Let's get the day started, shall we? First, I want you to take a look at the desk in front of you.
You will see before you a set of equipment that we will be using. There are many things that you can use, but this is what we will be using for today. We'll go over other various equipment later. But, to get you fragging today, we'll get right down to the fun. Here is a list of the pieces of equipment that is in front of you.
*Mr. Travis Stevens hands out a piece of paper to the class*
The paper reads:
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Equipment List
(Listed from top left to bottom right.)
1) Netting - You can get this at any cloth department or store
2) Needle and Thread - You can also get this at any cloth department or store
3) Two Part Epoxy - Make sure that the epoxy is reef safe
4) Cyanoacrylate Glue - Gel is prefered
5) Dremel Tool - Cutting Wheel attachments are handy
6) Razor Blade - Make sure it is a sharp, clean, new one.
7) Scissors - Make sure these are clean and sharp
8) Eye Protection - Make sure that corals won't accidently squirt you in the eye
9) Frag Plugs - You can place these in eggcrate or holes
10) Frag Disks - You can place these on flat surfaces
11) Gloves - Make sure to protect yourself from getting stuff into cuts and to generally protect yourself from harm
12) (2) Small Containers and (1) Large Container
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Now that everyone has a paper, let me explain things. First, we will start with things that we use to cut the frags. We have in front of us a Dremel Tool, a Razor Blade, and a Pair of Scissors. You can also use Bone Cutters or even break them with your hand. Use a Dremel Tool to cut through rock or hard skeletons. Be careful as this will make heat and can burn the coral tissue. Make sure to keep water on the spot where you are cutting and to cool the frag down as quickly as possible. Next, we have the all purpose Razor Blade. You need to make sure that it is sharp. Jagged cuts on corals tend to do more harm than good and can cause them to heal more slowly. Using scissors is a help in some situations, but they pinch before they cut, so it can damage some corals. Using Bone Cutters on corals with hard skeletons is a much better choice. It doesn't require electricity, and it won't burn the corals. But, you have to be strong and you need to make one quick snip for a good cut. Using your bare hands is crude, yet effective. Using your hands is very risky. If you are breaking a branch of SPS, you can actually do more damage than good. But, breaking a head off of a Euphyllia isn't as bad. There are other tools of the trade that can be used for cutting, but these generally are the most commonly used.
