Step by step - fragging GSP

[speg]

Originally Posted by escape2thewater
This is a great and informative post SPEG! Thanks for taking the time to do it for us. Now if I just knew of something that ate GSP I would be soooooo happy! Like you mentioned in your post I let mine grow too big too fast, now its a nuisance.
Escape
I skipped fragging mine for a couple weeks figuring it would be no big deal... well when I did decide to frag it and lifted the rock up.. it was fused with 2 other rocks including a huge 30 lb rock that was underneath it. Now gsp is growing on that rock too.. which sucks because I may have to end up getting rid of that rock now unless I think of a clever way to destroy the gsp without destroying anything on the rock

 

[escape2thewater]

I know the feeling! So far the only thing I have found to be somewhat effective is to cover the GSP with epoxy. You have to totally cover it and a little beyond it or else it will just grow around the epoxy. When I first started this hobby I never thought I would hate a type of coral so bad!

Escape
:happyfish

 

[rberhow]

Ok, Speg, you have inspired me to make my first official attempt at fragging. Thank you very much for walking us through this to boost my confidence. I will try fragging those leathers I asked about. I have to pick up some netting first and then its snip time. Oops, hope hubby doesn't read that, he hates that phrase after his little appointment with the dr.

In all seriousness, thanks a bunch and a question?? Can you frag a closed brain? I can't imagine how but I have learned in this hobby to ask because sometimes the impossible is actually very possible.

 

[speg]

Originally Posted by rberhow
Can you frag a closed brain?
I think if you want more of those you're going to have to hope they spawn in your tank

 

[hot883]

Originally Posted by rberhow
Ok, Speg, you have inspired me to make my first official attempt at fragging. Thank you very much for walking us through this to boost my confidence. I will try fragging those leathers I asked about. I have to pick up some netting first and then its snip time. Oops, hope hubby doesn't read that, he hates that phrase after his little appointment with the dr.

In all seriousness, thanks a bunch and a question?? Can you frag a closed brain? I can't imagine how but I have learned in this hobby to ask because sometimes the impossible is actually very possible.

Thats just wrong!! :hilarious

 

[hot883]

Originally Posted by Speg
Pick a spot on it and just break it off or cut it with scissors. Then that piece can simply be glued to a small piece of rock or stuck into the sand. Some gorgonians are much harder and can actually be 'broken' and some are soft and need to be cut, but could be ripped.
Thanks again Speg. I would then just stick the other piece in the sand like this Gorgonian is or glue the frag to a rock?! Got it. I will let you know.(knees knocking)Ha! Nah!

 

[azocean709]

Thank you Speg.!! ...imma gonna go bust off a piece of yellow gargonia and giver er' a shot! got the perfect little arm of it that will make for a good frag!

 

[mudplayerx]

Great post Speg. I wanted to add a word of caution. Don't let any pieces of the star polyps get anywhere in the tank. Even the smallest part of the "mat" will grow. I've got darn star polyps sprouting up all over my tank, stinging all my corals.

 

[harndog]

So GSP sting other corals huh??? great one of the rock I got has GSP SPS and Zoas all on the same rock. My Xenia moved a little close to the rock and 2 or 3 of the ZOAS started closing up I thought it was the Xenia but now know it could be GSP's Glad I have another huge colony of those Zoas Nice Post Speg. I have heard of at least one person saying she cuts Zoas is this possible or is placing a rock you want to populate the only way to frag Zoas???

 

[speg]

Xenias do not / can not sting. GSP sting pretty darn good.
You have to place rocks near zoas and let them spread onto them.

 

[rgmason]

Speg you once again have amazed me i followed your fraggin step by step with the gsp and kaboom i have gsp local fishy store gave 15 bucks for a rock the size of a half dollar

 

[rgmason]

Couldnt com plain fist time i have made money off of my tank. Next step is to learn how to do shrroms heard they were pretty easy!

 

[speg]

Yeah, I think there is already a fragging shroom post up somewhere by Oceana. A little searching would bring it up. To me they're not as 'easy' as gsp.. and quite a bit more messy/smelly. Still interesting to do though!

 

[darknes]

When I frag mine, all I do is superglue it to a rock. GSP isn't slimy like shrooms, so it doesn't come off the rock.
About the "stinging", I've never heard of GSP sting. I don't think it does at all.

 

[speg]

Well anything in my tank that is close to the gsp ends up not opening at all until it is moved away. I had some zoas that were overgrown by GSP and the zoas ended up closing and now they will not open at all. I have two leathers that had the same thing happen to them, now they stay shriveled up and wont extend at all.

 

[salty tank]

do you feed your green star polyp?

 

[speg]

Originally Posted by salty tank
do you feed your green star polyp?
Not direct feedings like other coral get.

 

[mudplayerx]

Yep, just super glue gel your star polyp frag to the rock. Also, they sting other corals really badly, this I am sure of.

 

[wax32]

Originally Posted by rberhow
Can you frag a closed brain?
Yes. Eric Borneman does it with a table saw and a thin, fine toothed blade. I watched him take a big one and make a bunch of 1" square chunks out of it. Really cool.
Originally Posted by salty tank
do you feed your green star polyp?
They are one of very few corals that get all of their nutrition from their zooxanthellae, no outside food needed at all.

 

[azocean709]

can you scrape brown button polyps the same way to frag um...i moved mine down lower in the tank today and was skeered i was gonna squish um..