How do you frag your Zoas?

[Dsdaley77]

Interesting article regarding safety precautions to be taken when fragging Zoas. What are your thoughts, agree/disagree?

How NOT to frag zoanthids — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog

 

[BBoley24]

HaH! My hands are swollen for a few days after I frag. It's worth it in the long run. Call me stupid, but I find it relaxing rather than deadly.

 

[Dumnorix]

Harbor freight face mask (so I don't get squirted) and rubber gloves (I don't like the swelling and I work with my hands so always have small cuts). I have dogs and lizards and a girlfriend too, and I don't want to accidently poison them somehow...

 

[Dsdaley77]

Thanks for responses. For myself, as long as they aren't yellow, I'm ok touching, but I have yet to frag(cut) anything in my tank

 

[buddythelion]

TBH, I was actually a bit on my seat every time I kept trying to break that rock with the blade. That thing is flimsy and can easily slip.

Does anyone know of a video where you can frag zoanthids that have grown on a plug without the use of a bandsaw or dremel?

 

[Pumbooris]

you could just cut the plug with some bone cutters. you wont get precise frags but it works.

 

[MGoers]

Yeah you can just use the bone cutters, or you could just cut the mat and peel it off the plug by angling the scalpel slightly into the plug. Not exactly ideal, but its better than cutting yourself if you're worried about it.

 

[MGoers]

And the last thing you want is palytoxin in your eyes or other mucous membrane

 

[Dumnorix]

You could also use any type of scoring blade - slice the mat and dig out a little score and snap it in half. I have done it this way a couple of times and it worked out. Sometimes when you use the bone cutters the plug top can crumble. Note the plug stem is going to throw off a clean line when snapping a score or clipping with the cutters.

 

[Dsdaley77]

First attempt at fragging went very well!! Took some washed out vice Zoas (bout 300 in the colony for $30) and fragged of 6-7 plugs. Went really well. The colony was so big that it seemed like the outer Zoas/ones on the edges just came right off with a slight nip and tug. From there I found thin spots in the connective tissue and with one clean cut separated them into several clumps.

Mother colony-

First frag-

Fragged and re-acclimating-

 

[Dsdaley77]

Took the frags into my LFS and brought these two guys home with me

 

[Dsdaley77]

So since I had so much success with my first try, I thought I'd try it again Went really well again! This time only 5 frags from the MC but 37 polyps all together.

Mother colony-

5 more frags-

Mother colony in her new home getting that color back-

 

[Dsdaley77]

Gave the original first fragged plug to my buddy for his tank. He's loving all the color coming in.

 

[Dsdaley77]

The most recent 5 frags went to my LFS yet again and in exchange brought home these.....
Aussie Duncans-

Green Slimer Acro-

Green polyp birdsnest-

 

[Rydogg420]

Fragging zoas are easyer done then said.. Yes I meant to say it that way.. lol.. If they are growing in big clumps over sand you can just cut them off and glue them onto the new frag plug, but if the zoas are growing on a plug, then you just need to get a sharp blade and slowly peel them off the plug. I thought it was impossible to do this, but I tried this on my bam bam zoas for the first time and I was able to peel off each zoa and get single polyps to sell.. Zoas are pretty easy to frag once you see how to peel them off the right way..

 

[Dsdaley77]

When taking them off rock or a plug I prefer to keep a touch of the base they are attached to intact, that way I always glue rock or Arag. to rock or Arag. I can't stand the acrylic plugs, not a big fan of plugs all together to tell the truth. I am finding I am more of a disk guy

 

[yman32]

keeping the mat underneath is key for getting them to start splitting again-----if the mat is not kept instact after fragging, it may take up to a few months for a new mat to grow out before new polyps begin forming.....and they are way more prone to infection. i use bone cutters to clip what ever rock they are on----and razor blade/exacto to clean cut the mat between polyps----and dip dip dip

 

[Dsdaley77]

What is the purpose of the dip? I have only fragged a handfull of times but never dipped the frags in anything. Does it help them to heal? And what do you dip them in?

 

[yman32]

dip in lugol's (iodine) in tankwater solution to prevent bacteria or fungus infection-----google it for instructions.....you wont get an infection that often, but when you do it can spread to other zoas and can get quite expensive so its preventative and cheap and if you've ever had fancy zoas melt...you'd start to drip in lugol's

 

[RandysReef]

First attempt at fragging went very well!! Took some washed out vice Zoas (bout 300 in the colony for $30) and fragged of 6-7 plugs. Went really well. The colony was so big that it seemed like the outer Zoas/ones on the edges just came right off with a slight nip and tug. From there I found thin spots in the connective tissue and with one clean cut separated them into several clumps.

Mother colony-

First frag-

Fragged and re-acclimating-

Nice!