Does anyone frag onto seashells?

[TankYouVeryMuch]

I recently picked up a zoa colony of multiple species but it’s all on a thick flat tile or something, whereas the rocks I’m trying to get it to spread to are bumpy and covered with holes. Trying to get it to make contact is near impossible because of the thickness of the original colony.

My thought was that maybe I could use some seashells for “transport”, since they’re thin, flat, stable, can be easily moved, and don’t look intrusive in a tank. But I’ve done some searches and can’t find anyone using this technique which makes me wonder if there’s some aspect to it I haven’t considered that would make it infeasible.

Also, when it comes time to split the frag from the original colony will the zoa polyps easily separate, or will I need to cut them?

Attached is a pic of the colony in situ at the LFS. It’s a shame those fireworks clove polyps are all isolated in the zoas.

 

[Tahoe61]

I have used shells, it does make for easy relocation. Yes you will likely have to use a scalpel or similar to separate and cut Zoanthids and Palys apart.
Wear gloves and glasses to prevent palytoxin exposure.
That's a stunning rock.

 

[TankYouVeryMuch]

I know, I spent way past my expected budget but knew I’d kick myself if I let it pass. A single small frag of colorful Zoas sells for around $40-$60 here, so paying $125 for the whole thing was a good deal considering it has 6-7 morphs, plus the Fireworks polyps. I just hope I can keep it alive—the tank is still new, and I’m still learning. Haven’t had a marine aquarium in 20 years, and a lot has changed.

 

[Science/G]

Yes, I have before, it works great.