Does anybody else have problems fragging shrooms?

[juice_1080]

I have successfully fragged Zenia and GSP and more than likely would have successfully fragged some zoos if they would have cooperated a little more. But it seems like every time I try to frag a shroom it goes bad.
When I frag any shroom that I have tried I cut it quickly with a razor blade as close to the rock as possible and then it sits in my tank in a clear plastic cup full of CC that has been buried into the substrate and cut to stick about 2" out of it....and this is what it always looks like after it sits there for a while.
My tank parameters are fine and all the other corals in my tank are growing daily. Can anybody tell me what I might be doing wrong?

 

[juice_1080]

Sorry for the bad pic my camera sucks.

 

[teresaq]

I think your container is a little too tall.not getting any flow in it. I just did a bunch. I used one of those disposible bowls by gladd, cut most of the center out of the top, filled the bowl with rubble, not just cc, try rubble or broken shells, put my shrooms in, cover with bridle netting, and put the lid on. It needs to have some flow, but not blown around.
also what kind of shrooms if they are yumas, them they are harder to frag. I would pm Flricordia-he has lots of Yumas.

 

[juice_1080]

If I cut it any shorter they would get blown right out of it and behind the rockwork where they wouldn't get any light. I really don't have any rubble or broken shells in my tank. I need to get a chunk of LR and just smash it up but right now I am really discouraged in shroom fragging from this. Not only did the ones in the container die the base that from what I understand should grow to a new shroom also dies.
There must be something else going on here that I am not catching. Does the blade matter at all? I have been using a Stanley Utility Knife blade for all my fraggings. I use a new one each time but they rust pretty quickly after I cut frags, I am assuming from the saltwater. Maybe that is affecting it?

What do you use to cut them?

 

[petjunkie]

It's the flow. I had the same problem with blue mushrooms and now I have to let them float around and hope I find them all, putting them in the containers is a guarenteed death.

 

[kidreef]

there is a way to make them want to split them selfves just cut the shroom bout half way through (stopping at mouth) and wen u do this u leave it on the rock
i have never done it cause my shrooms r droppin babies like crazy

but i read it on a propagation website so it should work

 

[juice_1080]

Originally Posted by kidreef
there is a way to make them want to split them selfves just cut the shroom bout half way through (stopping at mouth) and wen u do this u leave it on the rock
i have never done it cause my shrooms r droppin babies like crazy

but i read it on a propagation website so it should work
Could you explain this more in detail?

 

[kidreef]

take the blade and cut through the shroom (while on the rock it is on) on one side stopping before u hit the base or mouth this should encorage the shroom to split on its own

 

[juice_1080]

Originally Posted by petjunkie
It's the flow. I had the same problem with blue mushrooms and now I have to let them float around and hope I find them all, putting them in the containers is a guarenteed death.
It can't be too little flow going through the cup because the smaller frags do bounce around quite a bit when they are in there and I do not cover it with anything whatsoever. Everybody else seems to have great success with putting them in containers.
The only thing I am pushing around in my head as a possible cause is the fact that I don't use stainless/surgical blades and possibly the oil that they coat them with so they don't rust may effect it. Either that or when the salt hits the blade and produces rust that it is in some way infecting the corals. These are just ideas/theories that are all I can attribute the failed attempts to. Maybe one of the fragging gods (Reefkeeperz or Flricordia or another I don't know of) will catch this post and notice something I didn't even notice I was doing wrong.
For now I guess I am just going to try to find some surgical blades (any input where to find them would be appreciated) and wait till I feel confident/have more shrooms before I try to frag them again.

 

[juice_1080]

Originally Posted by kidreef
take the blade and cut through the shroom (while on the rock it is on) on one side stopping before u hit the base or mouth this should encorage the shroom to split on its own
So are you saying to basically score the shroom then? Just enough to break the skin and then stop.

 

[kidreef]

yeah on one side but cut all the way through just dont cut the base or the mouth

 

[saltspirt]

go to garf they have a rly good page on shroom propogation.also try covering your contaner but still increasing the flow. so like make it shorter and point a power head at it then put a big weave net or bridal vail over it.

 

[bpophoto79]

You might also want to try cleaning your blades before you use them, the anti-rust preservative oil may be affecting the shrooms.

 

[juice_1080]

Thats what I was thinking. I remember my dad used to have surgical scalpel blades from being a Taxidermist so I called him up and I think next time I go up and visit him he's going to give me a bunch of him.

 

[bessycerka]

Don't feel like the lone ranger juice, my girlfriend has been having the same trouble. It's been said that you can frag them in a blender, so I'm not so sure that you need a special blade. The rust thing ,hmmm, nah, she tried razors, stainless steel scissors, I think the flow rate makes sense. Good thread topic.

 

[teresaq]

I use a container that is no more then an inch and a half tall. rubble, and netting. I use regular razor blades, wash them with a little dab of dawn (yup), to get rid of the oil, rinse then in vinigar and then in regular water. Though usualy I just pick them off the rock with my finger nail.
The square glad bowls work good. cut most of the center out of the lid, pur rubble and shrooms in bowl, cover with netting and snap on the lid. That way you still get flow in in the bowl.
I have also done the cut in half while its still attached. you can cut all the way through the center, and push the foot apart a little so the two halves are seperate.
another way is just point a power head at them and make them move. they will not like the extra flow so the start to move and leave a little piece of foot behind, when you start to see them move, take the power head away.
TeresaQ