Frag / removal of overgrown ????

[duc]

First anyone know the name of this?
I used to know but couldn't tell you anymore.
Second anyone have any suggestions on how to frag it?
I started with one small 5-10 head and have since removed the 40-50 head it grew into on the original rock. These two colonies jump off the original rock and now are huge on a big chunk of LR. Do I have to sacrifice chunks of the rock or can it be scraped/pulled from it without killing it?
Clif
http://www.maast.org/albums/duc/DSC00153.sized.jpg
http://www.maast.org/albums/duc/DSC00155.sized.jpg

[Andrew]

Clif,
It looks like a branching Goniopora. If so, you'll have to break the skeleton where it splits off into two branches. If it's attached close to the large rock, i.e. the branches arn't very long, it may be difficult to frag without damaging/killing the colony. From the pics thought, it looks fraggable (is that a word???). Scraping the tissue off, or breaking the skeleton near the tissue will not work if it is Goniopora.

HTH
Andrew

[cpreefguy]

Look like palythoas to me. Gonipora dont have that many "petals"
You might try chipping the rock beneath themm off and pulling them up like a mat

[duc]

Both ideas sound do-able.
Last time I tore out the center I literally tore it out ripping several of them almost in half, not a single one died.
Thanks
Clif

[hobogato]

i think they are palys, and they are almost impossible to kill. you can take a butter knife or something similar and scrape them off of the rock. an overgrown fingernail works well too, just be sure to protect your eyes, and wash your hands very well if you dont wear gloves, the toxins they produce can be very toxic. they can even leech into your body thru cuts or scratches in your hand and cause nausea and headaches. i had my eye swell shut for a few hours and a few days of pain because i dumbly got some palytoxin residue in my eye once.

[duc]

i think they are palys, and they are almost impossible to kill. you can take a butter knife or something similar and scrape them off of the rock. an overgrown fingernail works well too, just be sure to protect your eyes, and wash your hands very well if you dont wear gloves, the toxins they produce can be very toxic. they can even leech into your body thru cuts or scratches in your hand and cause nausea and headaches. i had my eye swell shut for a few hours and a few days of pain because i dumbly got some palytoxin residue in my eye once.
Impossible to kill, good so who wants some?
Thanks for the ideas/warnings.

[aquadoc]

Deffinately Paly's. I would cut some off of the rock useing a razor blade or knife. Dig the end of the knife just a little below the surface, and right by the polyp. Then twist. This usualy will break a small chunk of polyps off, with a small rock simply used to keep them from floating around. This also gives a place to put some super glue, for fixing the frag to the rock.