Saxamo!

Zoanthids are unique in that they incorporate sand and other small pieces of material into their tissue to help create their structure. In the wild, Zoanthids often occupy fringe environments (intertidal, back reef, other shallow areas, over dead corals), making them quite a hardy choice for the reef aquarist. Found most commonly on sandy reef flats and hard bottoms in shallow or deep water, Protopalythoa feature the largest polyps of all the Zoanthids. Surrounding each polyp are tapering tentacles resembling eyelashes or “venus flytrap” structures, which similarly help close in on captured prey.

Easy to maintain,  Zoanthids Polyps require a medium light level combined with a medium water movement within the aquarium. For continued good health, they will also require the addition of iodine and other trace elements to the water. They will reproduce easily in the reef aquarium by budding (splitting off a portion of their base or mouth), which will increase the size of their colony. They contain the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae which provides some of their nutritional requirements. They will also benefit from additional feedings of microplankton or brine shrimp given to each individual of the colony.

Received December 20, 2007:
A case of human poisoning by palytoxin after contact with zoanthid corals (Parazoanthus sp.) in an aquarium through skin injuries on fingers is reported. The clinical symptoms include swelling, paraesthesia and numbness around the site of the injury spreading over the arm, but also signs of systemic poisoning such as dizziness, general weakness and myalgia, irregularities in the ECG and indications of rhabdomyolysis. Symptomatic treatment consisted of infusion of physiological fluids. The patient recovered within 3 days. Analysis of the zoanthid coral involved revealed extremely high concentrations of palytoxin (between 2 and 3 mg/g).