Reefing can be dangerous - Palytoxin, chemical exposure, electric shock.

[Lebowski_]

It's easy to play fast and loose with safety when you first get into the hobby - how dangerous could it really be.

 

Palytoxin

 

Do you have Zoas?

 

 

Many people know about urchin, Rabbitfish and Lionfish poisoning, but did you Paly's and Zoas could poison you? Through contact to broken skin, eye exposure, or as a gas (if you are boiling rock or crushing the heads), these beautiful and common little creatures can poison you, and there is no antidote. Always wear eye protection and hand protection when fragging or handling outside of water. Here is a picture of hands that were exposed to palytoxin when the reef keeper cleaned some Zoa's off a frag shelf:

 

 

Only some Paly's and Zoas are toxic, but there is no way of knowing (short of a DNA test) if yours are one of those types, so treat them all with respect.

 

Quote

Unfortunately, Deeds has no clear message for aquarium owners. Some of the zoanthid species that he tested weren't toxic at all, and indeed, many people claim to have handled zoanthids for years without problems. However, those that contain palytoxin can kill if even a small amount of the poison gets on the skin. And, as Steve Outlaw found, even breathing in an aerosolised version of the poison is a bad idea. The problem is that telling zoanthids apart is incredibly difficult; Deeds only did it with any degree of certainty using genetic analysis.

Reference: Deeds, J., Handy, S., White, K., & Reimer, J. (2011). Palytoxin Found in Palythoa sp. Zoanthids (Anthozoa, Hexacorallia) Sold in the Home Aquarium Trade PLoS ONE, 6 (4) DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018235

 

Infection & Stinging

 

Exposed cuts on your hands and arms can also be infected when placed in your reef tank. If you have open cuts, wear protection. Even if you don't, practice strict hand and arm washing routines after doing tank maintenance.

 

Here is a great thread on some of the dangers we face in terms of stinging and infection in this hobby: Human safety issues aren't rare..., including examples of reefers developing inflammation issues in their joints and infections which nearly cost them limbs.

 

Electric shock

 

Do you have a drip loop?

 

 

Water will not travel up a cord, it will always drip at the bottom. This will prevent water from running down the cord and into the outlet. I would also recommend mounting powerbars off the floor, to insure they are never sitting in water in the event of a leak. You can add extra protection with a GFCI outlet where your aquarium plugs in.

 

 

Chemical exposure

 

Many damaging chemicals are used in this hobby - even something as basic as super glue (ethyl cyanoacrylate) can cause damage if accidentally ingested or applied to the eye area. Bleach and muriatic acid are both common chemicals used in this hobby as well. Take the extra time to protect yourself. These may be off-the-shelf chemicals, but they can change or end your life.

 

 

[MLS_Reef]

Back in the day when mag drive submersible pumps were the rage for the sump, *coughs

Mine always seemed to throw voltage into the tank after about 12 to 24 months of use. 

Keep one of these on hand and if you see all your fish pointing in the same direction check your tank for stray voltage. I remember walking in and five chromis and two clowns were all facing the same direction. Stuck my hand in the tank later to move something and got a whollup of a shock.

[BioReefed]

1 hour ago, Lebowski_ said:

boiling rock or crushing the heads

is that the only way? or just by contact. I finally introduced some zoas to my tank, I was hesitating because of the whole palytoxin thing.

I'm always concerned when I'm cleaning the tank and I accidentally touch them. 

[Lebowski_]

49 minutes ago, BioReefed said:

is that the only way? or just by contact. I finally introduced some zoas to my tank, I was hesitating because of the whole palytoxin thing.

I'm always concerned when I'm cleaning the tank and I accidentally touch them. 

The only advice I can give is what I have gathered from reading a dozen threads on the subject, I don't have any academic training on this subject. From what I can tell, you are most at risk when you are destroying them - I haven't read anyone having a bad reaction from just bumping them accidentally. If you have cuts or any other vulnerablities, I would probably wear gloves. Boiling any LR is universally panned as a terrible idea, always use bleach and PPE.

 

These animals are in thousands of aquariums world wide, so I don't think you need to overly worry to the point where you are afraid around your tank. It's more about being aware and having respect for the potential. The worst cases I've read have been from people scrubbing/scraping heads off rock, or boiling rock. Obviously fragging is when the average aquarist will need to be most careful.

 

I've found mainly handling them with tongs in the water and gloves/eye protection outside of the water has given me some peace of mind. They can shoot their toxin (and even if not toxic, they can squirt dirty water), lots of stories of people getting a blast to the eyeball and having it swell up.

[MLS_Reef]

Another Danger: if you are going to get a longspine urchin, be prepared to take one in the hand. They are needle /razor sharp. 

[Lebowski_]

20 minutes ago, MLS_Reef said:

Another Danger: if you are going to get a longspine urchin, be prepared to take one in the hand. They are needle /razor sharp. 

I remember bagging these for customers back in the day. Usually I would have 5-10 customers all watching. Usually we'd have 10 or so in a tank and the collatoral damage to my forearm was significant lol.

 

Worst was when I would pick up LR with no gloves and get 1000 tiny needles in my hand. They should have given us proper PPE.

[MLS_Reef]

Danger! Telling your significant other we can't afford ______________ (fill) in the blank.  Then a Big box of fish/corals or new protein skimmer shows up on the door step next day. DANGER!

[mcarroll]

4 hours ago, Lebowski_ said:

I remember bagging these for customers back in the day. Usually I would have 5-10 customers all watching. Usually we'd have 10 or so in a tank and the collatoral damage to my forearm was significant lol.

 

Worst was when I would pick up LR with no gloves and get 1000 tiny needles in my hand. They should have given us proper PPE.

Coralife came out with these in the 80's or 90's....still on the market today for good reason:

$25 at Premium Aquatics.  👍

 

Mine are OLD.....the have been punctured a few times when I abused them (they are A LITTLE more durable than housecleaning gloves....don't overdo it), so they fill with water when I use them.  But they still save me from bristle worm spines, so I keep em!  🙂