Debp Posted August 9, 2019 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 52 Topic Count: 1,026 Topics Per Day: 0.15 Content Count: 12,358 Content Per Day: 1.80 Reputation: 16,392 Days Won: 92 Joined: 07/19/2005 Status: Offline Share Posted August 9, 2019 I don't know if any of you have a salt water aquarium with coral. I have a freshwater aquarium. Apparently the coral if it feels threatened can release a toxin! A family was scrubbing their coral and started to get extremely ill. They were rushed to the hospital! It was the world's second most deadly toxin. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/fish-tank-poison-toxin-coral-palytoxin-newport-a9047251.html?amp 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmuffet Posted August 9, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 34 Topic Count: 1,993 Topics Per Day: 0.48 Content Count: 48,691 Content Per Day: 11.76 Reputation: 30,343 Days Won: 226 Joined: 01/11/2013 Status: Offline Share Posted August 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Debp said: I don't know if any of you have a salt water aquarium with coral. I have a freshwater aquarium. Apparently the coral if it feels threatened can release a toxin! A family was scrubbing their coral and started to get extremely ill. They were rushed to the hospital! It was the world's second most deadly toxin. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/fish-tank-poison-toxin-coral-palytoxin-newport-a9047251.html?amp Apparently so. It is something to be aware of. Species of Zoanthid coral (e.g. Palythoa species and Zoanthus species) can contain a highly toxic, naturally-occurring and potentially lethal substance known as Palytoxin. Zoanthid corals are often recommended to new marine aquarium owners because they are considered to be relatively easy to keep. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debp Posted August 9, 2019 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 52 Topic Count: 1,026 Topics Per Day: 0.15 Content Count: 12,358 Content Per Day: 1.80 Reputation: 16,392 Days Won: 92 Joined: 07/19/2005 Status: Offline Author Share Posted August 9, 2019 4 hours ago, missmuffet said: Apparently so. It is something to be aware of. Species of Zoanthid coral (e.g. Palythoa species and Zoanthus species) can contain a highly toxic, naturally-occurring and potentially lethal substance known as Palytoxin. Zoanthid corals are often recommended to new marine aquarium owners because they are considered to be relatively easy to keep. Apparently aquarium stores aren't warning people either about this extreme danger! Could be lawsuits ahead.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neighbor Posted August 9, 2019 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 18 Topic Count: 961 Topics Per Day: 0.35 Content Count: 13,693 Content Per Day: 5.04 Reputation: 9,098 Days Won: 6 Joined: 12/04/2016 Status: Offline Birthday: 03/03/1885 Share Posted August 9, 2019 No issue here. I managed to kill our entire 150 gallon tank contents long ago when I forgot and sprayed a pesky flying insect that had intruded into our home. The tank had it's cover but still.... Next day everyone was belly up, some we had kept care of for many years, all gone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauJangles Posted August 9, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 43 Topic Count: 229 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 10,900 Content Per Day: 2.91 Reputation: 12,145 Days Won: 68 Joined: 02/13/2014 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/14/1954 Share Posted August 9, 2019 Wow. That is really bizarre. I guess the coral pieces in a fresh water aquarium are kinda petrified, unlike a salt water one. Totally amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debp Posted August 9, 2019 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 52 Topic Count: 1,026 Topics Per Day: 0.15 Content Count: 12,358 Content Per Day: 1.80 Reputation: 16,392 Days Won: 92 Joined: 07/19/2005 Status: Offline Author Share Posted August 9, 2019 4 minutes ago, BeauJangles said: Wow. That is really bizarre. I guess the coral pieces in a fresh water aquarium are kinda petrified, unlike a salt water one. Totally amazing. You don't use coral in a freshwater tank. In freshwater one uses rocks and plants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauJangles Posted August 9, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 43 Topic Count: 229 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 10,900 Content Per Day: 2.91 Reputation: 12,145 Days Won: 68 Joined: 02/13/2014 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/14/1954 Share Posted August 9, 2019 6 minutes ago, Debp said: You don't use coral in a freshwater tank. In freshwater one uses rocks and plants. Oh, okay. I used to see that sort of thing including plastic plants also in pet stores. But that was years ago. They also had assortments of colored roundish glass pieces for the bottom of the aquarium as well. Those were the days, I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GandalfTheWise Posted August 9, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 24 Topic Count: 40 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 1,459 Content Per Day: 0.59 Reputation: 2,377 Days Won: 2 Joined: 08/23/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted August 9, 2019 I fact checked this one (since it sounded rather sensationalist to me) and was curious as to what "exposure" meant. This does seem to be nasty with effects coming from exposure through either skin contact or breathing vapors. Exposure to cuts or ingestion are the worst means of exposure. Here are a few articles about it. From what I can tell, the issue is when particular species of coral are being scrubbed, scraped, or exposed to atypical conditions (e.g. boiling water, too much salt, being moved) when they release palytoxin to any degree. https://www.reef2rainforest.com/palytoxin-in-the-marine-aquarium/ https://reefbuilders.com/2015/08/26/palytoxin-dangerous/ Here's a gov't report from Australia. https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/healthy+living/protecting+your+health/your+home/palytoxin+poisoning+marine+aquarium+safety Here's a US gov't CDC report on a some cases in Alaska. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6431a4.htm Here's a paragraph quoted from the CDC report. Zoanthids (Class Anthozoa, Subclass Hexacorallia, Order Zoanthidia [colonial anemones]) are common in home aquariums. They are considered relatively easy to keep and are often recommended to new aquarium owners. Some types of colonial anemones form large aggregations encrusting a hard substrate. In an aquarium, these aggregations often require thinning or removal. Because of the way these organisms attach to surfaces, aggressive methods are sometimes required for their removal, including cutting, scraping, applying chemicals, or scalding with hot water, which lead to an increased potential for palytoxin exposure, often through the presumed production of aerosols (7). Other potential exposure routes include direct contact with eyes, through skin lesions, and incidental ingestion. Although not all zoanthids contain palytoxin, some zoanthids commonly found in home aquariums contain high concentrations of this toxin (2). Some coral enthusiasts appear to be able to maintain them without ill effects, likely through proper handling, aquarium management, and decontamination practices. Palytoxin can be neutralized by soaking the coral for 30 minutes in a ≥0.1% household bleach solution (1 part 5%–6% sodium hypochlorite [household bleach] to 10 parts water, prepared fresh) (8). Contaminated items should be soaked in diluted bleach before disposal (3). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReneeIW Posted August 9, 2019 Group: Senior Member Followers: 8 Topic Count: 42 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 944 Content Per Day: 0.53 Reputation: 780 Days Won: 0 Joined: 07/06/2019 Status: Offline Share Posted August 9, 2019 6 hours ago, GandalfTheWise said: I fact checked this one (since it sounded rather sensationalist to me) and was curious as to what "exposure" meant. You fact checked one of my posts a little while ago and I took it personally. I didn’t know fact checking was something you did regularly. Kind of cute.? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauJangles Posted August 10, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 43 Topic Count: 229 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 10,900 Content Per Day: 2.91 Reputation: 12,145 Days Won: 68 Joined: 02/13/2014 Status: Offline Birthday: 08/14/1954 Share Posted August 10, 2019 17 hours ago, pinacled said: It is very rare for a saltwater aquarium enthusiast to have such an issue with a live rock collection. what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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