Good morning America just contact me about my palytoxin experience.

[TomatoSauceTy]

This will never HURT the "hobby" or industry, but it will certainly feed the uneducated. You all watched this as educated hobbyist and knew what it entailed.

I woke up this morning to hear my parents tell me I NEED to wear gloves and that CORALS give off toxins in the water. That's right...no matter how specific or accurate this could have been, old and uneducated people will take the very basics of things and make it the worst thing possible. I even told them two feet away I'm very knowledgeable of it and I don't keep zoa/paly in my tank, so they respond with "I don't know, it might be some corals." This may be a small percent of people...but there are people that hear one thing and make up a story in their head.

Just my 2 cents and experience...I've had reefs for eight years now and since they saw this on the news...it's news.

 

[Zoaddicted]

kinda sad this thread is over.....
Its like the last episode of LOST.....

Lollllll

Im sure the general public will remember Marios segment as much as Amanda Bynes new tatoo.

The story aint hot enough to really get anywhere politically/legislatively.

Nicely done mario.

 

[cmcoker]

About boiling rocks; went to my lfs looking for some lanthanum chloride for rock I'm curing. They didn't have any put he proceeded to tell me I should boil my rock, on the stove. I said I'm not doing that. He went on to tell me how the heat and agitation would get the phosphate out...

 

[TomatoSauceTy]

About boiling rocks; went to my lfs looking for some lanthanum chloride for rock I'm curing. They didn't have any put he proceeded to tell me I should boil my rock, on the stove. I said I'm not doing that. He went on to tell me how the heat and agitation would get the phosphate out...

correct me if I'm wrong...did the rock have zoas? Isn't boiling a rock safe if no toxic zoas/palys? This is considered a hobby...nobody knows everything as a fact.

 

[d2mini]

nobody knows everything as a fact.

Just as you don't know what is on or in that rock that could be released into the air.
Do you really want to take that chance? Just go by a new dang rock. Or give it an acid bath. Nothing in this hobby needs to be cooked on a stove top.
Soak it in vinegar, peroxide, or acid. That pretty much takes care of everything. And wear gloves/mask/eye protection.

 

[booth2010]

About boiling rocks; went to my lfs looking for some lanthanum chloride for rock I'm curing. They didn't have any put he proceeded to tell me I should boil my rock, on the stove. I said I'm not doing that. He went on to tell me how the heat and agitation would get the phosphate out...

This is done in fresh water tanks all the time to speed up anything that leaches from the rock, I have done that.

 

[cmcoker]

correct me if I'm wrong...did the rock have zoas? Isn't boiling a rock safe if no toxic zoas/palys? This is considered a hobby...nobody knows everything as a fact.

I don't know if it's safe without. But he didn't ask if it had any life, was in the tank already, etc. Just said I had rock leaching phosphate and looking for phosphate remover, lanthanum chloride.

 

[TomatoSauceTy]

I don't know if it's safe without. But he didn't ask if it had any life, was in the tank already, etc. Just said I had rock leaching phosphate and looking for phosphate remover, lanthanum chloride.

I hate to say this, but I've had tanks for a while now, I've also worked retail and done maintenance and it seems like the more specific the questions get the more offended people are even if you're just trying to help.

 

[cmcoker]

This is done in fresh water tanks all the time to speed up anything that leaches from the rock, I have done that.

This was a salt specialty store, my point was really more towards the comments made on this thread disparaging the OP for boiling his rock. If I didn't know better, I could easily have made the same mistake as the OP. Based on Lfs advice.

 

[cmcoker]

I hate to say this, but I've had tanks for a while now, I've also worked retail and done maintenance and it seems like the more specific the questions get the more offended people are even if you're just trying to help.

I work in an animal hospital, so I get that. However, a few questions before recommending boiling rock is needed for safety. Or don't recommend boiling, could offer to order what I'm looking for..

 

[justaDutchguy]

I'm just wondering, woulnd't acid, peroxide or any other means of "boiling" rocks, have the same effect and set free toxins?

Anyway, i will remove my few pallys just to be sure. I've got 3 small kids so it's a matter of time before one of em does something horribly kiddish like throwing something, breaking the tank, ticks dad of to the point of never being able to be the favorite kid ever again and possibly set some toxin free that could harm our cat;-)

 

[ssdawood]

Thank God all went well.

 

[Oceansize]

Good Morning America and other mass media do not exist to educate people, they exist to provide entertainment via salacious drama. Media profits not by educating, but through the selling of advertising. Advertisers pay based on the amount of eyeballs that can be pointed at the screen. More drama=More eyeballs=More profit. The gross majority of their viewers are not aquarists and never will be, so very little actual good can come from trying to "educate" their audience. Their audience doesn't care. The reason this is a story for them is because people including children almost died doing something previously perceived as harmless. Talk about salacious!!

They did not call because of some altruistic belief that their audience needs to be educated about palytoxin, they called because other people love these kinds of stories the same way they love stories about celebrities getting divorced. Anything said that doesn't fit this script will be edited out. Yes, I'm opinionated on this subject, LOL!

 

[Kyuss414]

^^It's been aired already & the sky is still above us.

 

[Oceansize]

Yes, the sky is still above us. And had I noticed how stale the OP was, I wouldn't have said anything (and even tried to delete once I realized how stale). But the following comment which was made in response to this story perfectly illustrates the danger of trying to educate those who aren't really interested in being educated (such as GMA's audience): "I was at some aquarium nerd's house the other night. He just got one of these stupid exotic saltwater tanks with coral in it which had crap that looked like angel hair/snot/white smoke growing on it "because it was stressed". Myself aswell as 2 other guests were sick as dogs after only being there 2-3 hours ( sneezing, coughing , chills, then drenched in sweat, vomiting clear liquid over and over again, burning lungs) I thought my lungs were going to collapse and that I would die. I almost called 911 but am feeling a bit better now. The idiot who brought this garbage which should be illegal into his house and poisoned us is still sick 3 days later but refuses to admit it has anything to do with his ridiculous, suicidal hobby."

So now our hobby is ridiculous and suicidal, apparently.

 

[cmcoker]

Yes, the sky is still above us. And had I noticed how stale the OP was, I wouldn't have said anything (and even tried to delete once I realized how stale). But the following comment which was made in response to this story perfectly illustrates the danger of trying to educate those who aren't really interested in being educated (such as GMA's audience): "I was at some aquarium nerd's house the other night. He just got one of these stupid exotic saltwater tanks with coral in it which had crap that looked like angel hair/snot/white smoke growing on it "because it was stressed". Myself aswell as 2 other guests were sick as dogs after only being there 2-3 hours ( sneezing, coughing , chills, then drenched in sweat, vomiting clear liquid over and over again, burning lungs) I thought my lungs were going to collapse and that I would die. I almost called 911 but am feeling a bit better now. The idiot who brought this garbage which should be illegal into his house and poisoned us is still sick 3 days later but refuses to admit it has anything to do with his ridiculous, suicidal hobby."

So now our hobby is ridiculous and suicidal, apparently.

Link?
Most if the palytoxin stories I have seen the majority of comments were from reefers clarifying the story or something of that nature...

 

[Superrmario]

Link?
Most if the palytoxin stories I have seen the majority of comments were from reefers clarifying the story or something of that nature...

If I recall correctly Cm, it is on the advanced aquarist link that was published after my incident as a comment.

I feel it is frivolous at best. But that is my opinion.

Only way it's going to become airborn is by killing it with hot water on a stove, sink or a malfunctioning heater.

 

[cmcoker]

If I recall correctly Cm, it is on the advanced aquarist link that was published after my incident as a comment.

I feel it is frivolous at best. But that is my opinion.

Only way it's going to become airborn is by killing it with hot water on a stove, sink or a malfunctioning heater.

You are correct, the above post made it sound like it may have been a comment to the GMA story, since it was referenced as an example of the GMA audience.

 

[davocean]

Nothing changes the truth of the matter or the situation.
I'd rather see people educated than burying head in sand on this topic.
If you think an interview on TV is harmful to our hobby imagine someone having more serious injury or worse being displayed.
I didn't see anything in the interview that was drawn in a negative way.
Glad OP and family are OK.

 

[cb684]

The link: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/fda-approves-female-viagra-america-33173928