Moving Zoas

[jessiesgrrl]

Hi!
I have a colony of zoos with little green mouths (You can see my tank in my gallery). They have overgrown their rock and I would like to get the colony to start growing onto otherplaces in my tank. Is there a safe way to get them to come off their rock? I read that they can release a toxin if hurt, and I really don't wan t to crash the tank out trying to propagate them.
Thank you for your help
Laurie

 

[gflat65]

I use the hammer and chisel method. If they can be removed, whack them a few times with a sharp chisel or screw driver and they should pop off (or use a razor to finsh cutting them, if not). You could also do the razor method. Just cut as close to rock (and take rock with it if you can) and super glue gel onto other rocks. Everyone should wear gloves when fragging them (though, I never have), just to be safe. I've cut 30-40 frags out of the display before with no ill effects to other corals, so I don't think you have anything to worry about on that front.

 

[cardgenius]

Just to be safe get a couple bowls of tank water and do your fragging out of the main tank.

 

[jessiesgrrl]

Thanks for the response! I will indeed wear gloves and do it in a bucket of new saltwater. So I can chisel away underneath them and pry them off? And then take a razor and cut inbetween the polyps I want to be the new edge of the new colony? This will not hurt the mother colony, and I can put both colonies back into the tank immediately?

Laurie

 

[surfnvb7]

wow, how's that sea apple working out?

 

[newhere]

Use something like a credit card to peel them up and cut between them with something sharp.

 

[jessiesgrrl]

Ooooo, that's a good idea, a credit card. Too bad I wasn't more of a hooligan so that I could be more dextrous with it now! (Of course my hubby would say I work ours out just fine LOL)

The sea apple is named Dora The Explorer. She was actually alot of fun to keep. She was very brightly colored and moved around all over the place (Thus the name). She lived in the main tank for awhile, then lived in the refugium for the rest of the time I had her. It was safe there away from aggressive fish, so she never extruded that I am aware of. She also learned to climb to the top of the tank around feed time and would wait there with her tentacles out for food. I think sea apples are fine to have as long as you have a stable environment chemically with well thought out tank mates. She never started fights, LOL, but boy could she have ended them!!

I am now going fishless in the fuge to raise copepods for my new mandarin, so I promised her to another SWAM member. I'll miss her alot though-she was way fun.

Laurie

 

[msman825]

You could just put the zoo rock against another rock and they will spread onto it

 

[gflat65]

I'd cut them in tank water (outside of the tank), not new saltwater. It doubles as an excuse for a small water change. Swish them both around after cutting to knock some of the slime off and put them back in. If you plan to make frags, superglue gel them to small rocks and you've got trades.

 

[jessiesgrrl]

I don't know- I wasn't going to make a frag for trade because quite honestly, I didn't think my zoos were colored enough. From what I've seen, everyone trading has zoos that are much brighter than my poor brown and greens! I'd be a bit embarrassed to bring them to a swap. That will change though as I get a few brighter ones to raise, and then watch out!

Laurie:eek2: