Advice on fragging alveopora
- Thread starter dnjan
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Lexi
Member
it actually depends on whether you have a branching alveopora or not. if it's branching then simply snap it off where the branches divide. if it's a rounded alveopora then I'd say, look for the area where the polyps end and cut there.
NaH2O
Well-known member
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- Jan 25, 2004
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HEY LEXI!! Welcome to Reef Frontiers!
Don, not sure, but I'll do some checking for you. The books I've looked in don't really give an indication as to the best method of propagation. As a side note, I've been reading that Alveopora can be a more difficult species to keep. How has yours done and do you do anything specific for their care?
Don, not sure, but I'll do some checking for you. The books I've looked in don't really give an indication as to the best method of propagation. As a side note, I've been reading that Alveopora can be a more difficult species to keep. How has yours done and do you do anything specific for their care?
Mine have grown significantly in the 2+ years I have had them. Here is the green one when I first got it:
And here it is now (along with a pink one I got a couple of months after the green one):
My tank is fairly high nutrient - I am generally on the edge of a nuisance-algae bloom. Currently, it's dinos. I only skim moderately (Berlin HO on a 100-gal tank).
For fragging, I was thinking of using a side cutter (wire cutter) to "nibble" on one of the branches until I can break it off. But I would be glad to hear other suggestions/words of confidence.
And here it is now (along with a pink one I got a couple of months after the green one):
My tank is fairly high nutrient - I am generally on the edge of a nuisance-algae bloom. Currently, it's dinos. I only skim moderately (Berlin HO on a 100-gal tank).
For fragging, I was thinking of using a side cutter (wire cutter) to "nibble" on one of the branches until I can break it off. But I would be glad to hear other suggestions/words of confidence.
jazznreef
Well-known member
i have been into alveoporas for four years or so. i would think fragging would be difficult and you would probably lose some of the polyps around the areas you cut. there is probably not any way around losing a row or two of polyps on each piece after the cut. as far as keeping these guys, my experiences are consistent with yours dnjan. they seem to do very well in nutrient rich low light tanks and not so well in ones dialed in for sps (low nutrients/high light). when i first got into this hobby my alveoporas did really well. as i leared more and more about keeping the tank for harder to keep animals my alveoporas generally declined in health. kind of frustrating. i just dont think they keep very well in a system dialed in for sps.
Thanks! My gut feeling is the same - pristine SPS tank = alveopora unfriendly. I have some SPS (tubinara cup, pachyseris, Monti cap) that do well, but not acropora.
Did you ever frag any of your allie's? Any suggestions on cutting the skeleton? I know it is fairly porous, but the piece I want to cut is still about 3/4" diameter by 2" long (skeleton size). This allie (the pink one) has grown around the rock it is on, so I can't remove it for the fragging.
Did you ever frag any of your allie's? Any suggestions on cutting the skeleton? I know it is fairly porous, but the piece I want to cut is still about 3/4" diameter by 2" long (skeleton size). This allie (the pink one) has grown around the rock it is on, so I can't remove it for the fragging.
Alveopora fragging update
Thought you might like an update on the alveopora fragging. By the time I got around to it (got up enough courage), I ended up fragging the green one. The pink one still needs fragging, but it was not expanding as well due to being overshadowed by some clauvaria.
To make a long story short, I used a side-cutter to snip off the frag. The side cutter caused the branch to crack off where I wanted to, and I definitely recommend that method for highly-porous, branching corals. The fragging was done about Oct. 1, 2004. Here is the frag now:
It is almost 6" wide when fully extended. The skeleton is about 3" wide when the polyps are retracted.
Though there was no growth on the outside of the skeleton "branch" where I cut it, there are a few polyps coming out the cut end of the (parent colony) branch now.
Thought you might like an update on the alveopora fragging. By the time I got around to it (got up enough courage), I ended up fragging the green one. The pink one still needs fragging, but it was not expanding as well due to being overshadowed by some clauvaria.
To make a long story short, I used a side-cutter to snip off the frag. The side cutter caused the branch to crack off where I wanted to, and I definitely recommend that method for highly-porous, branching corals. The fragging was done about Oct. 1, 2004. Here is the frag now:
It is almost 6" wide when fully extended. The skeleton is about 3" wide when the polyps are retracted.
Though there was no growth on the outside of the skeleton "branch" where I cut it, there are a few polyps coming out the cut end of the (parent colony) branch now.
Anthony Calfo
Well-known member
Alveopora really are hardy corals in the hands of good aquarists (in stark contrast to Goniopora). The reason why many folks have trouble with them at first is because of poor acclimation and/or simply waaaaay too much light (as has been the common mistake in recent years). Alveopora by and large are low to moderate light corals.
Fragging is simple - saw through them with a sharp electric saw. A Dremmel with a cut off wheel works fine here. No kidding
Anthony
Fragging is simple - saw through them with a sharp electric saw. A Dremmel with a cut off wheel works fine here. No kidding
Anthony
Unfortunately for those of us who frag for "pruning" rather than the propogation business, taking the coral out of the tank and using a dremel tool (underwater) is sometimes difficult. The side-cutters worked quite well on the very porous skeleton. When I had to prune a turbinaria-cup, however, I was glad that one came out of the tank easily. Talk about dense ...
