Zoa's growing on Monti...

[FJ Cruising]

... How can I remove the polyps without damaging the monti? There are about 8 heads on a 1.5"x1.5" frag.

Thanks for your time!

 

[reefwars]

... How can I remove the polyps without damaging the monti? There are about 8 heads on a 1.5"x1.5" frag.

Thanks for your time!

Cut the polyps with a razor blade , even of you dig into the monti if conditions are good then it will recover in no time with new growth.

 

[cloak]

I would try picking them off one by one with some tweezers.

 

[FJ Cruising]

Would the polyps still be ok after this? I dont really want to kill them even though i have several hundred of them.

Thank you for the replies, I'll give it a go in a couple hours.

 

[Mael]

they might be ok if you cut them off with a razor or exacto knife, like mentioned you may need to take a bit of the monti with it, depending on how much of the monti needs to be removed it will take time to heal and recover.

Wether you cut or pull them off be very careful with palytoxin, use gloves, eye protection and keep your mouth closed especially if pinching them off. Chances are slim that they will spit but you dont want to risk it with that toxin.

 

[reefwars]

Would the polyps still be ok after this? I dont really want to kill them even though i have several hundred of them.

Thank you for the replies, I'll give it a go in a couple hours.

dig under the polyps and into the monti , montis are fast growers and encrusting so they can easily grow back over and recover,probably about a month, also the monti is a bit soft for a hard coral so a sharp blade should have no problem digging in.

 

[Mael]

agreed, if you don't have one a nice exacto knife for a cpl bucks goes a long way, or obviously a scalpel. Makes it easier to take as little of the surface as possible and cleaner cuts heal faster.