modom1207
Community Member
I asked my LFS the other day, and the guy kind of laughed at me, and said that any coral is fine with the proper precautions, then he went on to tell me that his zoa and palys have not yet caused his family to become poisoned by palytoxin, even after handling each without gloves. I’ll take that anecdotal evidence with a grain of salt; as I told him in my response, my anxiety levels are simply too high to risk something that could kill myself or my children if I made a stupid, rooky mistake. As a millennial, I am a person who researches heavily before committing to anything. I google absolutely anything to a point where it becomes borderline obsessive. With little success, this leads me to the question of:
I have two small children, one who is too young to trust that she will not to put her hands in the tank. I also have a dumb cat who is declawed and has the brain of a toddler (and that’s on a good day. Normally, my cat’s last two braincells are not working together enough for him to recall where his food bowl is always kept.) Needless to say, the forces are working against me, and there simply is no amount of lecture that will teach my toddler or my cat to keep their chubby little paws out of the tank, for now at least.
I know that bacteria is a thing, so I have taken proper precautions… my tank lid is on tight, but then again, my toddler is very avid in the search/seek/destroy department. But, the bacteria found in tank water are not my main concern. I have wondered what corals would be “family safe.” I am new to this hobby, so please correct me if I am wrong, but I have researched fairly thoroughly, and I have found that duncans are safe and nonaggressive. Further research tells me that pulsing xenia is fine, as well as candy cane coral. Favites may be okay, but I’ve read that fava (sp?) can produce toxins that cause burns. Anything else similar to these? For instance, any types of nonzoa or nonpaly mushroom coral?
Does anyone have any other suggestions that are tried and true for coral that can burn/sting (as most do) but will not kill you or your family if you accidently touch your face or handle other objects after handling the coral? I am interested. Obviously, I will wear gloves, but I am someone with anxiety, so I would like to know before I commit.
Please no “don’t join the hobby if you are afraid of the risks” or “you’re more likely to be hit by a bus than be poisoned by blank” responses… those types of replies are simply entirely unhelpful and truly condescending. Consider that people can want to love and join a hobby for their mental health’s sake while also having a family that they want to protect at all costs.
I have two small children, one who is too young to trust that she will not to put her hands in the tank. I also have a dumb cat who is declawed and has the brain of a toddler (and that’s on a good day. Normally, my cat’s last two braincells are not working together enough for him to recall where his food bowl is always kept.) Needless to say, the forces are working against me, and there simply is no amount of lecture that will teach my toddler or my cat to keep their chubby little paws out of the tank, for now at least.
I know that bacteria is a thing, so I have taken proper precautions… my tank lid is on tight, but then again, my toddler is very avid in the search/seek/destroy department. But, the bacteria found in tank water are not my main concern. I have wondered what corals would be “family safe.” I am new to this hobby, so please correct me if I am wrong, but I have researched fairly thoroughly, and I have found that duncans are safe and nonaggressive. Further research tells me that pulsing xenia is fine, as well as candy cane coral. Favites may be okay, but I’ve read that fava (sp?) can produce toxins that cause burns. Anything else similar to these? For instance, any types of nonzoa or nonpaly mushroom coral?
Does anyone have any other suggestions that are tried and true for coral that can burn/sting (as most do) but will not kill you or your family if you accidently touch your face or handle other objects after handling the coral? I am interested. Obviously, I will wear gloves, but I am someone with anxiety, so I would like to know before I commit.
Please no “don’t join the hobby if you are afraid of the risks” or “you’re more likely to be hit by a bus than be poisoned by blank” responses… those types of replies are simply entirely unhelpful and truly condescending. Consider that people can want to love and join a hobby for their mental health’s sake while also having a family that they want to protect at all costs.
