Zoas and a ric on 1 plug

[Polahbear]

A couple of months ago, I was in a pet store that has some decent corals, that don't sell very quick, and they are taken care of nicely. But they charge for the plug as they got it not as it is when you buy it. well they had what they called super colored zoas for $45 on a plug next to a Ricordea that was $20. Well the zoas had grown onto the Mushrooms plug. I wanted to get both anyway so instead of buying both plugs i was able to buy just the mushroom for 20 but got the zoas that had stowed away for free. It seemed like an awesome deal. I remember reading that zoas liked to grow up rock work rather than down, I'm not sure if this is true, but i postioned the plug at an angle with the zoas at the top, but the zoas have spread across the whole plug instead of climbing up my rockwork.
There looks to be 3 heads of mushrooms poking out from the zoas now. I had these in a smaller tank, and room wasn't abundant, but i have recently upgraded to a 90gal, and have a spot I want to grow my Rics.
I am hoping there is a safe way to remove the rics, so that i can move them, but i don't want to harm them or the zoas either.
What is the best course of action?
Do I try to pry the mushrooms off? or just let it be? Should i put a rock near and hope they move onto it before the zoas do?
Thank you

 

[philosophile]

Can you do it the other way around? That is pry off the Zoas? They're much easier to pry off a plug than a ric.

 

[Polahbear]

i'm not sure there are over 30 polyps on the plug and they now completely surround the rics.
I have never tried fragging any corals yet, so i'm not sure how to remove anything safely.

 

[organism]

Can you get a picture? Usually rics just expand and sting the zoanthids so that they stop growing in that area, but it could depend on the rics and the zoanthids.

 

[Polahbear]

I will try to get a pic tomorrow, the day lights are off and the moonlights look nice in person, but make for not so great pics. I don't want to spook the fish by turning the lights back on.
For now this is what i got with my phone. Hopefully you can see enough.

 

[Polahbear]

ok i tried with my real camera, not sure its an improvement. but the Rics are the orange areas.

 

[jeff@zina.com]

Pretty much both the zoanthids and ricordias will just peel off a plug and then can be attached elsewhere. If you want them separated (and not fighting) then you're going to have to grab some gloves, a scalpel and some other frag supplies and start a new adventure.

Really, you'll soon be addicted and looking to frag the cat.

Jeff

 

[philosophile]

When you frag cats, do you use catnip or lugols?

 

[Polahbear]

ok after you scrape a shroom off i know you have to let it reattach on its own and glueing is a no go. But if i cut off zoas, can you glue them? or can they attach themselves also?

 

[mr.iacuessa]

you can glue zoas, just dont get the glue in the mouth... and as for the rics, set them in the sand for a while so that they grab the sand and then glue the sandy area to the rock

 

[israel.kendall]

Pretty much both the zoanthids and ricordias will just peel off a plug and then can be attached elsewhere. If you want them separated (and not fighting) then you're going to have to grab some gloves, a scalpel and some other frag supplies and start a new adventure.

Really, you'll soon be addicted and looking to frag the cat.

Jeff

And safety glasses, don't forget those. Don't want palytoxin in your eye!

 

[buck326]

In the past I have cut a ric a the base as close to the rock/plud as possible, then put the ric on a desired base in a low flow area. With in a couple of trys the ric attached to the new roc and lived through it fine.

 

[Polahbear]

well i Fragged off the rics. It went well, the zoos are happy again. But The 3 Rics vanished over night. I think the nicest one is in a hole in one of my base rocks, if so i may see it when it decides to open up again.
Unfortunately the original rock was just outside my pistol shrimps lair, and well once i changed his cave view, he has been a very active little bull dozer, I wouldn't be surprised if he grabbed the ruble they were resting on, he has been known to take frag plugs and use them as a door. Thats why i had to get epoxy!
well if in the future i ever frag a mushroom again, i may let it reattach in the Sump or fuge.