King Tut Zoa: Propagation Guide

Propagating the King Tut zoa (Zoanthus sp.), a golden-skirt turquoise-center morph that grows slowly, by cutting the stolon mat and mounting frags, with required palytoxin precautions.

Overview

King Tut is a high-end Zoanthus morph (family Zoanthidae) with a golden skirt, an orange ring, and a turquoise center, and it is reported as a slow grower favored by collectors. It is a trade-named color selection of these colonial button polyps rather than a separate species. The polyps of a colony remain joined by a stolon, or coenenchyme mat, and Zoanthus is recognized for displaying many color morphs of the same or similar species.

Reproductive Mode

Propagation in aquaria is asexual. Colonies form because offspring polyps remain attached to the parent by a fleshy stolon, and the mat buds new polyps across the rock. This budding is how a King Tut colony enlarges, though its slow growth means expansion is gradual.

Fragging / Asexual Propagation

Pick the polyps to separate and cut through the stolon mat with a clean razor blade.
Run coral cutters along the cut line so the piece breaks free; thick rock is cut with a diamond band saw.
Soak and dry a plug or rubble, dry the frag base, then apply a little cyanoacrylate glue.
Press the frag onto the plug, hold a few seconds to cure, then return it to the tank.
Fresh tissue and new polyps confirm the frag has attached.

Conditions for Propagation

Zoanthus are hardy corals that tolerate lighting from lower to higher levels over roughly an 8 to 12 hour day. Healing frags prefer moderate to higher flow so the polyps are fed and waste is removed. Because King Tut grows slowly, the stolon fills a plug only over time.

Palytoxin Safety

Zoanthids may contain palytoxin, among the most poisonous non-protein substances known. Wear gloves and eye protection during fragging, keep your hands off your face, and wash thoroughly afterward. Do not boil, heat, or scrape the rock, because that can aerosolize the toxin for inhalation. No antidote exists; only symptoms can be treated.

Common Challenges

Newly cut polyps may stay closed for several days while healing; steady chemistry and gentle flow speed recovery. King Tut is slow growing, so colonies enlarge gradually and reward patience. The golden, orange, and turquoise coloration varies with lighting and water quality, and safe palytoxin handling remains the key concern.