dont get to talk about much of this stuff because most people I know think its boring lol)

[seabass]

2 hours ago, Newbie888 said:

So when making this vinegar solution how much vinegar do I use , and mix with ro/di water or is tap fine , I'm under the impression that you never let tap water contaminate your tank if you can help it. 

The more vinegar you use, the stronger the acid will be.  I usually mix a 1 part tap water, to 1 part vinegar solution into a spray bottle.  Then I use that as a cleaning solution.

 

Tap water isn't that scary.  It's perfectly fine to use when cleaning equipment.  You really just want to avoid making saltwater with it.

[Ratvan]

2 hours ago, Newbie888 said:

 I dont get to talk about much of this stuff because most people I know think its boring lol

 

Oh I know this feeling, lol. The number of times I get "you care more for your fish than me" from the Mrs. I mean it's true but still

[Sancho]

3 hours ago, Newbie888 said:

So when making this vinegar solution how much vinegar do I use , and mix with ro/di water or is tap fine , I'm under the impression that you never let tap water contaminate your tank if you can help it. 

 

 

Honestly I rarely scrub out my mixing container and I use reef crystals so there is a nice layer of  funk buildup on the walls. It’s fairly calcified and I’m not that worried about it dissolving in my water mix. I do hose it out every now and then and occasionally scrub it down with vinegar. When I scrub it I use full strength vinegar and a sponge. You just need enough to keep the sponge wet. It will scrub off pretty easily. Then I just take my garden hose and rinse it out, let it dry out in the sun. Once dry there is really nothing in the tap water used to rinse it left to contaminate your tank. And if wasn’t completely dry the residue from the tap water or even vinegar won’t harm your tank. 

 

As for Paly toxins the article @banasophia linked has some good information. Paly toxin is real however I don’t think it’s ever killed a family 🤷‍♂️ I’ve had Paly toxin poisoning once and it was miserable. My exposure was avoidable as I rubbed my eye after handling them. With that said just be smart about it when handling them. Don’t boil rocks, if you’re cutting up or handling palys wear eye protection and gloves. I’d definitely advise against rubbing your eyes, picking your nose, eating your boogers or the palys. @seabass summed it up pretty well. I really wouldn’t let the fear of Paly toxin from keeping zoas. 

 

I love the the simplicity of a gravity fed ATO like the one you have. One of my tanks actually had a gravity feed system like that in the back chamber. But the container was small was refilling it almost daily. Buying an ATO was really one of the best things I’ve purchased 

[kimberbee]

6 hours ago, Newbie888 said:

So when making this vinegar solution how much vinegar do I use , and mix with ro/di water or is tap fine , I'm under the impression that you never let tap water contaminate your tank if you can help it. 

I rinse out my buckets after every water change with tap water. Every few months I soak them, and my power heads, with hot tap water and a couple splashes of vinegar. I let them air dry and have had no problems. 

 

The way @seabass and @Sancho do it works too. Give it a try and you'll figure out the way that works best for you. 

[FISHnChix]

Yep like everyone says clean with vinegar and then rinse it out .. easy peesie.. 

 

Also I am with you . I want nothing to do with palytoxin.. i wont disagree with what everyone said when they said it's not that big of deal if you handle zoas and palys properly , but for me personally why take the risk?? 

 

Welcome to NR.. happy reefing!😎

[Newbie888]

4 hours ago, Ratvan said:

Oh I know this feeling, lol. The number of times I get "you care more for your fish than me" from the Mrs. I mean it's true but still

My girlfriend completely hates it, I've had African cichlids before,  this is my first saltwater tank but when I had the African tank she would say the same thing and now we have a dog so she complains that I don't play with her lol

[Ratvan]

1 minute ago, Newbie888 said:

My girlfriend completely hates it, I've had African cichlids before,  this is my first saltwater tank but when I had the African tank she would say the same thing and now we have a dog so she complains that I don't play with her lol

Same but Oscars. She did like those as they used to jump out the water and hit me in the face

[Newbie888]

5 hours ago, Sancho said:

 

 

Honestly I rarely scrub out my mixing container and I use reef crystals so there is a nice layer of  funk buildup on the walls. It’s fairly calcified and I’m not that worried about it dissolving in my water mix. I do hose it out every now and then and occasionally scrub it down with vinegar. When I scrub it I use full strength vinegar and a sponge. You just need enough to keep the sponge wet. It will scrub off pretty easily. Then I just take my garden hose and rinse it out, let it dry out in the sun. Once dry there is really nothing in the tap water used to rinse it left to contaminate your tank. And if wasn’t completely dry the residue from the tap water or even vinegar won’t harm your tank. 

 

As for Paly toxins the article @banasophia linked has some good information. Paly toxin is real however I don’t think it’s ever killed a family 🤷‍♂️ I’ve had Paly toxin poisoning once and it was miserable. My exposure was avoidable as I rubbed my eye after handling them. With that said just be smart about it when handling them. Don’t boil rocks, if you’re cutting up or handling palys wear eye protection and gloves. I’d definitely advise against rubbing your eyes, picking your nose, eating your boogers or the palys. @seabass summed it up pretty well. I really wouldn’t let the fear of Paly toxin from keeping zoas. 

 

I love the the simplicity of a gravity fed ATO like the one you have. One of my tanks actually had a gravity feed system like that in the back chamber. But the container was small was refilling it almost daily. Buying an ATO was really one of the best things I’ve purchased 

Yea the ato is great for my 10 gallon I only have to refill once a week, and yea I'm going to have to do a ton more of research on corals in general, but I was worried that if like a colony of zoa getting out of hand and wanting to trim them back and removing some and then having poisonous gas come out of the tank you know. Like how would you go about something like. Would you bag the cutting in the water?

[Ratvan]

Just now, Newbie888 said:

Yea the ato is great for my 10 gallon I only have to refill once a week, and yea I'm going to have to do a ton more of research on corals in general, but I was worried that if like a colony of zoa getting out of hand and wanting to trim them back and removing some and then having poisonous gas come out of the tank you know. Like how would you go about something like. Would you bag the cutting in the water?

Trimming back I would place the Corals in a container of tank water, outside the tank. Using a razorblade you can "scrape" the mat/base of the polyp off of the rock/plug etc. Or break off bits of the rock off if possible. I'd then try and make some Frag Plugs with the trimmings

[Newbie888]

1 hour ago, FISHnChix said:

Yep like everyone says clean with vinegar and then rinse it out .. easy peesie.. 

 

Also I am with you . I want nothing to do with palytoxin.. i wont disagree with what everyone said when they said it's not that big of deal if you handle zoas and palys properly , but for me personally why take the risk?? 

 

Welcome to NR.. happy reefing!😎

Right, sounds crazy. Like most people wouldn't bring home a pet cobra,  but then again some would 🤷‍♂️

[Newbie888]

1 minute ago, Ratvan said:

Trimming back I would place the Corals in a container of tank water, outside the tank. Using a razorblade you can "scrape" the mat/base of the polyp off of the rock/plug etc. Or break off bits of the rock off if possible. I'd then try and make some Frag Plugs with the trimmings

That makes sense

8 minutes ago, Ratvan said:

Same but Oscars. She did like those as they used to jump out the water and hit me in the face

I laughed to hard at this 🤣🤣🤣

[Tired]

Palys do not release a poisonous gas. To get the poison into the air, you have to boil them or cut them with a high-speed electrical saw, something that causes tiny bits of them to be thrown into the air. Scrubbing harshly with a brush can cause issues for the immediate area, also, but they won't aerosolize on their own. A few will spit poisoned water if removed from the water, though, so eye protection is good with those ones. Or just never take them out of the water! Put a container in the tank, put the coral in the container, remove it from the tank full of water.

 

Don't boil them, don't scrub them with a brush, don't cut them with an electrical saw, don't cut yourself and get them into the cuts, don't touch them and then your eyes/mouth/etc (both of those are covered if you just wear decent gloves), don't point one at your face while removing it from the water, and don't eat them, and they won't hurt you. Which, those are things you shouldn't do with most aquarium life anyway. 

To frag palys and zoas, just cut them in a separate container of water, using something with a bit of a handle (scissors or an exacto knife), then transfer them into another separate container of water for a little bit to calm down before putting them back in your tank. Then don't boil the fragging water, drink it, or any of that sort of thing. 

 

They're a lot less dangerous than cobras, also. Palys will never escape your tank, escape your house, or bite you while you're doing maintenance. If your paly bites you, I have a great many questions!

[mcarroll]

11 hours ago, Newbie888 said:

So when making this vinegar solution how much vinegar do I use , and mix with ro/di water or is tap fine , I'm under the impression that you never let tap water contaminate your tank if you can help it. 

Everything that's in tapwater is already in seawater, so contamination is not what you are worried about. 

 

You can use tapwater to clean your barrel no problem.

 

You could even use tapwater to mix up your salt water, and depending on your area and what your water is like you might be just fine.

 

The problems come if you are in a place where the water is not fine, such as some places out west where their water is insanely hard or if you have well water that has high levels of farm runoff in it.

 

Another potential problem is with the hardness being so different on freshwater, it can throw the mineral levels off on your salt water. This is a little more esoteric than the other potential issues as it matters a lot more to some animals than others – corals in particular.

 

 

[Newbie888]

On 9/20/2019 at 2:42 PM, mcarroll said:

Everything that's in tapwater is already in seawater, so contamination is not what you are worried about. 

 

You can use tapwater to clean your barrel no problem.

 

You could even use tapwater to mix up your salt water, and depending on your area and what your water is like you might be just fine.

 

The problems come if you are in a place where the water is not fine, such as some places out west where their water is insanely hard or if you have well water that has high levels of farm runoff in it.

 

Another potential problem is with the hardness being so different on freshwater, it can throw the mineral levels off on your salt water. This is a little more esoteric than the other potential issues as it matters a lot more to some animals than others – corals in particular.

 

 

Alright thanks 

[Newbie888]

On 9/20/2019 at 12:57 PM, Tired said:

Palys do not release a poisonous gas. To get the poison into the air, you have to boil them or cut them with a high-speed electrical saw, something that causes tiny bits of them to be thrown into the air. Scrubbing harshly with a brush can cause issues for the immediate area, also, but they won't aerosolize on their own. A few will spit poisoned water if removed from the water, though, so eye protection is good with those ones. Or just never take them out of the water! Put a container in the tank, put the coral in the container, remove it from the tank full of water.

 

Don't boil them, don't scrub them with a brush, don't cut them with an electrical saw, don't cut yourself and get them into the cuts, don't touch them and then your eyes/mouth/etc (both of those are covered if you just wear decent gloves), don't point one at your face while removing it from the water, and don't eat them, and they won't hurt you. Which, those are things you shouldn't do with most aquarium life anyway. 

To frag palys and zoas, just cut them in a separate container of water, using something with a bit of a handle (scissors or an exacto knife), then transfer them into another separate container of water for a little bit to calm down before putting them back in your tank. Then don't boil the fragging water, drink it, or any of that sort of thing. 

 

They're a lot less dangerous than cobras, also. Palys will never escape your tank, escape your house, or bite you while you're doing maintenance. If your paly bites you, I have a great many questions!

I think I'll hold off still on the zoas,  I dont have really any other containers , I'm in a apartment with not to much space,  enough for the tank and trash barrel I make water in and a few buckets of ro/di water for top off but that's about it

[patback]

12 minutes ago, Newbie888 said:

I think I'll hold off still on the zoas,  I dont have really any other containers , I'm in a apartment with not to much space,  enough for the tank and trash barrel I make water in and a few buckets of ro/di water for top off but that's about it

Dont over think it. I just use a pyrex bowl for fragging that you can keep under your stand. It holds maybe a 1/4 gallon of water.  

[Newbie888]

New topic/ thread having some dino issues