How do I get the zoa gardens from frags?

[shollis2814]

I have a few small frag plugs with some cool zoas that seem to be open and doing well (armor of the gods, dragon eyes, and green bays). I would love for them to turn into a large mixed zoa colony like I see in tanks. They are all on the sand bed now on their plugs. Do I just cut off the stem of the plug and glue them to a rock? If so, how close to I put them together? Should I let the frag plug get mostly covered before I do? Will they sting one another?

 

[Diesel]

Nope, no cutting.
If you want to create this

You need a stable balance in your tank and lots of patience.
Nothing good will happen in this hobby overnight, only bad things do that.

 

[Blackhawk Fan]

You could let them grow out on the plugs until they cover the top. Use a bandsaw, maybe someone in your reef club has one if you don't, and cut the stem off the bottom of the plug so only the disc is left with the polyps. Then with a bandsaw, cut the disc into two or three smaller frags. Find a rock you like and glue the smaller frags all over the rock in different places. Leave space so that you can add other zoas into the mix before it fills in.
I hope that makes sense.

 

[BoneXriffic]

The band saw sounds like tons of work lol, zoas are super easy to remove from plugs, given the proper saftey measures are taken. But just putting them near each other even on the plug and letting them multiply will work perfectly

 

[Coenone]

Awesome garden

 

[shollis2814]

Thanks everyone. @Diesel , that is a beautiful picture.
I know it will take patience. I just have all the plugs on the bottom of the tank. Some of the frags only have 3-5 polyps right now and I didn't want to start putting them too close together if they would sting one another.

I have some large cutters that will snip through the frag plugs I have. I'll let the frags get a few more polyps on them and start looking for the right rock.

 

[BoneXriffic]

Thanks everyone. @Diesel , that is a beautiful picture.
I know it will take patience. I just have all the plugs on the bottom of the tank. Some of the frags only have 3-5 polyps right now and I didn't want to start putting them too close together if they would sting one another.

I have some large cutters that will snip through the frag plugs I have. I'll let the frags get a few more polyps on them and start looking for the right rock.

Id find a pourous enough rock to just stick the base of the plugs in and let the zoas have their way with the rock tonsave the hassle of messing with plugs

 

[that Reef Guy]

The Frag Rocks and Cave from Eshopps might help.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=21427

They Will Hold 3, 5, and 12 Plugs that will eventually grow into each other making a Zoanthid Garden.

 

[Salt-Lick]

You can glue the frag plugs to the rock. Space out for growth. If the frags have the nipple cut it off with snips is what I do. If you don't the plugs glued to the rock you can take a scalpel and peel the zoas off the plug and then glue them to the rock.

 

[twilliard]

Please note when working with zoanthids

Wear your eye protection and gloves!

 

[shollis2814]

@that Reef Guy thanks for that link. I have a 3D printer at work. I may try printing a more rudimentary rock skeleton. That site also had a frag plug tree that looks like some 3D printed stuff on a plexiglass rod.

@Salt-Lick , Thanks. I am not ready to start messing with zoas like that (read too many palytoxin stories). Hopefully, the plug will not be noticeable

 

[shollis2814]

Thanks, that's why I don't pull them off the plugs. I don't wear gloves just to rearrange them, but if I have to dip or clean algae off, I have some gloves and an old pair of range goggles.

 

[drheacock]

I have used a concrete drill bit the size of the plug stem and a hammer drill to put holes in a rock I took out of my display. Works nicely.

 

[Psiber_Syn]

Found this rock at the lfs old coral skeleton so soft to drill also like the plugs not glued in so I can re arrange when needed or pull them and frag some etc