How do I trim SPS Coral?

jeeptp75

New member
I have a Green Monti Digi SPS Coral that is growing like crazy in my tank. Is it possible to trim it back some without damaging it?
 
Sure, just snap a branch off. Preferably with some bone snippers, surgical grade is best because it's more difficult to rust with saltwater. Then, attach the new frag to some sort of mount with something like a reef-safe epoxy putty or superglue, let it grow, and sell/trade it off.
 
OK great, thanks for the advice. So by touching the top and holding it while snipping further down im not going to hurt it correct?
 
GARF recommends that you just snap the branch rather than cut...this allows stray polyps to stay behind and is a more natural frag.
 
While snapping might be a good idea for stray polyps, the force of your fingers can really rough up the outer tissue, and if enough pressure is applied, it can damage the coralites. I still recommend using tools. You could take the same snips and grasp the branch and twist the snips to snap off a branch instead of actually cutting it.
 
I agree that they're pretty weak and manual snapping isn't going to be difficult, the handling involved to take a piece frag from a colony and attach it to a mount is still quite a lot of stress on the coral. It would just be a little less stressful. No doubt, both methods will work fine.
 
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