Fragging the RIGHT way / tips

[Python73]

Okay, so for all the people that make frags for swaps. Whether you are fragging zoas or SPS, there are a couple things you can do to make it work better for the coral and buyer.

FRAG A WEEK EARLY!

Seriously. Take a few minutes a week before the swap, more if you can swing it. Cut your pieces, glue them up, and tank them where they can get a bit of flow. This will let the frag heal in the same water it grew in. It will let the frag have a tiny grow out period, and also make the frag much more likely to open immediately for the buyer. Last, it will let you know if you dicked it up and killed the frag. ESPECIALLY for these new school retarded 1/4" frag or 1 half sized polyp zoa frag. Yes, I realize you feel the coral is super mega hot omfg valuable. But if you are charging $80 for a nip of coral flesh, you should do some work to ensure it has a chance to live.

SUPER GLUE ISN'T SOLD BY THE POUND ON PURPOSE!

If you are doing the right thing, a very modest amount of superglue will do a fantastic job. If you have a single polyp of zoa to mount, instead of using the whole tube, simply pat the bottom of the frag dry before setting it against the glue. I keep a towel in my lap for drying the mounting surfaces. If your zoa frag is a slimy gross heap of slime, you dicked it up. Snipping zoa stalks is a bad practice. You should be cutting the mat if you need to cut, and scrape the rock under the zoa if it is a standalone.

Feel free to share your fragswap prepping tips.

S !

 

[LOVETHISHOBBY]

Hi Python73,

I have a rock just packed full of Palythoa. It's gotten past the point of needing to be fragged. It's so dense that the stalks of the polyps are starting to grown on one another. Normally when fragging, I agree that a small section of rock under the polyp should be removed as not to destroy the polyp. In my situation, how would you suggest I frag them?

Thanks so much,
LOVETHISHOBBY

 

[Python73]

Hmm. Well, palys and zoas tend to do that thing where at the edges of the rock they actually start to grow off the rock. That's the best place to trim them, at the edges. And it's easy, sharp scissors or a razor blade, making the cut in the mat wherever possible. If you get the rock out of water, get them to shrink/close up, you can gently move them around to find a good spot to cut. You'll find that the bottom of the mat where it has grown off the rock is resiliant and glues well.

Depending on the rock, you may just want to chip off a piece with a chisel. Then, you razor the mat of the palys where they are holding the piece on, and viola. No mounting needed. This works good on certain rocks, but not so good on others. You have to get a feel for how reef rock breaks, and the only way to do that is to get to breaking. Once you do it a couple times your confidence will grow.

Finally, you should try "peeling" palys with a razor blade. This is a good technique for a big colony, if you can master it. The goal is to take a razor blade, I prefer straight or the trapezoid shaped blades without a holder, and carefully work the blade edge under the palys, but above the rock. If you are good, you can get one or two per with this method. Then you are free to glue.

OBLIGATORY PALY/ZOA + RAZOR WARNING!

I think by now everyone knows that palythoa and zoanthids can be poisonous. I say "can be" becuase frankly we call a lot of coral these names, and they aren't always what we think they all. Still, it is wise to respect the potential this group of coral has to be toxic, especially when you are slinging razorblades. Do I wear gloves and eye protection every time I frag a coral? I wish I could say yes, but I'm lazy. This will pay dividends the first time I stick a paly slime coated razor into my paw, and spend a week in the hospital. Take what you want, and pay for it. You have been warned.

S !

 

[Ladipyg]

I agree...I think the biggest problem is too much glue and not making clean cuts. I use a pair of magnifying glasses...adjustable from 5 to 15x magnification. You can see pretty clearly where to cut the mat...and I agree with NEVER cutting the stalk...and I wear thicker rubber gloves...and pray I never stick myself with a razorblade...one time I was moving stuff around in the tank without gloves and when I was done I guess I didn't wash my hands good enough...cause I rubbed my eye a little later in the evening and almost lost my mind...talk about hurt...I spent the next 15 minutes with my eye under running water and even then it swelled shut. Never again...

 

[cougarguy]

The other day I bought a couple frags from lfs and after acclimating them and dipping them I put them in the tank. Evidentally I had a cut on my hand and within 20 minutes my whole hand was red and itching so bad it burned.