Fragging
- Thread starter Thizz
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Troylee
all about the diy!!!!!
Yup.... Best way to do a single polyp is exacto knife or band saw and cut part of the plug or disc so you have something to glue down.. Hth
thewackyreefer
(formerly luvmyacans)
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Oh man, here we go with the palytoxin nonsense again! Use gloves, don't use gloves, use eye protection, don't use eye protection...chances of getting palytoxin are slim to none. If anything I'd be more worried about the blade!
OP
OP
Thizz
Active Member
yeah i don't use gloves at all,although i do believe in the whole paly toxin thing but ive never felt anything severe.the worst thing that happened was i felt sick for a few hours with weird headaches...enough with that.
i just always see people selling 1p frags and they look so clean,like they just cut the zoa off from the colony and just glued it to the plug...ive tried this and most of the time my zoas have died...and i really dont want to risk this with some space monsters and my clementines but i hate ruining my frag disks by taking big chunks out of them.
i just always see people selling 1p frags and they look so clean,like they just cut the zoa off from the colony and just glued it to the plug...ive tried this and most of the time my zoas have died...and i really dont want to risk this with some space monsters and my clementines but i hate ruining my frag disks by taking big chunks out of them.
90greefman
Active Member
yeah, just ask reefkoi. wear safety glasses at least. When fragging zoas I like to cut under the zoa on the plug with a dremmel, just a thin layer. It is then very easy to cut between the zoas on the mat and get only the polyps you want for fragging. That way the zoa stays attached to the plug it is growing on and works very nicely and is easy to glue to to a new plug.
_sludgefactory
Valuable Member
Please read this if you're going to frag zoas.
http://reeftools.com/live/forum/showthread.php?t=1593
http://reeftools.com/live/forum/showthread.php?t=1593
Lynnmw1208
Active Member
A local reefer almost died of respiratory failure due to palytoxin the other day so it's no joke! He was trying to scrub some off of a rock and was wearing gloves, and eye protection but no mask. Apparently the hot water made the toxin airborne and within 15 minutes he called 911. he started coughing up blood and they thought he wouldn't make it through the night. better to take precautions then to be sorry.
_sludgefactory
Valuable Member
Actually i was talking with a buddy today his friends was fragging zoas, took all the protective measures. Stuck the scalpel in his mouth to hold for a sec. Went blind for like 2 days.
Bnortz
New Member
Oh really tough guy? Why don't you give this thread a read then say that again. Always wear protection.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2140450
benjabba
Active Member
You will significantly increase your survival rate when fragging if you cut more than just the zoa mat. I never frag unless I can get a piece of whatever the zoa or paly is mounted to. When gluing I use as little as possible. First I put the glue on the plug, then I dip the plug in tank water to form a "skin" on the glue. After that I place the zoa or paly in the glue and dip again. You can even mount the zoa to the plug under water which works well too.
KoleTang
Valuable Member
Palytoxin can kill. It has nothing to do with allergies. It is the world's second most deadly toxin. Ancient hawaiians used to kill eachother with it. Be safe and take precautions.
Lynnmn1208 brought up a key example of this. The airborn toxin was so bad that the guy's wife and kids who where up stairs got a mild case of it. The guy was poisoned so bad that the hospital brought in a pastor for his last rights. Luckily he pulled through.
It can also be inhaled when dipping in peroxide so be careful :bigsmile:
Lynnmn1208 brought up a key example of this. The airborn toxin was so bad that the guy's wife and kids who where up stairs got a mild case of it. The guy was poisoned so bad that the hospital brought in a pastor for his last rights. Luckily he pulled through.
It can also be inhaled when dipping in peroxide so be careful :bigsmile:
apicturepaints
Active Member
A. grandis
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Yes, be very, very careful when cutting your polyps!!!
Gloves, goggles, mouth closed are the least you can do to protect yourself from poisoning.
Remember it takes a drop to intoxicate your body and if you are more sensitive than average people you could die.
Nothing to play with!
Watch your kids and pets!
Be safe, not sorry!!! Enjoy, frag and share your polyps safely!
LFS should give brochures when they sell any zoanthids.
To instruct is to prevent. Spread the word!!
Your health and your life are important, and Palytoxin should be taken seriously.
Grandis.
Gloves, goggles, mouth closed are the least you can do to protect yourself from poisoning.
Remember it takes a drop to intoxicate your body and if you are more sensitive than average people you could die.
Nothing to play with!
Watch your kids and pets!
Be safe, not sorry!!! Enjoy, frag and share your polyps safely!
LFS should give brochures when they sell any zoanthids.
To instruct is to prevent. Spread the word!!
Your health and your life are important, and Palytoxin should be taken seriously.
Grandis.
I just posted a thread, but I spent an evening in the emergency room, lots of money, and will be medicated and my lungs full of crap for the next few weeks from just palytoxin "steam" why would people get on a thread and tell people not to be safe, even is the risk is small?
ca2or
Valuable Member
I have done a lot of fragging and can tell you it depends on what it is you are fragging.....like exactly like what Zoanthid? Some fare better under different circumstances than others. For example I had a frag that every time I scraped a polyp off....regardless if I got rock or not beneath it....it died....but if I took a hammer and screwdriver to the rock EVERY polyp responded almost as though nothing happened.
What I found works best overall is to try and get some substrate below your polyp. If for no other reason than you are not putting glue directly onto the polyp to attach somewhere else. But I find that the more I keep the same for the polyp the better it does....meaning keeping some of what it has been holding onto for however long, try putting new frag in same location as it was before and so on.
Either that or the fastest methods tends to be the least stressful....meaning hammer and screwdriver...think about it...in the wild....does something carefully scrap off a polyp? Or does the rock come crashing down violently and suddenly....or is it a parrot that simply bites off that part of rock?
Everyone is going to have different opinions here...so my advice is to say exactly what you are fragging and even better if you can show a pic of the rock....that way we can say "oh hey just do this" instead of blindly stabbing at it in hopes of getting it right.
I stopped with the dremmel as it seemed the constant vibration seemed to have long lasting affects on the frags. Honestly I would prefer a simple break over any other method. Quick and easy....set up TV tray....set up tupperware container....remove rock....break rock....drop frags in tupperware while you clean up the mess....let them soak for a second....take out....attach to new whatever.....let glue dry (10 to 20 seconds)....put frag in front of Vortech (if it's going to blow off this would be when)....place in tank. Never fails.
Lastly....I know this has been said and referrenced to multiple times here....but Goggles are your friend here....you are (pardon my french) "messing" with something that your body is in no way shape or form designed to ever encounter. The chemicals and toxins within corals and inverts could have quick and drastic effects on you...may it be blindness, paralysis, or death. I don't think any of those are worth a frag of a rock some dude plucked from the ocean and I found appealing regardless of the price tag.
Doesn't matter how much it cost or how nice it is if you can't see it....right?
What I found works best overall is to try and get some substrate below your polyp. If for no other reason than you are not putting glue directly onto the polyp to attach somewhere else. But I find that the more I keep the same for the polyp the better it does....meaning keeping some of what it has been holding onto for however long, try putting new frag in same location as it was before and so on.
Either that or the fastest methods tends to be the least stressful....meaning hammer and screwdriver...think about it...in the wild....does something carefully scrap off a polyp? Or does the rock come crashing down violently and suddenly....or is it a parrot that simply bites off that part of rock?
Everyone is going to have different opinions here...so my advice is to say exactly what you are fragging and even better if you can show a pic of the rock....that way we can say "oh hey just do this" instead of blindly stabbing at it in hopes of getting it right.
I stopped with the dremmel as it seemed the constant vibration seemed to have long lasting affects on the frags. Honestly I would prefer a simple break over any other method. Quick and easy....set up TV tray....set up tupperware container....remove rock....break rock....drop frags in tupperware while you clean up the mess....let them soak for a second....take out....attach to new whatever.....let glue dry (10 to 20 seconds)....put frag in front of Vortech (if it's going to blow off this would be when)....place in tank. Never fails.
Lastly....I know this has been said and referrenced to multiple times here....but Goggles are your friend here....you are (pardon my french) "messing" with something that your body is in no way shape or form designed to ever encounter. The chemicals and toxins within corals and inverts could have quick and drastic effects on you...may it be blindness, paralysis, or death. I don't think any of those are worth a frag of a rock some dude plucked from the ocean and I found appealing regardless of the price tag.
Doesn't matter how much it cost or how nice it is if you can't see it....right?
