? about Fragging
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danrw84
Active Member
for my frags, i reach in the tank with some scisors. get it while its fully open. take off what you want with a fast clean cut.
get a small peice of rock or whatever you want it to grow on, pull the frag out of the water, dry off the base, put some super glue on it, stick it to the rock and place it in a low flow area for a while so it can attach to the rock. my leather frag is slowly attaching to its LR rubble piece. its been 2 weeks i think, almost!
get a small peice of rock or whatever you want it to grow on, pull the frag out of the water, dry off the base, put some super glue on it, stick it to the rock and place it in a low flow area for a while so it can attach to the rock. my leather frag is slowly attaching to its LR rubble piece. its been 2 weeks i think, almost!
yosemite sam
Active Member
My colt got a bit slimey when I cut it, so you might want to use a bowl of tank water to cut them, and them move all the bits back to the main tank. Also, here is a really easy way to attach them if you have some small bits of LR in your tank:
The purple bit in the fragged coral, take a needle (black) and stick it through the bottom of the frag, then secure it to the LR piece (red) with two rubber bands (yellow). After a week or so, once the frag has attached itself to the rock, pull out the pin, and take off the rubber bands.
The purple bit in the fragged coral, take a needle (black) and stick it through the bottom of the frag, then secure it to the LR piece (red) with two rubber bands (yellow). After a week or so, once the frag has attached itself to the rock, pull out the pin, and take off the rubber bands.
yosemite sam
Active Member
That's a good point. Maybe I have stainless steal pins. I've done it twice with no problems.
azonic
Active Member
I would NOT frag a coral with scissors. You could easily damage the tissue on the coral and cause an infection in the coral. Play it safe, use a sharp and sterilized razor blade. I remove my colt from the tank completely....out of water for a few moments. Place it in a dish or plate and make the cut. Then replace the original back to the tank. Attach the frag to a rock using whichever method works for you...rubber band is all i use...and voila your done.
Also do not frag if you happen to have red slime algae in your tank...it can cause infection in the coral. Not saying you do....just making sure.
good luck!
Also do not frag if you happen to have red slime algae in your tank...it can cause infection in the coral. Not saying you do....just making sure.
good luck!
crazyelvis
Member
Ryan,
What I do with shrooms is, lop off the head... cut it into four pieces like a pie... then I lay the pieces on a new live rock and cover them with bridal vail until they attach... I have found that once you have fragged a shroom and it has grown, it will split more often on its own... Also the original stem will grow a new head...
What I do with shrooms is, lop off the head... cut it into four pieces like a pie... then I lay the pieces on a new live rock and cover them with bridal vail until they attach... I have found that once you have fragged a shroom and it has grown, it will split more often on its own... Also the original stem will grow a new head...
saltyrich
Active Member
Razors are great, but I'd have to disagree with Azonic on the scissors thing. You can obtain surgical scissors at medical supply places that are exceptional. They are incredibly sharp and the design of a pair of scissors allows you to make a clean swift cut. In fact, the cut is much quicker with a pair of surgical scissors than using a razor. Very efficient.
slowest is fastest
Member
FWIW
Can you use scissors for fragging...yes, I do for several different corals.
Can scissors damage the coral ....yes, unlike a razor blade the scissors can and do "bruise" the surrounding tissue. For a number of corals this "bruising" rarely causes a problem. On several more sensitive corals the extra damage caused by the scissors can be fatal or at least lengthen the recovery and initial growth time.
Scissors can be faster BUT faster is not necessarily better. It is more important to make a continuous (one motion) cut than to make a quick cut. I like a razor blade because I have more control when fragging large pieces. I can make one continuous cut that turns out much cleaner than starting and stopping with a pair of scissors.
I never cut a coral inside the tank if it is possible to remove the "mother". Toxins can be released from soft corals when cut that can kill other corals in a closed system.
Instruments of choice are just that... personal choice. For "meatier" corals I prefer a new razor blade, for polyps and corals with a mat I generally cut and trim with scissors. I also use a thin piece of nylon thread to take off the odd offending soft branch from time to time on a delicate electric green tree coral I have.
SiF
Can you use scissors for fragging...yes, I do for several different corals.
Can scissors damage the coral ....yes, unlike a razor blade the scissors can and do "bruise" the surrounding tissue. For a number of corals this "bruising" rarely causes a problem. On several more sensitive corals the extra damage caused by the scissors can be fatal or at least lengthen the recovery and initial growth time.
Scissors can be faster BUT faster is not necessarily better. It is more important to make a continuous (one motion) cut than to make a quick cut. I like a razor blade because I have more control when fragging large pieces. I can make one continuous cut that turns out much cleaner than starting and stopping with a pair of scissors.
I never cut a coral inside the tank if it is possible to remove the "mother". Toxins can be released from soft corals when cut that can kill other corals in a closed system.
Instruments of choice are just that... personal choice. For "meatier" corals I prefer a new razor blade, for polyps and corals with a mat I generally cut and trim with scissors. I also use a thin piece of nylon thread to take off the odd offending soft branch from time to time on a delicate electric green tree coral I have.
SiF
broncofish
Active Member
I have seen a picture on somebodys sight..I forget where, but he was fragging with a thin surgical scapel. Have not tried it personaly,but seems easier to use than a razor blade.
slowest is fastest
Member
The surgical scalpels do work well the first time or even the first few times but to avoid having to clean or sudo sterilize them each time I use a less expensive, disposable, clean, sharp every time....razor blade.
Exacto knife or similar hobby blades also work well and are easily replaced with a variety of specialty size and shaped blades. They usually rust after the first use and one pack of 5 cost more than a pack of 25 single edge razor blades.
Using a razor blade does not mean you have to hold the blade. There are numerous inexpesive razor blade holders for sale or one can be made for next to nothing.
SiF
Exacto knife or similar hobby blades also work well and are easily replaced with a variety of specialty size and shaped blades. They usually rust after the first use and one pack of 5 cost more than a pack of 25 single edge razor blades.
Using a razor blade does not mean you have to hold the blade. There are numerous inexpesive razor blade holders for sale or one can be made for next to nothing.
SiF
saltyrich
Active Member
Have you guys ever seen true surgical scissors? Slowestis Fastest has a great point about bruising. regular scissors will in fact bruise, and in most cases it is not harmful. True surgical scissors, like the ones used in surgeries and autopsies ARE razor sharp because they are used to cleanly cut human skin. These won't bruise, but they are a little pricey!