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I popped a couple zoas...

Srt4eric

Vice President
BOD
I pulled a rock out of my tank that was quickly being over taken by a zoa I didnt really care for. I was trying to remove nicely so that they would survive (just cause I didnt like them doesnt mean someone else wouldn't want them) That didnt work. They all basically popped and smeared all over the rock. I wiped them off as best as I could with a paper towel and then I put the rock back in.
My question is will or can a popped zoa colony nuke a tank like a nem that died or a dead nudibranch? I probably should of asked this question before putting the rock back in my tank.
 
Google just told me I'll be fine.

Screenshot_20201227-205101_Google.jpg
 
Palytoxin doesn’t hurt animals evolved to feed on them as implied by your screenshot, but it can hurt other animals in your tank (since nothing in your tank is the type that feeds on them). It is there as a defense for the zoa after all.

But as people said, if you put in some granular activated carbon it will help absorb any toxin that may have been released.

Also as already said if you are worried about palytoxin you should be worried about yourself more than your fish tank. Most ornamental zoas don’t have enough toxin to hurt anyone but there is no way to be sure for any given zoa colony, so the safest advice is to always treat them as if they do with proper protection.
 
Since we're on the topic... Here's a quick PSA (less the dancing, singing cartoon characters for those of us that remember...):


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Symptoms Of Palytoxin Poisoning​

Although poisonings are relatively rare it is important to be aware that Palytoxin poses a significant risk to human safety due to its extreme toxicity.

Symptoms can occur and progress rapidly within minutes to hours after handling coral.

Severity depends on how long people have been exposed, the distance they were from the location where coral was being handled, the route of exposure and the presence of cuts or abrasions on hands (Palytoxin can easily pass through a skin wound and reach the bloodstream).

Symptoms include:

  • Flu-like symptoms such as coughing, fever, chills, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, chest pain, respiratory distress.
  • Skin symptoms: rash (hives), itching, numbness, dermatitis.
  • Respiratory symptoms: wheezing, tight chest, shortness of breath, runny nose, fluid in the lungs.
  • Gastrointestinal symptoms: abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea.
  • Ocular symptoms, conjunctivitis, photophobia, blurred vision, corneal ulceration.
  • Neurological symptoms: fatigue, dizziness, speech disturbance, bitter metallic taste, tremors, tingling or numbness of extremities.
  • Muscle symptoms: pain, weakness, cramps, spasms.
  • Cardiac effects: irregular, slow, fast hear rate, cardiac muscle damage, low or high blood pressure
Severe cases report muscle breakdown, kidney failure, coma and death from cardiac or respiratory failure. There is no specific treatment of antidote for Palytoxin poisoning with medical treatment limited generally to supportive care.

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