advice on fragging toadstool leather..??

[JennaH]

i bought a small-ish toadstool leather as one of my 1st corals about 1-2 months ago. this thing is growing at a rediculous rate! it started out at 4-5 " in diameter fully open, now it's easily 7-8" in diameter, it's the centerpiece in my 12 gallon (although my clowns aren't impressed by it)

i'm worried it's quickly outgrowing my tank before i have the funds and experience to convert my 40 gallon planted into a reef.

anyone have advice on fragging? do toadstools split under stress? i really like it and wouldn't want to lose it of course..

 

[fullspeed]

www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1590749

 

[JennaH]

perfect! thank you to make the initial circumferential cut, you think a scalpel blade would work best? or a pair of metzenbaums?

 

[fullspeed]

most i've seen on here use a scalpel. i would think scissors may cause bruising (i'm not sure). i use a scalpel

 

[JennaH]

cool i've got a scalpel and blade handle, i've also got some blunt/blunt surgical scissors if need be.. thx!

 

[Apercula]

I fragged a leather using the same basic technique fullspeed posted. I inverted the parent on a cutting board, sliced around the sides of the stem with a scalpel, then cubed the trimmings about 3/4in per side. I then used a needle and thread to attach them to frag plugs, supergluing the ends of the thread to the plug.
Parent colony, a couple days after I got it.

Parent colony, a week after cutting.

Frags on a rack, a week after cutting.

Close up of a frag, showing thread and glue used for mounting. This picture was from a month after the fragging, can see where the frag is growing onto the plug by my thumb.

I did this fragging in late November, by mid January half of the frags were large enough to frag again, and by late February the other half were fraggable. I haven't fragged again since February but at the moment all 48 frags in my tub are large enough to cut again, and the parent could probably give up another 6-10 frags.

 

[JennaH]

awesome, that makes me very hopeful, this was my 1st time fragging and i think it went pretty smoothly, the pictures helped alot, thx

here it is before :

i cut a 1" ring all the way around. (ignore the chili peppers haha)

Then cut that into five 2" x 1" pieces

one of the frags after putting them back in the tank

a very unhappy mother toadstool. it looks so much smaller but i think prob because it's closed so tightly right now.

 

[fullspeed]

good job. glad i could help

 

[ChucksReefs]

If you have time, Put you toadstool on the bottom of the tank. Leaning it against another rock a bit higher up than it's "foot". In time, it will attach to the other rock next to it and split away from it's present foot. The foot will become several "babies"