Never frag Purple Deaths

colinadam · Jul 3, 2007

Here they are as a happy little colony

Fragged off 1 polyp for a friend

and since the other polyps were on a piece of rock glued to a bigger rock I thought I'd put the little pice on a frag plug

Here we are a week later

The little polyp is hanging in there, it's still there but closed up and not looking good. I put odds of survival at slim to none and slim just left town.

Any tips on keeping the little guy alive? It's on the sandbed getting pretty good flow, should I try a lower flow area?

What is killing me is that I paid $50 for a polyp from someone here and it never opened. Paid $50 to ranran on RC for a polyp and it did great until I messed it up.

Argggggg

Any tips appreciated.

Thanks

sf_ramsden · Jul 3, 2007

I really am not sure, just throwing some ideas I thought when I saw the picture...

Maybe fragged a little too early with a small colony (Only 4 polyps it looks like from the picture)

Did you cure the frag plugs before gluing frags onto it?

I am sure some other guys will pitch in to help

Pufferpunk · Jul 3, 2007

I got a single polyp from Marvin that looked like a gonner for weeks. It was folded in half--didn't see any purple at all. Marvin told me that was perfectly normal & to hang in there.
Before:

Now:

ReeferRob · Jul 3, 2007

Have you been feeding it?

colinadam · Jul 3, 2007

I fed the bigger polyps before fragging, I don't think this can even get food it's so closed but I'll try.

Nice pics puffer, what flow did you have it in? I think that may be the secret.

Pufferpunk · Jul 3, 2007

I just run the SeaSwirl. I haven't seen it eat yet. It seems to have moved from the spot it was glued on.

Carolina Frags · Jul 3, 2007

Just give it time and try not to stress it.

Bdimas · Jul 22, 2007

Thats kinda strange that they closed up like that. I try not to frag my pd's unless i have atleast 10 polyps on my mother colony. I've fragged my pd's a bunch of times and that has never happend. Somtimes the frags will stress and close up for a bit, but they recover in a few days.
I did have some tubs blues that i fragged and the mother colony closed up for about two weeks. I started to get worried so i dipped them in Tropic Marin Pro Coral Cure and they started to open the very next day.
Good luck.

reefermadness · Jul 22, 2007

I had fish die when I was on vacation and many of my zoas suffered from all the increased nitrates. I thought I lost my purple death colony, BUT there are three palys still there and they are growing again. PD is a very tough paly, I would say they will make it. Alex, the guy I got mine from told me they are almost impossible to kill off...I almost did it.

By the way, sweet nuclear green!