Gloves,

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OK I'll defiantly wear gloves when in my tank..see I thought it was the water you wanted to avoid after adding then..but its the direct contact I wish to avoid
 
Lets say you do have a cut and do get the toxin in your bloodstream, what happens?? You get Sick?
 
When I first got zoas in my tank I was sensitive to them and if I didn't wash my arm thoroughly enough it would cause a tightness in my chest and an itchy arm plus it made my breathing feel... weird.

Been there done that. I hear ya about breathing issues. Not fun at all. That's why I wear them almost all the time.
 
Lets say you do have a cut and do get the toxin in your bloodstream, what happens?? You get Sick?

there have been some isolated incedents reported from zoanthids and palythoas releasing palytoxins and getting in the bloodstream from cuts/abrasions. this can cause serious injury or even death. in Hawaii the palytoxin from zoanthids has been used on spear tips for centuries for hunting
 
But not into the water. Just in there slime coat right? Of it went it the water it would kill every thing wouldn't it
 
It will probably be in the water but just in amounts that's too small to matter. I'm also not sure how long the toxin stays viable in the water but I don't imagine it's for very long.
 
It's in the protective slime the Zoas emit when disturbed. Natives use to rub spear tips in them to get the slime on them. It contains the palyotoxins. I doubt there is much, if any that enters the water column. And to make it harder, some Zoas make the toxin when in the wild, but not in aquariums, the reverse is true as well, so you don't really know if you have a "hot one" or not.
 
Palytoxin poisoning is way over-rated. Not to say it doesn't occur, but most reported cases end up being bacterial in nature. Palytoxin, as the name implies, is a much greater risk in palys than in zoas. However, as was pointed out, you have to be able to tell the difference to know which is which and most hobbiest apply the terms interchangably or incorrectly to their polyps. Using universal precautions such as a face shield and gloves when fragging is always a good idea, not just for palytoxins, but also for the bacterial issues. As was pointed out, unless you have a allergic reaction to the slime of zoas/palys, gloves in the tank are not usually a necessity. Most can handle them without issue, however a few people will develope a rash or itchynes and swelling - this is not from palytoxin, but rather from the bacterial laden slime coating of the polyps which is released to prevent predation and drying.
 
Lets say you do have a cut and do get the toxin in your bloodstream, what happens?? You get Sick?

Keep in mind, that the body defends against stuff entering the blood stream very well.. i.e. bleeding. You would have to be actively bleeding to even have a chance of it getting into your blood stream. More likely you will be operating a saw of some sort and cut yourself with the saw which would be the source of palytoxins entering your body. My LFS guy cut himself with a dremel that he had been fragging corals with all day. It caused enough issues to worry him but there was no actual damage caused by toxins. No aquarist has ever died from palytoxin as far as we know of.
 
I heard a story of a guy sterilizing live rock by boiling it. The story went he inhaled fumes from plays and Zoas on the rock. Certainly inhaling the fumes would be a great delivery system. Might be a urban myth, but I would never boil live rock after hearing that.
 
Keep in mind, that the body defends against stuff entering the blood stream very well.. i.e. bleeding. You would have to be actively bleeding to even have a chance of it getting into your blood stream. More likely you will be operating a saw of some sort and cut yourself with the saw which would be the source of palytoxins entering your body. My LFS guy cut himself with a dremel that he had been fragging corals with all day. It caused enough issues to worry him but there was no actual damage caused by toxins. No aquarist has ever died from palytoxin as far as we know of.

You don't have to be bleeding, any open cut, scrape, or abrasion that has not completely healed would allow toxins to enter your body. Hence why if you are fragging things you don't want to rub your eyes or bite your fingernails or anything like that.
 
It think most marine biologists would caution wearing gloves and glasses when fragging corals. Why take the risk?
I can't think of any SPS or LPS corals we as hobbiest keep that are dangerous from a toxic effect, but their slime is filthy and you would not want to expose yourself to it.
 
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