Palythoa question

[moose11]

Hello!

I have a question regarding palythoa and was unable to find and answer (though that doesn’t mean it isn’t in these forums somewhere)

I recently removed a large live rock because when I bought it, it contained palythoa, and it eventually over took the entire rock. I am nervous about palytoxin, but also it grew like a weed and began spreading to other rocks.

Fast forward to now. I have one single polyp of green palythoa on a rather large (epoxied together) rock which would mean removing half of the rock in my tank. I’m nervous about doing tonbut don’t want the entire rock infested with this weed.

Can I slice it off at the base, with a siphon going right near it to drain water, and then cover it with superglue to kill it? Would the resulting toxin kill my fish? Would carbon in the sump remove the toxin before killing them? Would it be harmful to me? (I would wear respirator, gloves, glasses) but would the palytoxin dissolve into room air and make people sick?

Or do need to man up and not be lazy, dismantle half of my tank and risk a mini cycle to remove the rock for this one polyp and chisel it off outside?

 

[eliaslikesfish]

fish will be fine, you don’t need to wear a respirator either, gloves and safety glasses are plenty. I have manhandled my palys with barehands plenty of times and just washed my hands afterwards. never had an issue

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I can't tell the angle of the rock, but can you just put another rock on top of it for a few weeks until it dies?

 

[moose11]

fish will be fine, you don’t need to wear a respirator either, gloves and safety glasses are plenty. I have manhandled my palys with barehands plenty of times and just washed my hands afterwards. never had an issue

Thank you!

 

[moose11]

I can't tell the angle of the rock, but can you just put another rock on top of it for a few weeks until it dies?

I can build a small rock structure that would cover it. Would the resulting stress cause toxin to be released even more and harm my tank inhabitants? I am largely concerned with making my fish sick or die (as well as myself lol) I just don’t want to do something like that to them if it’s going to be slow miserable death in a poison stew.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I can build a small rock structure that would cover it. Would the resulting stress cause toxin to be released even more and harm my tank inhabitants? I am largely concerned with making my fish sick or die (as well as myself lol) I just don’t want to do something like that to them if it’s going to be slow miserable death in a poison stew.

Personally I have never heard of fish death because of pallytoxin, especially from just one pally (consider that many of our reef animals can expel toxins, not just pally's). And for yourself, or course, its always good idea to wear aquarium gloves and eye goggles.

But if you are concerned, throw a bag of activated carbon into your sump, that will neutralize any toxins.

 

[mfinn]

I would cover it in super glue gel

 

[Sump Crab]

You can cover it with jb water weld epoxy. Roll it into a large ball and put some superglue on the bottom of the ball and press the superglue side of the epoxy ball straight on top of the paly and cover the paly completely. Run carbon and it will pull any palytoxin out (I've read that carbon does well removing palytoxin).