- Location
- Huntington, NY
Most know that zoathids are toxic but most do not realize just how deadly they can be. After spending the last 8 days in the hospital I now know. It's Sunday 12/16/2012, How to get rid of those nasty brown zoas that grow faster than any others in your tank? Well I used my water change vacuum hose and sucked up a load of the buggers off the tank. I then found myself with a couple medium sized rocks covered in the unwanted coral. I removed them from the tank and placed them aside in the sink. Using hot water and a small wire brush I attempted to remove the bulk of the corals from the rock before dropping the rock in a bleach bucket. This is where my problems started. Within an hour my eyes were bothering me and I found myself coughing quite a bit. Coughing continued and a few hours later I had a high fever. My wife, calling me a wuss though I was overreacting to the flu or something. Until she also started feeling bad. Six hours after cleaning these rocks I was in the ER along with my wife & daughter. Even the dog was showing some symptoms. I didn't want to kill my dog. My wife & daughters exposure was minimal and they were released after 2 days in the hospital. Tuesday night my oxygen levels start dropping. They boost me up to +85% oxygen. Next step is a lung machine. With much prayer, my 02 levels stabilized. Hallelujah! God is good! I'm home now (need to do a water change).
Please, learn from my mistake. DO NOT try to kill your zoas under hot water! They WILL fight back.
I'm blessed to be home now. Merry Christmas everyone and be careful out there.
...Dan
Please, learn from my mistake. DO NOT try to kill your zoas under hot water! They WILL fight back.
I'm blessed to be home now. Merry Christmas everyone and be careful out there.
...Dan