Zoa's and palys growing out

rocko918 · Feb 17, 2009

Have you ever noticed them not spreading on your sand bed or CC? I feel like the ones on the bigger rocks spread quicker than the ones that are on a smaller rock / disk sitting on the bottom. When some of them get to the edge of the disk/rock it seems to really slow down. They do not spread on the sand/ CC very well. Anyone know if they prefer something hard to grow on?

flricordia · Feb 17, 2009

Matthew 7:24-26
On a natural reef they would be swept away in no time growing on sand.

macawmagic · Feb 17, 2009

i've noticed the same thing...I try and mount all my frags to a decent sized rock so that they could atleast grow to colony's before they slow down. i guess optimum growth would be bare bottom so they could grow off the plug/rock and onto the glass...then u just razor them off and glue them down...but who has the space for that! LOL

TM01 · Feb 17, 2009

Ive noticed this also. I think its due to the change in the surface, they need to settle to the texture before they take off again.

flricordia · Feb 17, 2009

macawmagic said:
i've noticed the same thing...I try and mount all my frags to a decent sized rock so that they could atleast grow to colony's before they slow down. i guess optimum growth would be bare bottom so they could grow off the plug/rock and onto the glass...then u just razor them off and glue them down...but who has the space for that! LOL

If you grow them onto glass and razor them off there would be nothing but tissue to glue them down with.
One suggestion is if the zoas are on a round plug/mount take drill bit slightly larger than the diameter of the mount and drill into some spare LR rubble or such enough so that you can clip off the bottom stem of the plug and place the plug into the hole, hopefully you only drilled deep enough so the zoas would be flush with the surface area. Then they can spread out onto the rock evenly without having to turn down. Paddle bits work well for the drilling.

flricordia · Feb 17, 2009

Here is a pic of a rock with a hole drilled and some Rainbows I just dropped in there. They had started growing down the edge of the plug so I separated those from the plug that were going over the edge and now they can spread over the new rock without having to remove them from the plug.

rarelyseriousb · Feb 17, 2009

great idea and zoas

kev2me · Feb 18, 2009

Once they grow out on that rock Mike, do you basically just cut it up with rock cutters or a band saw?

bannshy · Feb 18, 2009

I guess you could put a new plug back in the hole and they could grow onto the new plug for easy future fraging. What size hole and what type of bit? I am thinking of finding someone with a tile saw to cut some live rock and drill some simular holes.