How do you frag a carnation coral?

if it were me. I would take a pair of bone cutters,  long dykes, or rotary tool with a masonry cutting wheel and cut the stone underneath the coral without actually cutting the coral itself.

I take it your doing this just to move it away from the aip?

if you are trying to fragment the coral I would use the tried and true attach first cut later. I'll explain. place the coral so it is touching the rock you want it attached to. preferably with the near base of the coral. let it attach, this can take several weeks, then cut between the two bases with a string or zip tie by tying it or zipping it snug and slowly tightening it over the next couple weeks. this is a very unobtrusive method and has a higher success rate than Any other technique that I have seen, for actual fragmentation. 

but like I said if you just want to move the co0ral in its entirety off the rock cut the rock.

What I would not do is cut it free of its base in its entirety with a razor and try to rubber band it down. it may survive the experience but I wouldn't bet money on it.

I'm sorry but it just seems like a dumb move to try and frag a small coral to get it away from aptasia. Kill the aptasia with Joes juice or aptasia X. Carnation corals are ticky and if you try fragging it...it may not make it and I personally wouldn't chance it. It's too small to try and cut the rock.

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Originally Posted by Flower . Carnation corals are ticky and if you try fragging it...it may not make it and I personally wouldn't chance it. It's too small to try and cut the rock.

I completely agree with the first part.

I'm just confused as to whats too small to cut the rock? the rock? or the coral? I've cut rock out from under single polyps of zoanthids before. and I know its possible to cut dime size chunks out of rock I have done it making natural plugs.
 

Hey Reefkprz, how are you doing?

I have had really good luck with the method allowing it to move over to the new rock on it's own.  I'm actually doing it at the moment in preparation for yet another move.  I almost lost it the last time, this time, I am working on fragging it so that I can put it into two tanks to ensure that should something go wrong, I still have another piece!

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Originally Posted by reefkprZ 

I completely agree with the first part.

 

I'm just confused as to whats too small to cut the rock? the rock? or the coral? I've cut rock out from under single polyps of zoanthids before. and I know its possible to cut dime size chunks out of rock I have done it making natural plugs.
 

 

LOL...it does sound funny now that you draw my attention to how it sounds. I will try and explain better....The only reason I would frag a carnation coral is if it is too big. To frag a ticky coral like a carnation because you have aptasia on it's rock makes no sense to me. Kill the aptasia and let the carnation grow some without stressing it by trying to cut it off of it's rock

If you have a large coral, you can chop a part off and still have your original coral...but if the coral is already small you may kill it by hacking on it and in the end have nothing.

I just took a "finger" off of my finger leather...the largest portion is still intact on it's rock..the frag is starting to bloom and grow....had the frag not made it, I still have the original coral and suffer no loss. A finger leather is much hardier than a carnation. I wish I could get a pink/red carnation to survive...that's why I don't want you to take a chance on killing it.

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Originally Posted by smartorl 

Hey Reefkprz, how are you doing?

 

I have had really good luck with the method allowing it to move over to the new rock on it's own.  I'm actually doing it at the moment in preparation for yet another move.  I almost lost it the last time, this time, I am working on fragging it so that I can put it into two tanks to ensure that should something go wrong, I still have another piece!

I'm doing good. I am doing a foray into planted tanks and terrariums for a while.

IMO allowing a coral to move by its self is the BEST method. definitely not the fastest, but you have a zero mortality rate.

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Originally Posted by Flower 

LOL...it does sound funny now that you draw my attention to how it sounds. I will try and explain better....The only reason I would frag a carnation coral is if it is too big. To frag a ticky coral like a carnation because you have aptasia on it's rock makes no sense to me. Kill the aptasia and let the carnation grow some without stressing it by trying to cut it off of it's rock

 

If you have a large coral, you can chop a part off and still have your original coral...but if the coral is already small you may kill it by hacking on it and in the end have nothing.

 

I just took a "finger" off of my finger leather...the largest portion is still intact on it's rock..the frag is starting to bloom and grow....had the frag not made it, I still have the original coral and suffer no loss. A finger leather is much hardier than a carnation. I wish I could get a pink/red carnation to survive...that's why I don't want you to take a chance on killing it.

 

I agree, it is a small frag that's why I recommended cutting the rock under it so you don't actually do anything to the coral.  That is also why I recomended the constriction method I dont know if you have tried it but I have not lost a coral using constriction, neither the frag nor the mother colony. both methods are great for hideously sensitive/rare/expensive corals.

I too would kill the aiptasia, but he asked how to frag and me, I love telling people how to frag. Honestly the coral has a better chance at starving to death than it does of dying from constriction fragging or him cutting the rock.

all bets are off if he goes and hacks at it with a razor but I am pretty sure I pointed that out in my first post.

Quote:

Originally Posted by reefkprZ 

I agree, it is a small frag that's why I recommended cutting the rock under it so you don't actually do anything to the coral.  That is also why I recomended the constriction method I dont know if you have tried it but I have not lost a coral using constriction, neither the frag nor the mother colony. both methods are great for hideously sensitive/rare/expensive corals.

 

I too would kill the aiptasia, but he asked how to frag and me, I love telling people how to frag. Honestly the coral has a better chance at starving to death than it does of dying from constriction fragging or him cutting the rock.

 

 

all bets are off if he goes and hacks at it with a razor but I am pretty sure I pointed that out in my first post.

I hate to frag...I know the books say they don't feel it but......they do react, so they have to feel something.

I don't frag a coral until it's almost taking over the tank and that doesn't happen too often, it takes some time to get that big. LOL...I could never be a surgen either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flower 

I hate to frag...I know the books say they don't feel it but......they do react, so they have to feel something.

 

I don't frag a coral until it's almost taking over the tank and that doesn't happen too often, it takes some time to get that big. LOL...I could never be a surgen either.

 

My first couple years I wouldn't frag anything at all. I would let them grow over onto other rocks, then have someone else cut them. or just let it happen on its own. I was terrified of killing them. after hearing Anthony Calfo speak on coral propagation I gathered what little nerve I had and fragged a Green Discosoma (mushroom) I was panicked for over a week on how I must have killed it. Once it recovered I was fascinated. and it took off from there. I have not owned a coral that I did not frag at least once. There are a couple I would like to frag that I haven't gotten my hands on yet. If anyone wants to invite me over to frag their elegance coral I'm there.  (hint hint anyone?) LOL

Haha!  I remember so vividly, when a friend came over to frag my monster toadstool.  He had this massive set of shears and without any warning, just lopped the whole crown off.  I was appalled.

Later, on my own, I have learned how to frag less invasively and how to frag without ruining the integrity of the original coral, thus allowing for repeated harvesting while not losing the aestetic (sp) of the original piece in your tank.

It is fascinating to me.

well. there are dozens of reasons a frag may not make it. first and foremost is always how healthy is the mother coral? has it been in your tank for 4+ months? is it fully adjusted to lighting? is it well fed? are your water conditions optimal?  did you place the frag in a similar location lighting wise? they aren't photosynthetic but they are able to sunburn. which technique did you use to frag it? and more.

run those through you head and think about some of the methods I have listed in earlier posts. you don't really need to answer all those questions for me, they are questions you can file for later frag use.