Button Polyp Question

[SaltwaterTeen]

I have 4-110 watt vho and I have 4 ph in the tank. I did some reaserch and I have found that button polyps do not need any food unless they dont have high lighting or med water flow, is this true??? Also I got this off live aquaria:

These polyps have the ability to sting other polyps or corals. While the sting is not strong, they are semi-aggressive and need to have space between their colony and any neighbors since they tend to crowd them out.

I bought a colony of buttons with 3 shrooms, 1 red shroom, and unknowns their descriptions are: purple on the bottom and on the top of the shrooms are green with little red dotts. I barely noticed them but I easilt noticed the red shroom, and I am wondering if the shrooms are being hurt by the polyps? Thanks for all your help

 

[kidkameleon3]

my polyps did fine in a non feed period when I first got them.Then I saw them attack brine shrimp (there is a thread in general with pics) after that I think I will be feeding them more often now.But I think the light is plenty especially w/ what you have there

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

Nice lighting huh? LOL just got them on sunday 14th

 

[kidkameleon3]

well thats something like 8watts per gallon that might be a little over kill ,but I am noob so who am I to say

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

Naw, Ive seen polyps with mh bulbs and they were fine... plus I dont have em on all day, I need to get a few fans to keep it cool ya know?

 

[jackdp]

Most polyps are photosynthetic only and rarely take live food. Be sure you know what sp. polyps you have as some can be very toxic to humans. Do a search on Palythoa and Protopalythoa (both toxic) they are different from Zooanthus spp.

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

My polyps are brown tentacles and green centers

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

I checked on live aquaria and I have zoanthus sp.

 

[dansemacabre]

I can't find the article, but this is what I remember from it:

[edit] Found an article: http://www.cbwinfo.com/Biological/Toxins/Palytoxin.html

I didn't know it had the largest naturally-ocurring contiguous chain of Carbon...there's 115 in the chain. Huge molecule..anyways[/edit]

Scientific blurb:
In cells there are ion pumps and ion channels. What this toxin does, essentially, is turn all ion pumps in your cells into ion channels. This disrupts the very very delicate flow of ions (notably sodium and potassium) in and out of your cells. This causes the cell to stop functioning. The cause of death is usually suffocation, as your cells don't work, and you can't breathe.

Common:
It will kill you. Wash hands thoroughly after handling, and never let any living thing (like a dog, or a child, or a cat...not talking about the fish) in the same water as the Zoos. There was message here linking to a story: a man lost his dog because
he had Zoos in a bucket. I think he was fragging them. Anyways, he looked away to take care of something, and when he turned around, the dog had drank some water from the bucket. He thought nothing of it, until the dog got very ill a short time later. It's one of the most powerful toxins, ranking up there with Botulin toxin. Anyways, as long as you take extreme caution, and wash your hands every time, and keep other animals and people away from it, you should be ok.

This is all I remember from the article, and if anyone knows/has heard differently, please offer the information. If you find the article I'm talking about, or one similar, please post a URL, as I know I for one would like to have it in the future. Hope this helps! Happy reefkeeping.

 

[SaltwaterTeen]

Wow thanks for the warning... Can I wear rubber gloves to protect myself???
also if I get any aquarium water it will kill me or touching the zoos will? Thanks for the advice

 

[dansemacabre]

I'm pretty sure you can, but I'd still wash my hands. Not touching the water or the zoos. You'll have to ingest the toxin, from everything I've read. So, don't drink your tank water, don't eat your coral, and don't lick your hands.

 

[kidkameleon3]

I think we all try to avoid this, I still sday feed the polyps to get thrill it is neat to watch and mine took hte brine as it floated by no direct feeding,again see the thread

 

[jackdp]

The Zooanthus species is practically non-toxic compared to Protopalythoa spp. Although its always safer to not stick your bare arm into a tank, I've read of people getting all kinds of rashes now and then...but I still stick my bare hands in the tank 8O

 

[kidkameleon3]

thats like sex with a rubber , no way man.Not unless the **** is toxic waste;P