Hi all! I have a newer (to me) aquarium, 270 gallon display/400gallon system that I have spent the last 2-1/2 years figuring out to my current state of knowledge (how's THAT for a disclaimer??) I have many SPS corals growing very well. I'm watching the coral warfare going on, I am seeing alterations in my water flow and all of that which comes with nice coral growth. I am considering starting to frag some of these corals, or trim them back and produce frags. Any recommendations on sources of information on how to do this, good sources of instrumentation, frag plugs and all of that? Can corals be trimmed back on a regular basis in place - sort of pruning them?. KevinP, Returnofsid & Charlie know this tank & me, looking for some advise before I just start smashing stuff (using a slow considerate methodology). Thanks!
Fragging for the first time
- Thread starter LostCreekReefer
- Start date
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You can definately frag them as a pruning method to make room, but you want to make sure they are healthy, and don't frag them too often until they have a chance to fully heal. There are many places on the internet that sell fragging kits and plugs, this is the one I just got for Christmas Coral Frag Kit | Propagation Tools | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com. I've always gotten my plugs off ebay, and you can get a cheap wet tile saw for cutting thicker rocks and LPS corals.
Simply cut off the size you want, glue it to a plug or piece of live rock, and let it grow! You will find that you can easily trade or sell your frags for other things that you want/need.
Simply cut off the size you want, glue it to a plug or piece of live rock, and let it grow! You will find that you can easily trade or sell your frags for other things that you want/need.
Myteemouse
NOTHING
yep just zip the tips or branches off with a pair od wire cutters or tin snips. OR pull the rock out and hack them up that way..
THEY are very rezilient corals if your tank is growing them that well.
THEY are very rezilient corals if your tank is growing them that well.
CRASHFIREJOE
350 gal mixed reef
I found garf.org is a good site to learn how to frag different corals as well as making your own frag plugs etc.
kevinpo
Expert
Hi Kevin,
Stainless steel cutters last longest. Be sure to take into consideration how the coral will look from a cosmetic standpoint when making the cuts. With a little planning it will be very hard to tell you have trimmed your coral by anyone but yourself. The cuts typically heal over in a week.
Cheers,
Kevin
Stainless steel cutters last longest. Be sure to take into consideration how the coral will look from a cosmetic standpoint when making the cuts. With a little planning it will be very hard to tell you have trimmed your coral by anyone but yourself. The cuts typically heal over in a week.
Cheers,
Kevin
mcoomer
Who's your daddy?!?
Just do what I do. Next time you're doing a water change or cleaning your tank just knock something heavy into the tank. When you're done cleaning look around for the little pieces that broke off and glue them to a frag plug.
If that doesn't work, get some stainless cutters, scissors, tweezers, and a scalpel (for softies). Look around for kits on the net or check out your local shop for tools. You're also going to want a frag rack and plugs to hold your new frags while they heal. Pretty minimal investment to begin but you can do a lot to fund your tank by trading and selling to other reefers and shops. You may also want to check out Anthony Calfo's Book of Coral Propagation for detailed info. If you're doing softies I guess there are some does and don't with regards to fragging the mouth of the coral but with SPS it seems that you simply pick a spot that you want to open up and nip a piece off.
BTW...something I've done with my frags when I mount them is to put a small ball of reef epoxy on the plut, let it cure, and then glue the frag to the epoxy with IC Gel. I've gotten a few frags that were glued directly to the plug and that makes it difficult sometimes to get it off without breaking it. If you have an epoxy ball for a base, when it's time to mount the frag you simply pop the epoxy off the plug, put a dab of glue on the bottom and put the frag in the tank.
Mike
If that doesn't work, get some stainless cutters, scissors, tweezers, and a scalpel (for softies). Look around for kits on the net or check out your local shop for tools. You're also going to want a frag rack and plugs to hold your new frags while they heal. Pretty minimal investment to begin but you can do a lot to fund your tank by trading and selling to other reefers and shops. You may also want to check out Anthony Calfo's Book of Coral Propagation for detailed info. If you're doing softies I guess there are some does and don't with regards to fragging the mouth of the coral but with SPS it seems that you simply pick a spot that you want to open up and nip a piece off.
BTW...something I've done with my frags when I mount them is to put a small ball of reef epoxy on the plut, let it cure, and then glue the frag to the epoxy with IC Gel. I've gotten a few frags that were glued directly to the plug and that makes it difficult sometimes to get it off without breaking it. If you have an epoxy ball for a base, when it's time to mount the frag you simply pop the epoxy off the plug, put a dab of glue on the bottom and put the frag in the tank.
Mike
Appreciate the replies so far! @ Kevin: I am wondering how the coral grows after being fragged, pruned....Do we clip at the base of a branch & then a new one (or several grow out) or do we clip someplace mid-branch...then how does it grow? Continues what it was doing (single branch? or several new branches at the location of the cut? or new branches at the base of the remaining branch? Sort of like pruning a tree, or do corals just stop growing there & there is not new branching?? or does it depend on what kind of SPS coral we are dealing with? This is the sort of information I'm curious about. I am not removing the corals, but would like an idea how it will continue to grow after I cut on it.
kevinpo
Expert
Hi Kevin,
It depends on the growth form of the coral. Large branch type look best if cut from where the branch meets the main portion. On bushy growth forms it is best to cut low as this portion will soon be shaded by upper portions and die anyway. I try to cut from the back (or the part hard to see when looking into the tank). New growth is highly variable even on the same coral. Sometimes the cut area will form a single corallite in the center. Other times a circle of corallites form. I will post some pictures tonight.
Regards,
Kevin
It depends on the growth form of the coral. Large branch type look best if cut from where the branch meets the main portion. On bushy growth forms it is best to cut low as this portion will soon be shaded by upper portions and die anyway. I try to cut from the back (or the part hard to see when looking into the tank). New growth is highly variable even on the same coral. Sometimes the cut area will form a single corallite in the center. Other times a circle of corallites form. I will post some pictures tonight.
Regards,
Kevin
@ KevinP...I was afraid you'd say that...sounds like you can't predict what the re-growth or new growth will do or where it will come from.
I wish they were like a plant, or shrub, in that we could know the growth pattern, after a cut! Unfortunately, not the case.
Kevin, you should have access to all the tools you need! Bone Cutters, Stainless shears and such. Heck, I use the large "toenail clippers" that you can buy, at any drug store.
Spend some time looking at the colony. Find areas that might seem out of balance, or are growing towards another coral. Maybe those are the areas that you want to cut.
KevinP makes some very good points, that I need to consider more often. Large colonies will tend to shade themselves out, causing the lower areas to die off, due to lack of light. Fragging from those areas will allow you to grow frags, that would otherwise die off.
So, branching type corals are pretty self explanatory. Encrusting corals can be a bit different. Sometimes, you can cut these with a dremel tool, wet tile saw, scroll saw, etc. Other times, sticking a screw driver in a crevice and whacking it with a hammer works great!!
There's also the "tried and true" method of, removing the coral from your tank, dropping it on the floor, picking up the pieces and gluing them to plugs or rubble. Hey, it works!!
Kevin, you should have access to all the tools you need! Bone Cutters, Stainless shears and such. Heck, I use the large "toenail clippers" that you can buy, at any drug store.
Spend some time looking at the colony. Find areas that might seem out of balance, or are growing towards another coral. Maybe those are the areas that you want to cut.
KevinP makes some very good points, that I need to consider more often. Large colonies will tend to shade themselves out, causing the lower areas to die off, due to lack of light. Fragging from those areas will allow you to grow frags, that would otherwise die off.
So, branching type corals are pretty self explanatory. Encrusting corals can be a bit different. Sometimes, you can cut these with a dremel tool, wet tile saw, scroll saw, etc. Other times, sticking a screw driver in a crevice and whacking it with a hammer works great!!
There's also the "tried and true" method of, removing the coral from your tank, dropping it on the floor, picking up the pieces and gluing them to plugs or rubble. Hey, it works!!
I have already discovered the 'tried & true' methods of fragging by dropping the power head on them (when doing a bit of dusting & cleaning) , or clumsy use of the turkey baster or algae scraper with a long handle. The Orange Shoulder Tang also seems to have an opinion about where corals grow...If he does not like it he swims into it & breaks it off (I have seen it once, found pieces on the sand a few times)
mcoomer
Who's your daddy?!?
What the others have just posted about fragging areas that are shaded or densely poplulated is spot on. Those portions will die anyway and if you remove some key pieces and open up the core it allows for more light and water flow to the remaining braches. You'll be doing the mother colony a favor.
Mike
Mike
I can see the point of trying to thin out the center of the colony a bit...how do you get down to the base of a branch in the middle....some sort of long thin instrument or?
I'll take some top-down pictures....some of these are encrusted and the rock is the bottom...
Picture are always cool, and might help with the advise you are seeking.
Do a search on Anthony Calfo. I wish you had mentioned this Saturday, Calfo has a great book on coral propagation that I just happen to have a copy of.
...me too!
