How to Frag Toxic Corals the Right Way!

by George Mavrakis on January 13, 2022

Today I’m going to explain to you how to frag corals the right way. You're probably thinking, “What is this guy talking about? I've seen plenty of tutorials on this. I've seen so many YouTube videos on how to frag corals.” Nine out of 10 of these videos on YouTube are showing you how to do it the wrong way! And they’re showing you a way that is extremely dangerous and could hospitalize you, especially if you're working with toxic corals, like Zoanthids. 

I will show you what you need to do to prepare for fragging and then give you an actual demonstration of how to frag Zoanthids and toxic corals the smart, efficient, and right way. To frag the right way you need the right preparation. This means two things: equipment and safety.

Marine aquarium hobbyists should always wear protective gloves and eye protection when working or fragging corals in a reef tank. Some of the easiest corals to care for (like Zoanthid polyps) contain a very dangerous neurotoxins called Palytoxin. And if you have Zoas in your system, it's absolutely essential to wear gloves when working with them or around them. You could use surgical latex gloves or something heavy-duty that goes all the way up to your arm and keeps you dry. They will keep bacteria out of the tank and bacteria from the tank from coming into your body. You also never know when a bristle worm might pop out of a rock and try to poke you. Dig around for a pair of swimming goggles, and wear whatever you’ve got. As ridiculous as you will look, you'll be protected. I use chem googles that I had to buy for a chemistry class.

I can't stress enough that you need to wear this stuff when fragging Zoanthids and other potentially toxic corals. I've read so many stories about people cutting themselves, wiping their eyes, or breathing in boiled rock fumes when dealing with toxic corals, which nearly killed them.

This is dangerous stuff. So don't play around!

 

To see a demonstration on how to frag toxic corals the RIGHT way, watch this video!