Fragging zoanthids

[GeoHawk]

I have read in many different places that you can frag zoos/palys and that you cant. I wanted to get some feed back from all of you smart folks with experience fragging these. I guess when I say frag I mean I would like to use a blade to be able to remove my AOG from a plug and attach them to my rock, using glue. Would this work? Is there a better way to do it?

 

[Troylee]

sure you can.. just be very carefull and wear some saftey glasses since zoo's release a toxin that can make you very ill!!!!! check the zoa forum i think theres a sticky with a ton of info on the subject...

 

[GeoHawk]

Yes very good article, I should have checked there first :)

 

[emerald525]

Be sure to wear gloves as well. I have personally known too fellow reefers who ended up getting serious infections from fragging zoas.

 

[thewackyreefer]

Oh boy, here we go with the "toxic zoa" craze again. Seriously, the chances of getting "very ill" or "serious infections" from fragging zoas are pretty slim. I would be willing to bet that a small percentage of reefers actually wear gloves or glasses while handling zoas.

 

[Speg]

Oh boy, here we go with the "toxic zoa" craze again. Seriously, the chances of getting "very ill" or "serious infections" from fragging zoas are pretty slim. I would be willing to bet that a small percentage of reefers actually wear gloves or glasses while handling zoas.

+1

Fragging zoanthids and palyathoas is very easy to do. I actually just fragged some nuclear green palys last night.

You can use a razor blade, scalpel, or a sharp knife. Cut or preferably SCRAPE as close to the rock/frag plug as you can. The zoa/paly should end up looking very limp since it'll release the water stored in it. Use some superglue (gel works best for me) and put a dab on a frag plug and then sit the zoanthids foot on that glue. Don't let the top of the zoanthid get stuck because it may end up killing the zoa.

It's true that SOME species of palyathoa contains toxins. It's probably a good idea to wear gloves and protective eye ware when fragging them, but honestly, the stories about people getting sick, dying, etc are mostly hype at best. I've read one article where a man in another country was believed to have gotten ill due to an exposure with zoanthids; it wasn't conclusive, however. Everybody has heard a story about a friend who has gotten sick because of zoanthids..the likely case is that the person wouldn't get sick and they'd probably need to be rushed to the emergancy room due to being close to death. Palytoxins are no joke and they won't cause a little headache or fever.

I've personally never used glasses/gloves and I doubt I ever will....now, if I was using a dremmel or bandsaw to cut into zoanthids, I suppose I would want to have gloves/glasses...but my little razor blade/scalpel doesn't tend to cause much mess.

 

[NanoNano]

Oh boy, here we go with the "toxic zoa" craze again. Seriously, the chances of getting "very ill" or "serious infections" from fragging zoas are pretty slim. I would be willing to bet that a small percentage of reefers actually wear gloves or glasses while handling zoas.

Yeah I've read several places that there is only 1 paly that can actually harm you and it's not one that reefers generally have.

 

[ScubaJay]

Not trying to start anything, but if somebody doesn't know if a Zoa can be fragged then it's probably a good idea to tell them about their own health risks in doing so. It seems silly to think this tiny little polyp could cause soo much pain, but when it's a known fact that a toxin can kill or seriously make ill a person in even low doses you generally try to avoid it, however slight the chance of exposure is. Most reefers probably don't wear protection, and we all know that at one time nobody wore their seat-belts either, this doesn't mean it's a good idea.
Geohawk, a pair of laytex gloves and glasses are cheap and don't really get in the way. But, look into the risks and decide for yourself. Good luck with the fragging, and let us know how it goes. :)

Oh boy, here we go with the "toxic zoa" craze again. Seriously, the chances of getting "very ill" or "serious infections" from fragging zoas are pretty slim. I would be willing to bet that a small percentage of reefers actually wear gloves or glasses while handling zoas.

 

[thewackyreefer]

Nobody on this board is going to get sick from fragging zoas. I'd say that's a pretty safe assumption.

I've never seen any "proof" of a hobbyist getting sick from fragging or coming in contact with zoas and when I've asked for some nobody's ever provided any.

 

[Troylee]

it's okay i don't wear saftey glasses when i use my table saw, all day either.....:nerd:
why risk it honestly???? somebody got sick or the myth/legend or what ever you wanna call it would have never came around....

 

[laskopyre]

I'd be less worried about the Zoa's, and more worried about the rock. Getting scraped or getting water in a cut can be really bad. I had a friend that got a pretty serious bacterial infection from live rock. He never wore gloves, but after a week in the hospital, that changed his toon.

 

[NanoNano]

Nobody on this board is going to get sick from fragging zoas. I'd say that's a pretty safe assumption.

I've never seen any "proof" of a hobbyist getting sick from fragging or coming in contact with zoas and when I've asked for some nobody's ever provided any.

I've never been able to find a documented case anywhere of someone getting sick from zoas.

 

[Troylee]

well either way i wanna be able to see with my 2 eyes so im not gonna risk any juice getting squirted in my eyes from any thing lol..... just saying...

 

[Speg]

The thing you should be most worried about is when you put your fingers in your water and if you have a cut on your hands....salt really hurts when it gets into a wound :)

 

[ScubaJay]

GeoHawk, it's good that you're doing your homework and trying to get as much information as you can before going ahead with this. Keep in mind that like everything else in this hobby everyone has their own opinions and thoughts about this subject. Sorry for the bickering that sometimes comes of this. But keep doing what you're doing, try to get as much information as you can and hopefully you can tell us how successful your first zoa/paly fragging experience was. If you're trying to get them off a frag plug often a razor blade, or sometimes bone cutters to break up just the surface layer of the frag plug, can be a Z/P fraggers' best friend. Good luck :smile:

 

[thewackyreefer]

The thing you should be most worried about is when you put your fingers in your water and if you have a cut on your hands....salt really hurts when it gets into a wound :)

Hell with that salt stinging! I once poked my finger on a rock, it punctured the skin and ended up in the hospital 3 days later with an infection visibly moving up my arm. Probably my stupid fault for continuing to work in the tank but it's a true story.

Maybe I got some palytoxin in there? lol j/k

 

[Speg]

Hell with that salt stinging! I once poked my finger on a rock, it punctured the skin and ended up in the hospital 3 days later with an infection visibly moving up my arm. Probably my stupid fault for continuing to work in the tank but it's a true story.

Maybe I got some palytoxin in there? lol j/k

Sounds like there was a zoanthid on the rock!

...actually sounds like a really bad bacteria infection.... I once went out in an area of the beach and stepped on a rock full of barnacles...that sucked bad....no infection though.

 

[emerald525]

Oh boy, here we go with the "toxic zoa" craze again. Seriously, the chances of getting "very ill" or "serious infections" from fragging zoas are pretty slim. I would be willing to bet that a small percentage of reefers actually wear gloves or glasses while handling zoas.

I personally know 2 people who had cuts and were fragging zoas and developed serious infections in their fingers requiring ED visits.:sad: I could refer you to one thread in my local forum if you need visual evidence.:wink: I also know personally another reefer who developed a severe case of chemical conjunctivitis when he was squirted in the eye by a zoa. Purple deaths live up to their name. Sure there are plenty of people who don't wear seat belts and don't wear goggles or gloves and that's their choice. I have seen many an unfortunate death because someone didn't put their child in a carseat or wear a seatbelt. I'm just letting people know the risks and just because it personally hasn't happened to you does not mean the danger is not there.:angel:

 

[Speg]

I personally know 2 people who had cuts and were fragging zoas and developed serious infections in their fingers requiring ED visits.:sad: I could refer you to one thread in my local forum if you need visual evidence.:wink: I also know personally another reefer who developed a severe case of chemical conjunctivitis when he was squirted in the eye by a zoa. Purple deaths live up to their name. Sure there are plenty of people who don't wear seat belts and don't wear goggles or gloves and that's their choice. I have seen many an unfortunate death because someone didn't put their child in a carseat or wear a seatbelt. I'm just letting people know the risks and just because it personally hasn't happened to you does not mean the danger is not there.:angel:

Do they have documentation that the zoanthids were at fault? Your first two friends who developed "serious infections" are more likely bacteria. You wouldn't develop an infection from palytoxins. and I'm not familiar at all with what "chemical conjunctivitis" is. What is it? :)

 

[thewackyreefer]

PROBABLY not due to palytoxin.

According to Wikipedia: Typical symptoms of palytoxin poisoning are angina-like chest pains, asthma-like breathing difficulties, tachycardia, unstable blood pressure, hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells), and an electrocardiogram showing an exaggerated T wave. The onset of symptoms is rapid, and death usually follows just minutes after.