+KeeperOfTheZoo Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 How do I go about securing loose zoas and yellow polyps? I bought a rock of pink zoas and yellow polyps from peeperkeeper (they are doing great and my daughter loves the pink zoas!). The yellow polyps had started to encroach upon the zoas and one part of the zoa colony was no longer opening. Sundra had tried to inject the yellow polyps with a hyper saline solution to kill them and it didn't work. So, I got brave (or insert other adjective) and decided to just cut some of the polyps off. Armed with gloves, goggles and a very sharp small knife I set to work on the colonies. It was a great success! No problems and now the pink zoas are all opening up beautifully since the yellow polyps aren't all over them. Which leads to my question... how do I get all the loose polyps I cut off attached to something? The first polyps I cut off I placed in a small container of rubble rock, covered with net for 24 hours in a low flow part of my tank. Took the netting off and some looked attached to rock, but they weren't so I repeated and have since just left them in the cup. No idea if they are attaching to the rock or not. The second bunch I trimmed off the parent rock included a few of the pink zoas. These I placed them in a small cup with crushed coral. My thought was that if I could get them to attach to anything at all I could then glue the little bits of CC with attached zoa to a bigger rock and away we'd go. Is there a better way to do this? I know the safer method to propagate zoas is to place a rock next to the colony and let them grow onto it. But, since I needed to thin the colony that wasn't really an option. Now I have all these loose polyps and I'd really like to get them secured where I want them instead of where they want to be, or where my urchin has decided they should be after picking up a few that escaped the cups. The only other loose 'corals' I've worked with are mushrooms and xenia, both of which happily secured themselves where I wanted them within 24 hours. Thanks! Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Super Glue Gel is how my wife does it. If I do it I get super glue on every thing but the zoas. We use the glue from the $ store. WEAR GLOVES! If the zoas and yellow polyps are on the same rock can you break the rock? Post a pic if you can. Dave- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Good ole' fashion super glue gel is what I use. just a dab at the bottom and put them in the small container for a bit and they'll attach eventually. Sometimes the superglue will deteriorate before the zoas attach... at that point, just do it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 +1 on super glue gel. Works everytime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzobob Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Yup super glue gell. Once I finish cursing and detaching myself from tank, rocks, furniture or books it looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Yup super glue gell. Once I finish cursing and detaching myself from tank, rocks, furniture or books it looks great. +1 Haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteorflower Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 +1 on gel super glue, though I always manage to get some on my fingers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Super glue is definitely your friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill B Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 To be a bit more specific I: dry off the rock where I am going to apply the super glue GEL, if it's wet. Apply the gel to the surface. Pick up the zoa with some long tweezers. Suspend in the gel for 5 seconds or so. Put it back in the water away from direct flow heads for at least a little while ... done. For me the tweezers keep the slime and to a lesser extent, the super glue, off my fingers. I got mine from Fry's in the computer repair aisle for about $5. There are probably better choices as these rust pretty easily. HTH Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Eckreef Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Will the super glue technique work well for ricordea as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill B Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 To me mushrooms are like women. You can suggest to them what you would like them to do, sometimes they will do it, but usually it's because they were going to anyway. Okay, okay. Women you may substitute 'men' in my first line:) Translation: the odds are no, but you can try and occasionally it will work. Usually you just need to set them in a little tub of rubble or rocks and let them attach to whatever they feel like, usually within a week or two, but I typically give them even more time before I put them in good flow. You can sometimes just kinda wedge them around a few rocks and let it take it's pick. btw at least for me it is much easier to try to glue the shrooms/rics with the tweezers. JMO Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Daniel Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Bill is correct regarding the mushrooms, particularly leathers and rics. You need to either tie them down with string until they attach themselves, or just leave them among rubble with very low flow until they attach themselves. The glue will generally not hold and they will simply slough off at the attachment point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+KeeperOfTheZoo Posted January 22, 2010 Author Share Posted January 22, 2010 Oh... the dreaded super glue! I am so horrible with that stuff y'all. I had to fix my daughter's barbie doll bed a while back and I was peeling glue off my fingers for days! I checked again today and a few of the yellow polyps have attached to the rock rubble. Not exactly where I would have put them, but they are on there. Many are still loose though The zoas aren't even opening, let alone attaching to anything. I'll have to just try the glue. At least I have some disposable gloves now. Might keep me from gluing my fingers together. Bill, my mushrooms have obviously all been male. I told them to stay, gave them *the look* and not a one has budged from where I initially put it. Helps that I have 3 sons and a husband, I am well versed in subtle raised eye brow communication of threats. Which by the way don't phase my daughter one darn bit. Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill B Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Bill, my mushrooms have obviously all been male. I told them to stay, gave them *the look* and not a one has budged from where I initially put it. Helps that I have 3 sons and a husband, I am well versed in subtle raised eye brow communication of threats. Which by the way don't phase my daughter one darn bit. Liz LMAO ROTF !!! btw - I probably would try to glue the loose zoa polyps. One way or another the shrooms kinda find their own way, except when helpless to 'the look'. Zoas and palys will anchor in the gel. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddybluewater Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 LOL Liz,That's too funny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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