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Unread 05/08/2003, 12:41 PM   #20
fmuakkassa
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Ohio
Posts: 404
First, sorry to hear about the dog's death.

I have been reading this thread with interest as I have many different kinds of polyps (Zoanthids) in my aquarium and have handled them bare handed with cuts in my fingers with no ill effects. Either I am lucky or I don't have toxic zoanthids. from now on I'll be careful and wearing gloves is a good idea.

My questions are related to the association between the death of the dog and the zoanthids.

Without a blood sample from the dog showing the toxin (I don't know how the toxin is metabolized once in the body or how to detect it) and also without analysis of the zoanthid in the tank for the toxin, scientifically we can't draw a firm conclusion that the zoanthids were toxic and killed the dog.

If this is what really happened then you should immedialtely get rid of those zoanthids.

A simple experiment would be to feed some of those zoanthids to an experimental animal (mouse or rat) and see the effect to duplicate what happened to the dog. Of course we need to know the LD50 (the dose at which 50% of the experimental animals will die)

What we really need, as previuosly mentioned, is a book about the toxicology of aquarium species (corals, fish etc.) with pictures for identification, type of toxins, clinical side effects and symptoms, antidodes if available etc. Who ever comes out with such a book will make a bundle!

Just my 2 cents.

Good thread


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