Fragging a zoanthid colony

[joker577]

I have a zoanthid colony who has grown increasing larger and closer toward my monti cap and i'm afraid it's going to kill it...what is the best and safest way to frag it? It's to the left above the trachyphyllia

 

[returnofsid]

To start with...a couple precautions you need to take. Wear latex gloves!! Some recommend even wearing goggles. Zoanthids can "spit" and if it gets in your eye, you're in trouble. Since you're fragging and probably watching what you're doing, the eyes are vulnerable. I just face them away from me most the time...lol.

You can frag them by chipping off a piece of rock that has some on it. You can use a chisel like instrument to scrap the surface...well, just below the surface, so you peel some of the rock surface off. You can put small rocks around the colony for them to spread on to...then re-locate those small rocks.

Zoanthids are quite easy to frag, just be careful, they're also quite toxic!!

 

[joker577]

I had to remove some rock to get to my hazardous non hosting pistol shrimp and ended up ripping some of another zoanthid colony luckily i had no open wounds and the zoas are still alive lol

 

[zakman]

why not see if you can just hack the rock in half? this way you can stil keep the large zoanthid colony. and what returnofsid said is pretty much any way to do it. good luck!!

 

[joker577]

i love that rock lol, but im going to try and do that later what he suggested

 

[mfinn]

To start with...a couple precautions you need to take. Wear latex gloves!! Some recommend even wearing goggles. Zoanthids can "spit" and if it gets in your eye, you're in trouble. Since you're fragging and probably watching what you're doing, the eyes are vulnerable. I just face them away from me most the time...lol.

You can frag them by chipping off a piece of rock that has some on it. You can use a chisel like instrument to scrap the surface...well, just below the surface, so you peel some of the rock surface off. You can put small rocks around the colony for them to spread on to...then re-locate those small rocks.

Zoanthids are quite easy to frag, just be careful, they're also quite toxic!!

Good advice.
I use a cheap wood chisel to dig into the rock to get under the polyps.

 

[vwmoneypit]

i have seen both mike(returnfosid) and finn (martin) tank both have very succesfull ideas DO IT!!!

 

[Anthony Calfo]

heed Sid's warnings and safety recs, indeed... frag this out of water in a bucket if possible (or do a water change after if you frag it in the tank)... and use a sharp chisel to bite into the rock below it to skin it cleanly away.

kindly, Anth-