Zoas sticking??

kerriann

kerriann

Member
Hey everyone, I recently bought 2 zoa frags that are not attached to anything. I have them "resting" on two rocks but I'm nervous of them getting knocked over because it's not that difficult to do! I've heard of people glueing frags to rockwork but i'm a little nervous about this - any feedback on this?? Will it eventually attach itself or forever float around my tank??
 
J

jrthomas40

Guest
i had some that would fall off the rocks and float around the tank then end up somewhere i didnt want them or out of sight then one day it would open leaving me wondering how in the world am i going to get that out of there
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
Super glue gel works great, just a little dab. Just dry the rock, and the back of the zoos. yu dont have to do the whole frag, just several polyps so they stick. Be sure to wear gloves, and try not to glue the tops. I just did three frags.
 
patandlace

patandlace

Active Member
It's pretty easy to attach it. Just dry the rock and the bottom of the zoo, put a drop of super glue gell on the rock and attach it. After about 30 seconds you can put it back in the tank. Just wear gloves because of the toxins and rinse the zoo/rock off before putting it back in.
 
perfectdark

perfectdark

Active Member
Originally Posted by KerriAnn
http:///forum/post/2461008
Hey everyone, I recently bought 2 zoa frags that are not attached to anything. I have them "resting" on two rocks but I'm nervous of them getting knocked over because it's not that difficult to do! I've heard of people glueing frags to rockwork but i'm a little nervous about this - any feedback on this?? Will it eventually attach itself or forever float around my tank??
Using a gel based super glue will not hurt the coral. The problem is in most cases when the glue touches the coral it will get slimed off. There are a couple of different ways to accomplish your goal. 1 would be to get a small clear tupperware container punch some holes in the lid let it fill with water. Now you can put some sand in it and or a piece of LR. Put the lid on the container and put it into your tank. In about a week the polyps should stick to the rock or the sand. If it sticks to the rock your all set if it sticks to the LS you can now glue the LS to the rock and you are all set. I use the small glade throw away containers they are about 2" in diameter, I then buy the frag disks that are a tad smaller than the container, when I put the disk in the container there is no room for the frag to adhere to anything but the disk. In a week I have an attached frag. You can also try to get a fine mesh netting and wrap the coral around the rock with the net. Hold it together with a rubber band and you should get the same result. I like the tupperware method better for zoa polyps and small frags like that. Hope this helps.
 
kerriann

kerriann

Member
hmmm, so i have some work ahead of me tonite...thanks so much everyone!! these are my first corals and i really want this to go well! they look awesome!
 
kerriann

kerriann

Member
so then as far as drying the rock/zoa - i'm ok to take these guys out of the water or how do you guys do it??
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
yup, I take them out. keep a small bowl of water to put them in while i get ready, take the rock, dry the area I want to place them with a paper towel, take the zoos out and place them on a paper towl for a few seconds to dry, glue, let set for a minute or so, and place back in tank.
T
 
perfectdark

perfectdark

Active Member
Originally Posted by KerriAnn
http:///forum/post/2461271
hmm, almost sounds too easy!! and to think i've been scared of corals for so long!

Naaa its not bad at all. Just make sure you take care of yourself, definatly rubber gloves and safty glasses are not a bad idea if you are cutting. Zoa toxin is incredibly poisionous, and keep all animals away from your fragging area it can be deadly to them if they injest any of the polyps.
 
natemd

natemd

Member
Originally Posted by KerriAnn
http:///forum/post/2461271
hmm, almost sounds too easy!! and to think i've been scared of corals for so long!

Zoas are pretty easy to attach/ frag. They will be fine out of water for a while. I have had them out for 10-15 minutes before. I don't think you could kill them if you tried. Just make sure to put on gloves and rinse the zoas off before you put them back in the tank.
 
kerriann

kerriann

Member
ok, this may sound stupid PerfectDark but cutting?? cutting what? the zoa??? and good to know about the poison thing...
 
kerriann

kerriann

Member
Thanks Spanko, that was my other question i forgot but I would've done tank water before i'd EVER try tap water!
 
m0nk

m0nk

Active Member
I've done both methods that PerfectDark mentioned, glue and using the rubber band to hold it in place until the zoa mat can attach to the rock. Either one works, neither is right or wrong, it's all about what you're comfortable with. Zoas do mat, as opposed to palys, so whatever you glue them to, make sure it's either big enough for them to spread on, or glue the rock to another, bigger rock so they can spread. You don't want to glue them to a small rock, have them start to attach to a rock next to it, then the main rock falls a bit but is barely hanging on by a thread of zoa matting....
 
perfectdark

perfectdark

Active Member
Originally Posted by KerriAnn
http:///forum/post/2461348
ok, this may sound stupid PerfectDark but cutting?? cutting what? the zoa??? and good to know about the poison thing...
There are various methods to actually getting a frag. Loose polyps floating around, a small piece of the mat that polyps are attached to breaking free and floating around. Those 2 scenarios wont require anything but the adhesion to a substrate.
The other ways to frag would be physically taking a quantity of polyps off of a piece and getting them to adhere to a plug or another piece of LR. This may require the use of a sharp razor to cut through the mat and lift the polyps off the LR you wish to transfer from. That is where the tendency is to encounter the toxins. Also physically cutting a piece of LR with a chisel or a tile saw, precautions need to be taken for these processes.
If none of that will be done then rubber gloves would be my only recomendation for handilng the polyps to avoid any transfer to open cuts or your hands in general.
 
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