Anemone frag fest

[northstaraquatics]

I send someone out East some perfectly healthy anemones and look what he does to them!! http://www.reefescape.net/video.htm Actually I just want to ask Anthony if this is the best way to frag an anemone? Would scissors be easier and cleaner. I can't keep up with the requests for RBTA through natural splitting. I always have 20-30 mostly on rocks now.

Jon

 

[MAGDRL Mom]

scissors will cause more trauma, scalpel or single edge razor is better and cleaner.

 

[northstaraquatics]

Trauma?! Did you see the video? The fellow doing the cuts is a good friend of mine, but I have to say I cringed through the whole thing. I can understand a single pass cut, but this was more than that and scissors would have been quicker and cleaner. The biggest reason for the cuts his way is that the bases are tough and thick. My problem with scissors is 1)anemones have to be loose, 2) the shearing action may be more harmful. I suppose I can just try. I think all but one frag in the video survived.

You may end up seeing some offspring - fragging was in the DC area WAMAS club,
Jon

 

[MAGDRL Mom]

I don't recall exactly what Calfo said when he was hear... but in my mind it was about the pressure/pinching required to use scissors vs the scalpel.

With the scalpel two easy cuts from the mouth outward, very little pressure required so no "bruising". The foot usually closes within minutes when cutting in half. I haven't witnessed the multiple cuts.

 

[JoshF]

One of the other advantages of cutting from the inside of the mouth outward is making sure that the mouth gets divided evenly. I have seen a few reports of people just using a single cut with a knife or scissors and one nem recovers well and the other one lags behind significantly in both recovery and growth. In Anthony Calfo's forum he has a TON of sticky links about anemone farming. It is a bit freaky watching an RBTA being sliced and diced, but really no more strange than fragging any other coral. I remember a guy about 4 years ago who's parents tried to get him into therapy when they saw him cutting up his corals! They thought he was abusing them. Instead he was trying to start a prop tank! :lol: Fortunately he pointed them to the forums and showed them that he wasn't going to turn into a mass murderer!

Josh

 

[Anthony Calfo]

any single edge blade is better than scissors (crushing action)

Razor blade... scalpel... e-xacto knife, etc

 

[sihaya]

...same reason surgeons don't use scissors.

 

[vaporize]

hahah you guys are right, this is not an 'ideal' cutting show He basically run the knife through out a few times, those fish filleting knife or exacto knife are good and clean.