No warning?

[midgetwaiter]

IMO, my *Personal* opinion only, is that these potential issues are not at serious as you might think from reading places like RC and such. There have been and handful of specific incidents that start to look like a big problem because they are referenced multiple times.

Nobody really understands much about Zoanthid toxicity, same as most other toxic or potentially toxic marine animals. Bad or incomplete information can be more dangerous than no information in certain ways.

If you want a good example of this, look at what happens with reptiles and "salmonella". There has never been more than a handful of cases of transmission between reptiles and humans and most of the confirmed cases can be linked to reptiles being fed uncooked poultry. I overheard a girl at Petland warn a little girl about the potential for a Red Foot Tortoise to give her salmonella on Saturday, it's a joke.

It's also used by groups like PETA to discourage people from reptile ownership. This is the part that really concerns me. I can't imagine sitting in customs waiting for them to magically determine which corals in my shipment are potentially toxic. I'm sure that would be a disaster.

If anyone knows of some comprehensive information concerning zoa toxicity I'd like to read them.

[Chad]

just because your chances are small doesn't mean you should not be informed.

Sticking your hand in the tank opens up a world of infectious posibilities.

I see nothing wrong with a responsible employee providing legitimate information to potential buyers. These warnings are not there to scare people away, but to inform and teach proper handling and husbandry practices. When given in that context, it becomes very valuable information.

[Samw]

I don't wear gloves when I work on my tank. This weekend, I did a lot of work on the tank and I touched a lot of liverock and coral. Usually, I'll get a few allergic reactions from acros when I scrape them with my forearm. This time it happened again but I also felt some tingling on one finger (on the hand that I used to move liverock around). Later in the day, I had some tingling in my chest. I thought, "ah crap, something must have stung me". I sometimes get some tingling or feel a bit sick after I aquascape my tank (and I've read others do as well). Luckily, it only lasted 3/4 of a day before the tingling pain in my chest went away. Certainly, I was a bit anxious and thoughts of what am I going to do if this gets worse ran through my mind as I went to sleep.