Fragging advice needed on a large Toadstool Leather.

[returnofsid]

I've got a HUGE toadstool leather in my 46. It's getting way too large and is in mortal combat with a Torch coral. It's also just taking up too much room in the tank. I'm looking for some advice on how to frag it. The cap is, easily, 7" in diameter. The stock is nearly 4" in diameter and the entire colony stands atleast 12" tall.

Here's a picture of it, taken the end of May, 2008.

Here's a couple of pics I took last week, that show the growth. I can't wrap my hand around the stock.

And finally, here's a couple pics that show it's polyp extension. When it's happy, it'll extend it's polyps 2"-3". Madison, our 3 year old daughter, took the full tank shot with Angie's point and shoot Sony...lol. Not a bad lil' photographer.

Now to my tentative plan. I'm considering slicing the entire cap off, cutting rings of it and then cutting those rings into smaller frags. As I get close to where the cap connected to the stock, I'll change to pie cuts, through the center of the cap.

As for the stock, here's where I need some advice. I know if I just leave the stock alone, it'll eventually form another cap. However, the stock is just way too large for my tank. I'm considering cutting the stock into numerous cross sections, and then cutting those into pie pieces. I have no idea if these pieces will survive or not, but it's sounding like an interesting experiment...lol. Any thoughts?

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Anthony Calfo has written a lot on this subject.
Here are many good links:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/alcyonpropfaqs.htm
http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic30158-13-1.aspx
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/softcorpropfaqs.htm
http://kb.marinedepot.com/article.aspx?id=10170
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-10/ac/feature/index.php

Most of the cap pieces will do fine, I would leave a ring of tissue on the stem though to help it recover.

 

[returnofsid]

Thanks for the links Mike!! I'd found and am reading some of them already. The problem with leaving some tissue around the stem is that the stem is a good 10" tall and 4" in diameter. I really don't want that large of a piece left in the tank...lol.

Not sure what I'll do with the stem yet.

 

[CarlaW]

Is there a way to get the coral out of the tank?

 

[returnofsid]

Yep, it's actually attached to a small "fist sized" piece of rock. Getting it out will be easy. In fact, my plan is to remove this coral from the tank permanently. I might replace it with one of the frags, after it's healed. This coral was much more colorful under the T5s in the 75, when it was a wee lil' toadstool. As it's grown, it's just become a beast....lol. I'm hoping the frags will color up again, as they grow under better lighting. Or the color loss could be do to continual combat with the Torch Coral and RBTA...lol.

Unless I read something that changes my mind, here's my plan.

I'm going to completely remove the cap from the stem and cut the cap into circular "donuts." Then, these donuts will be sliced into smaller frags.

I'm then going to slice the stem into approximately 1" cross sections. These cross sections will then be cut "pie or pizza style."

Because of the risk of all of these frags releasing noxious toxins, most will not be placed back in any of my reef tanks. I have a tote with a bunch of fully cured live rock, live sand, a few zoanthid colonies and a bunch of green star polyp. I'm going to break up a piece of rock to make a bunch of rubble. I'll dump most of the frags on the "bed" of rubble to attach. A few of the cap frags will go in the 40 frag tank.

 

[CarlaW]

Good plan there Michael!!!! Could you put together a prior mentioned e-mail for me, and I will see what we can see???

 

[returnofsid]

Yep. I'll get that to you as soon as I have a better idea of contents and our schedule!! Thanks!!!

 

[CarlaW]

I was just going to do some testing of the waters for ya.

 

[returnofsid]

Oh alright, I'll get it written up and sent out, today or tomorrow then!!

 

[CarlaW]

Cool sid, at least you can get a guage maybe, help pay for gas money.

 

[sgwill122]

I just fragged my toadstool of similar size for the second time, I cut him up into six somewhat equal pieces, I always try to leave some stalk which has attached to rubble which makes life easier since I do not have to worry about trying to get the frags attached after the cut, although this last round I had to rubber band half the frags which need to be as loose as possible but still holding the frag. If tight at all the rubberband cuts right through the frag, rubber band can be removed in a week. I frag in a separate container and then put all frags back in the tank, I have always read about toxins but never had an issue and I do not run carbon in a 180 with primarily sps.

 

[DBM Reef]

pics

Can you post some pics when you are doing this fragging im
interested cause mine will need it one day to LOL
thanks

 

[returnofsid]

Yep, there will be pics posted. Although, I don't recommend anyone try anything quite as drastic as I'm going to do...lol. If you're fragging, just to trim it back and make a few frags, there are much more common ways, that don't involve chopping the whole thing up...lol.

If you can remove the toadstool, get it to retract all it's polyps, and then remove it. Place it "head down" on a cutting surface and cut about 1" or so wide, all the way around the cap. This will give you a 1" or so "donut." The mother colony can then be replaced, and the donut can be cut into pieces, which will each become a clone of the mother colony. My technique is going to be much more drastic, but will start with this, so there'll be pics of it.

 

[JasonD]

I fragged a 10" toadstool a few years back. I cut the entire thing up in quarter size pieces (1/2" thick). I just sliced the top up in squares. I sliced the stem up as well. I had about a 60% success rate. Ended up with 50 or so corals . The success rate would have been much higher but I glued the frags down. So a lot were lost because they detached. The ones that stayed attached all made it. I found homes for almost all of them. I have just 4 on the little guy left. They are starting to get large again .

2006 before (10"):

2006 after (1/2"):

2009 (4"):

 

[brandyrb]

Not sure if this could be applied to toadstool cap pieces, but a long time ago when I cut up a colt coral, I pushed a toothpick through the base and used a rubberband around the toothpick ends to hold the frags to some rubble. I'm sure you could do the same with frag plugs. Once the coral attaches, the toothpick can be removed and the hole through the coral will heal pretty quickly.

Wow, you're just cutting all kinds of stuff up.

 

[returnofsid]

I've got a few different techniques that I'm going to experiment with, for attaching the frags. Yep, I'm cutting a few things up. I've gotta make more room in my tanks...lol.

 

[artguy1]

Stellar post Mike, as always..."you da man"...interesting reading

artguy1
Greg Patton

Anthony Calfo has written a lot on this subject.
Here are many good links:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/alcyonpropfaqs.htm
http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic30158-13-1.aspx
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/softcorpropfaqs.htm
http://kb.marinedepot.com/article.aspx?id=10170
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-10/ac/feature/index.php

Most of the cap pieces will do fine, I would leave a ring of tissue on the stem though to help it recover.

 

[fatboyt123]

did you get that they all chopped up yet sid?