Managing real reef risks: Do you pay attention to the dangers in your tank?

[reefsaver]

I'm pretty clumsy and my hands always have cuts on them, sticking my hands into my tank always hurts haha. The salt kills so bad, and then something electrical is live out of all my equipment running so I get slightly electrocuted whenever I touch the water for maintenance, it's not crazy bad, probably like a quarter of what you would get off an electric fence. And the open cuts scare me because of my Zoanthids and the old Palytoxin horror stories.

 

[Tavero]

The electricity part of it cannot be overly stated how careful you should be every time you go to reach into your system. Always do the “touch touch” test. Don’t just go arm length right away!!!

After seeing pictures of burned down tanks caused by faulty aquarium controllers, just the thought about a fire terrifies me. Better not think about it.
Except of getting fire alarms and buying high quality power supplies there aren't a lot if things we can do to reduce the risk.

I own a old brand of 3D printer which was responsible for a lot of fires and burned down homes. First think I did was to switch out the power supply. But a lot of our tank equipment uses mains voltage with built in power supplies.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

After seeing pictures of burned down tanks caused by faulty aquarium controllers, just the thought about a fire terrifies me. Better not think about it.
Except of getting fire alarms and buying high quality power supplies there aren't a lot if things we can do to reduce the risk.

I own a old brand of 3D printer which was responsible for a lot of fires and burned down homes. First think I did was to switch out the power supply. But a lot of our tank equipment uses mains voltage with built in power supplies.

I make sure to not cheap out on electrical equipment and make sure I don't have water dripping anywhere near them for this very reason

 

[Velvis]

What are the risks/concerns with Palys & Zoas?

 

[Reefing_addiction]

What are the risks/concerns with Palys & Zoas?

Don’t lick them
Don’t sniff them

Don’t squeeze one till it squirts in your eye or mouth


Palytoxin can be poisons.

There are stories but the reality is the risk is smaller than most make it out to be

If you’re gonna frag them don’t do it in a closed up space and be appropriately cautious. Wash hands before touch your face.

 

[Operation Philo Beddoe]

I'd question if stray voltage was the cause. I've had as much as 50 volts in a tank from a leaking koralia power head and nothing in my tank was affected including my 6 tangs. Jay Hemdel has confirmed stray voltage is a red herring. It's one of those things that has been repeated so many times and blamed for mystery deaths that it has become an internet fact.

You and Jay, are welcome to have as much stray AC voltage as you want. Go for it, but I’m sticking with my $15 titanium grounding probe.

 

[exnisstech]

You and Jay, are welcome to have as much stray AC voltage as you want. Go for it, but I’m sticking with my $15 titanium grounding probe.

Nothing at all wrong with using a grounding probe. There is something wrong with falsehoods becoming fact because enough people repeat them. But such is life in the age of the internet.

 

[NanoNana]

There are some palys that truly are deadly. Some Zoas have some toxins. I am apparently particularly sensitive to which ever of my zoas (pretty sure it’s the gobstoppers) has some level of toxicity because anytime I have to clean around them I get horrible metallic taste in my mouth, get nauseated and achey. I started masking up and wearing shoulder length gloves if I’m messing with paly/zoas now. If I’m just gluing corals, I wear regular nitrile gloves and if I’m fishing my yellow clown goby out of AIO sump, I go in bare handed. I’m a walking contradiction.