"Fragging" Halimedia

[BoomerD]

I have a serious case of Halimedia overgrowth. Started with 1 very small sprig on a piece of live rock. Now, the rock has become completely overgrown. Looks nice, but creates too much shade for my mushrooms & is even crowding one of my BTA's. I've used a razor blade & trimmed some of it back to the rock, and want to know how best to start it growing in another tank. Attach it to a piece of LR rubble with rubber bands like a xenia? Stick it in the sand bed? What will be best?
Thanks.

 

[GTR]

I started with 3-4 small pieces from the LFS and put some in my reef and some in the "Garage Tank". Both are doing very, very well. In the reef I have never cut it or moved it and it now grows in many places.

The main place it is growing is around my alveopora which is also doing very well (I think) and I attribute this to the nutrients trapped around all the growth.

In the "Garage Tank" it has attached itself to several rocks and some pieces I have stuck into the sand bed. If I have a large growth of it, I just place a couple pieces of LR rubble on top of it and it will attach itself in short order. If you are trying to get good growth on a single rock I'm sure it would work to use superglue. I would just glue it down on its side and not try to stand it upright.

Small growths are at least good for some brine shrimp at the LFS.

Steve Upp

 

[technoshaman]

I have made halimeda 'frags' before by just supergluing them to a piece of rubble with super glue. Different species seem to grow at varying rates - the large coin variety I have seems to grow very fast if your calcium levels are sufficient.