As someone who makes a living growing and distributing aquarium corals, I am always on the lookout for exciting new varieties. Among the myriad groups of corals, Zoanthids are always among the most popular. It was with this mentality that…
It’s Always Something!
There are few universal things in this hobby, as every tank is different and how every tank is managed is different as well. But there are a few such as the need for being patient, and there being no benefit…
Another Cautionary Tale About Zoanthids [Graphic Warning]
Hi, my name is Taï from Paris, I’ve been in the hobby for more than 10 years now and I wanted to share with you a scary and dangerous experience regarding my reef tank. I used to collect zoanthids to…
Texas Man Dies from Apparent Exposure to Palytoxin
Palytoxin from zoanthids is a well known and widely documented potential danger from our reef aquariums that we have tried to keep in focus many times over the years. Toxicologists have ranked palytoxin as one of the most dangerous natural…
Palytoxin Nearly Killed my Family and Pets!
A traumatic event happened at my house this week. My family and pets became very sick and in the dogs case, near death. A chain of events lead to my house being filled with aerosolized Palytoxin. This week’s event in…
Reefing hobby makes it to Washington Post with warning of coral toxins
The Washington Post recently featured the reef aquarium hobby in an article titled, “Homegrown coral reefs are beautiful — and potentially dangerous” in the Speaking of Science section. Although there are some favorable aspects to the story, Ben Guarino discusses the potential…
New Zoanthid Species Recruited to Fight Cancer
New species of zoanthids aren’t described all that often, but it turns out that we should be paying more attention to this understudied group of reef animals. One of the four new zoanthid species described from southern Florida, a Palythoa species, has…
Please Watch this Important Video on Palytoxin!
Many of us are inspired to keep marine life for its exotic beauty or interesting behavior. But if we’re being perfectly honest, we have to admit there’s also something intriguing about keeping—and displaying to our friends and family—marine organisms that…
Palytoxin from Palythoa zoanthids is really, REALLY dangerous
If we could have your attention please, this is an important public service announcement from your neighborhood Reef Builders to let you know to be very careful when handling your Palythoa zoanthids. Zoanthids are hardy, neigh indestructible flower animals of…
Zoanthids: Tough as Nails but Powerfully Potent
They belong to genera with names like Zoanthus, Parazoanthus, and Palythoa. They’re sometimes called sea mats, button polyps, or colonial anemones. Reef hobbyists commonly refer to them as “zoas.” Whatever name you apply to them, the zoanthids (family Zoanthidae) enjoy…
