ReefkeeperZ, HELP!-Fragging an open brain...

[reef diver]

A have a rather large, beautiful open brain that I want to frag, however, I do not know how to. HEre is a picture of the specimen as of a couple months ago.

No im not fragging the mantis

 

[ric maniac]

I asked him the same question about mine. He told me just to take a tile saw and deflate the coral, then saw it. I'm not sure weather he said to go along the ridges or against them though.

 

[reefkprz]

yup tile saw, with marine water in it. I would cut straight accross the coralthen (this is the important part) let the newlty cut brain coral , slime up in a bucket of water for a half hour or so before returning it to the tank. (make sure you can maintain the temperature in the bucket.

 

[dude23455]

Why would you want to frag such a beatiful peice?

 

[reef diver]

So I can have more like it, and so other people can have a beautiful piece such as this, however due to the fact that I lack a tile saw, I cant frag it. Do you know any other ways to frag these?

 

[grabbitt]

Originally Posted by Reef Diver
So I can have more like it, and so other people can have a beautiful piece such as this, however due to the fact that I lack a tile saw, I cant frag it. Do you know any other ways to frag these?
Here's a safe approach- Which costs more: A tile saw or that brain coral?

 

[reef diver]

Brain coral was $5 hahaha, my LFS guy was tearing down a prop tank in favor of a HUGE deal on LR so he was selling alot of those corals for dirt cheap, that included my dinnerplate size RBTA for another 50 bucks, essentially a bargain. And corals are much hardier than we realize, im not afraid to try things because I know ill learn from it. thats how i started reefing.

 

[ifirefight]

Originally Posted by Reef Diver
however due to the fact that I lack a tile saw, I cant frag it.
AWWW MANNN, I was following this thread...I have a large brain also... well........you know what I mean.

 

[dude23455]

Originally Posted by Reef Diver
So I can have more like it, and so other people can have a beautiful piece such as this, however due to the fact that I lack a tile saw, I cant frag it. Do you know any other ways to frag these?

A hacksaw will make quick work of that skeleton. Im kind of interested to see how it will recover. however, i dont think I could do it to any of my brains.

 

[reef diver]

Originally Posted by Dude23455
A hacksaw will make quick work of that skeleton. Im kind of interested to see how it will recover. however, i dont think I could do it to any of my brains.

Big problem with a hacksaw tho, the skeleton isnt that challenge, its getting the skeleton with minimal damage. Kinda like this, if you cut your finger off with a tile saw, they can re-attach nit easy, with a hacksaw, teh muscular and tissue damage is far too extensive.

 

[grabbitt]

Originally Posted by Dude23455
A hacksaw will make quick work of that skeleton. Im kind of interested to see how it will recover. however, i dont think I could do it to any of my brains.
I completely sympathize with you. Hell, I am working up the courage AS I TYPE to frag my sun coral.
...For the last three weeks.

 

[reef diver]

Originally Posted by Dude23455
A hacksaw will make quick work of that skeleton. Im kind of interested to see how it will recover. however, i dont think I could do it to any of my brains.

Big problem with a hacksaw tho, the skeleton isnt that challenge, its getting the skeleton with minimal damage. Kinda like this, if you cut your finger off with a tile saw, they can re-attach nit easy, with a hacksaw, teh muscular and tissue damage is far too extensive.

 

[kidreef]

Originally Posted by GRabbitt
I completely sympathize with you. Hell, I am working up the courage AS I TYPE to frag my sun coral.
...For the last three weeks.
i think i beat u on that i have been building up the courage to frag my shroom since june it got tired of waitin i guess and did the job for be now i got 2 babys yay

 

[donald]

I want to frag my green open brain but, I can't work up the courage. I do have a tile saw sitting in the shop, the same one that reefkeeperz has used in his viedos. If I killed it I think my wife would make sure I followed.(she loves it).

 

[t316]

What about a band saw? I have several, but if you don't have one, put it in a bucket and carry it to someone who does. Process over in 30 seconds

 

[reef diver]

Yeah, I know a few friends who have tile saws, but they use it for tile, and as such theyre a bit, well, dirty, and I wouldnt trust teh things, nor trust my friends to cut such a beautiful piece. So, i think ill take it to a SCMAS club member when I can get down there, and ask someone to frag it for me.

 

[reefkprz]

I just read through the other posts since my last post and I have to agree with reefdivers obsevation about the hacksaw, the teeth tearing flesh would be extremely traumatic and tear rather than cut the flesh I wouldnt begin to know whether the coral could recover from such a rough cut. also the broken pieces of skeleton from the hacksaw blade (the chips) would be forced all through the flesh leaving many small secondary wounds and bone splinters in the edges of the cut flesh. it would leave a lot of spots for secondary infections.
Diver about the only other method that I would ever attempt would be with a rotozip cutting tool with a masonry blade in it. the problem with this method is the rotozpi is a dry cut and the blade can heat up going through the skeleton possibly burning the coral further into the cut. the wet tile saw is definatly the safest method.

 

[renogaw]

wooo, salt water in a tile saw... imagine the rust that would cause!
wouldn't a hacksaw sorta mimic how a coral is chomped off in the wild by coral eating animals? they don't sit down and patiently chop a coral in half, and the corals survive.
as for the sun coral, i am having the same hesitation... i figured i'd try to cut some of the skin off where there are new polyps, and the darn things are already stony

 

[reef diver]

Think is is coral eating animals dont care if the animal survives.

So, because we do its best to cut the animal doing as little damage as possible. Its a bit like this: Would you rather 1. Cut yourself along a thin deep cut, or a wide, deep cut, an whcih would heal faster.

 

[renogaw]

but what i'm saying is the corals survive out in uncontrolled environment. i'd bet the coral doesn't care that it has a ragged cut, or a nice clean one, but rather that it has to do it's best to heal up asap and get back to life.
also, can you for the sake of argument, cut the body with a razor blade, then hacksaw the skeleton?