how to "trim"/ "frag" large leather

[gotboostedvr6]

all topics ive found on this say to cut the head off but i only want to trim it to make it smaller
pic:

iI want to trim 1" or more off its diameter
when i trim it off using razor blade how many frags can i make?
what im asking is how small can i make the frags before they have a large chance of not making it?
1"x1" or 1.5"x1.5"

 

[BLKTANG]

take it out of the tank,& cut it with a razor blade,then use a rubberband to secure it to a small piece of LR.

 

[fsn77]

I've used stainless steel scissors to cut frags off of our leather several times now (I have a pair dedicated specifically for this). It is indeed better to take the coral out of your tank when you cut it. I ususally frag ours on the same day as a water change, and use the old water to store the frags and parent coral until I get them all secured and back into the tank.

I've found the easiest way to get frags to stay on a piece of rubble is to use a piece of toule (wedding veil material / netting) to hold it to the rubble, secured with a rubberband. I'm sure just a rubberband works fine, but everytime I rubberband any coral frag to a rock, it tends to start cutting into the frag before it firmly attaches to the rock.

I've cut pieces as small as 1"x1" and they've survived just as well as the larger pieces. I, too, have not wanted to cut the whole cap off. I trim once every 6 - 8 weeks to keep it from getting overly larger and take the frags in for credit. FWIW, the 1"x1" frags I've cut seem to recover / grow more slowly than the slightly larger ones. But, I've yet to lose one (knock on wood).
Good luck!

 

[gotboostedvr6]

thank you for the replys
have you seen any timeline pics of the frags recovering?
or any pics at all when they start to recover...

 

[gotboostedvr6]

i think im going to start small and cut a silver dollar size chunk out of it and see how that goes first.....

im going to super glue it to a peice of LR and use fishing line to make 100% sure its secured

ill make a thread and update pics

 

[tinyreef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8352718#post8352718 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gotboostedvr6
have you seen any timeline pics of the frags recovering?
or any pics at all when they start to recover...

boosted,
i have that latum frag (we discussed on the other site) on a timeline sequence from fragging to present. more because of the pico contest at the time than i was interested in recording it though.

but if you're interested, you can reference the original link (on my other post) as the starting point when i cut the mother colony and see its placement and attachment as the posts continue thru the following weeks.

iirc, it attached fairly quickly ( <1-week). could've been the sunlight or high plankton/food source in the pico. usually takes a couple of weeks to firmly attach for me (because i usually don't use any binders, i.e. thread, rubberbands, tulle, etc.).

 

[mrichardson]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8354872#post8354872 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tinyreef
boosted,
i have that latum frag (we discussed on the other site) on a timeline sequence from fragging to present. more because of the pico contest at the time than i was interested in recording it though.

but if you're interested, you can reference the original link (on my other post) as the starting point when i cut the mother colony and see its placement and attachment as the posts continue thru the following weeks.

iirc, it attached fairly quickly ( <1-week). could've been the sunlight or high plankton/food source in the pico. usually takes a couple of weeks to firmly attach for me (because i usually don't use any binders, i.e. thread, rubberbands, tulle, etc.).

Would you mind posting a link to the thread you are referring to....so we can all benefit from your procedure.

 

[tinyreef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8354931#post8354931 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mrichardson
Would you mind posting a link to the thread you are referring to....so we can all benefit from your procedure.

i don't mind but not sure if that's allowed, linking in other website forums.

it's on nano-reef.com and it's under the "2.5-gallon pico contest" sub-forum. the contest ended back in april but my tank is still running.

i hope directions are allowed at least. my user name is the same for that forum.

this is the link to my yahoo site where i was showing boosted my cut s. latum frag. but the frag itself and the other timeline/progress pics are on NR. hth

 

[gotboostedvr6]

thank you sir you always seem to be helpful, its good to have ppl like you around!!

 

[gotboostedvr6]

if you have a sliver dollar size frag you cut off and you want to start the attachment process what part should you attach first?

i know that the polips have to be facing up but should i glue closer to the portion that was cut or the side that wasent cut?

 

[tinyreef]

i'd place the frag with the wound against the bare rock. it's important to have the base area clean and bare. i wouldn't press it completely against it (i.e. smothering the wound) but that should be the closest to the anchor point.

usually, the coral sprouts its anchoring filaments from the wound first. i see it as part of the "scabbing/healing" process.

depending on the sarco though, glue may or may not work. some sarcos are as slimey as xenia and colts. others are as dry as stonys' base skeletons. the drier the sarco, the more likely the glue method will work. slimey ones will basically slough off the glue, either immediately or just over time (before they can anchor).

btw, i added the links in the other thread as you requested. they're not a step-by-step but they show you before/after and some progress pics with exact dating. hth

 

[gotboostedvr6]

good info thanks !