shane 1111
Premium Member
this thread is to gather detailed info on fraging LPS corals.
I will post info written by different members in past threads.
I will post info written by different members in past threads.
info on fraging LPS corals
- Thread starter shane 1111
- Start date
shane 1111
Premium Member
originally posted by randyO
Acanthastrea lordhowensis grows by encrusting, from what I've experienced. When I cut 2 or 3 polyps off the mother, I glue them onto a new small rock. After a few weeks, the frag starts to encrust the new rock. As it spreads out on this rock it will send out baby polyps in this new growth. After about a month, the frag will have a small ring of baby polyps around the larger 3 polyps. At this time, the full polyps will start to get larger. Another month of encrusting, and those baby polyps start to get larger. The main 3 polyps now start to swell up very large. Also, you should start to see more baby polyps develop as the diameter of the coral increases. The more you feed each polyp, the faster they will grow. By 3 months, your well fed frag should have over a dozen full polyps, with small baby polyps around the perimeter. Eventually, the coral runs out of rock to encrust. Then it's starts to put it's growth energy into the size of the polyps. It will also start to deposit more of it's own skeleton. It will start to grow up, creating a mound look. After about 6-8 months, you end up with a tennis ball size colony.
As for echinata growth, I've noticed my colony healed up after I cut a frag out a couple months ago. I've also noticed a few new smaller polyps around that area. But not much in the way of growth on the rest of the colony. I don't think these grow even close to the pace lordhowensis grow. I do feed mine at night. The mouths are always open. It will also feed during the day when I feed the fish. The mouths will open shortly after adding food to the aquarim.
originally posted by randyO
Acanthastrea lordhowensis grows by encrusting, from what I've experienced. When I cut 2 or 3 polyps off the mother, I glue them onto a new small rock. After a few weeks, the frag starts to encrust the new rock. As it spreads out on this rock it will send out baby polyps in this new growth. After about a month, the frag will have a small ring of baby polyps around the larger 3 polyps. At this time, the full polyps will start to get larger. Another month of encrusting, and those baby polyps start to get larger. The main 3 polyps now start to swell up very large. Also, you should start to see more baby polyps develop as the diameter of the coral increases. The more you feed each polyp, the faster they will grow. By 3 months, your well fed frag should have over a dozen full polyps, with small baby polyps around the perimeter. Eventually, the coral runs out of rock to encrust. Then it's starts to put it's growth energy into the size of the polyps. It will also start to deposit more of it's own skeleton. It will start to grow up, creating a mound look. After about 6-8 months, you end up with a tennis ball size colony.
As for echinata growth, I've noticed my colony healed up after I cut a frag out a couple months ago. I've also noticed a few new smaller polyps around that area. But not much in the way of growth on the rest of the colony. I don't think these grow even close to the pace lordhowensis grow. I do feed mine at night. The mouths are always open. It will also feed during the day when I feed the fish. The mouths will open shortly after adding food to the aquarim.
originally posted by randyO
shane 1111
Premium Member
originally posted by MarLooney
my fragging story
OK here's the whole piece before fragging...
closing up the polyps with my finger. thanks randy, for that tip.
![url]](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2F%5Burl%5Dhttp%3A%2F%2Freefcentral.com%2Fgallery%2Fdata%2F3572%2F38399fragging_03.JPG%5B%2Furl%5D&hash=dcd23080ac6f640b011e441e67234acc)
making the first cut with the dremel. took me a while to figure out where i wanted the piece to be broken up. all that for not reason though, you'll see later. i was scared as hell taking the cutting wheel to it for the first time.
after a while you get used to it. here's me cutting away at it. one huge mistake i made was letting the dremel get too close. see the black part where the bit attaches to the dremel? that part got too close and messed up a polyp.
doing some clean up here. i used my target feeder to blow clean water over the piece so i could get a good look at what was going on. the dremel sprayed stuff all over the frag as well as my face. thanks again randy for telling me to use a pair of googles.
originally posted by MarLooney
my fragging story
OK here's the whole piece before fragging...
closing up the polyps with my finger. thanks randy, for that tip.
making the first cut with the dremel. took me a while to figure out where i wanted the piece to be broken up. all that for not reason though, you'll see later. i was scared as hell taking the cutting wheel to it for the first time.
after a while you get used to it. here's me cutting away at it. one huge mistake i made was letting the dremel get too close. see the black part where the bit attaches to the dremel? that part got too close and messed up a polyp.
doing some clean up here. i used my target feeder to blow clean water over the piece so i could get a good look at what was going on. the dremel sprayed stuff all over the frag as well as my face. thanks again randy for telling me to use a pair of googles.
originally posted by MarLooney
shane 1111
Premium Member
....
ctxmonitor
New member
Very nice pics of showing how to frag a acan..
shane 1111
Premium Member
originally posted by MarLooney
going back at it with the dremel again. sometimes it goes through like a hot knife through butter.
once i went as deep as i could i took a hammer and small screwdriver to it. this was a big mistake. some lines broke clean where i had planned to frag.... others were soooo off. it broke a lot more of my colony than i had wanted to. should've stuck to the dremel, or cut along the bottom better than i had.
by this time the water was getting pretty bad. i had a cup of clean water i used sometimes too. you can't tell there, but it's all broken up. the big crack in the front is the only one you can really see.
here i'm cutting the little bits of flesh that are left holding it together.
one frag left to cut off of this piece then that's all i'm going to be left with.
going back at it with the dremel again. sometimes it goes through like a hot knife through butter.
once i went as deep as i could i took a hammer and small screwdriver to it. this was a big mistake. some lines broke clean where i had planned to frag.... others were soooo off. it broke a lot more of my colony than i had wanted to. should've stuck to the dremel, or cut along the bottom better than i had.
by this time the water was getting pretty bad. i had a cup of clean water i used sometimes too. you can't tell there, but it's all broken up. the big crack in the front is the only one you can really see.
here i'm cutting the little bits of flesh that are left holding it together.
one frag left to cut off of this piece then that's all i'm going to be left with.
shane 1111
Premium Member
originally posted by MarLooney
at the top you can see the two pieces seperated.
like i said the hammer and screwdriver broke the colony in way too many places. here i am with some superglue trying to fix one of those mishaps. that'll be my remaining piece.
the last two pieces i needed to seperate came apart good. i used all dremel this time. it's much easier to work on small pieces than the whole colony. as you can see, the right piece has about 4 polyps. would that be our trade john?
at the top you can see the two pieces seperated.
like i said the hammer and screwdriver broke the colony in way too many places. here i am with some superglue trying to fix one of those mishaps. that'll be my remaining piece.
the last two pieces i needed to seperate came apart good. i used all dremel this time. it's much easier to work on small pieces than the whole colony. as you can see, the right piece has about 4 polyps. would that be our trade john?
shane 1111
Premium Member
originally posted by MarLooney
the last two came out real good. this piece should be going to Randy after it heals up.
cutting around john's piece. i wanted only the acan, not the rock too. i tried to cut it thinner but with such a small piece it didn't work. =T
i attached with epoxy so they'd have a hard surface to encrust over. i ran out of it so i'm going to have to buy more, but i had enough to ensure the piece stay on.
here are all three frags and the piece i'm keeping for myself. the third piece will either go to brahm or downset. it's up to brahm. he said he didn't wanna trade yet, and that's all good. as long as i keep some for myself, i can always trade with him later. selling a piece would be good too cause it'd pay for the shipping on the other three i'm shipping out to chris, randy, & john.
expect a few weeks to a month to let them heal first though. the only one i have ready to go is chris'... i just needa figure out how to ship it with a reasonable price.
the last two came out real good. this piece should be going to Randy after it heals up.
cutting around john's piece. i wanted only the acan, not the rock too. i tried to cut it thinner but with such a small piece it didn't work. =T
i attached with epoxy so they'd have a hard surface to encrust over. i ran out of it so i'm going to have to buy more, but i had enough to ensure the piece stay on.
here are all three frags and the piece i'm keeping for myself. the third piece will either go to brahm or downset. it's up to brahm. he said he didn't wanna trade yet, and that's all good. as long as i keep some for myself, i can always trade with him later. selling a piece would be good too cause it'd pay for the shipping on the other three i'm shipping out to chris, randy, & john.
expect a few weeks to a month to let them heal first though. the only one i have ready to go is chris'... i just needa figure out how to ship it with a reasonable price.
FastFish720
New member
Very nice information, maybe submit it to RK mag?
shane 1111
Premium Member
anyone else wanna comment on fraging techniques?
of acans, B. wellsi, Echino, Maze Brain (platygyra) and others.
please no branching LPS like Hammers, FrogSpawns, candy canes.
of acans, B. wellsi, Echino, Maze Brain (platygyra) and others.
please no branching LPS like Hammers, FrogSpawns, candy canes.
Steven Pro
New member
How about Turbinaria, Catalaphyllia, and Fungia?
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-03/ac_sp/feature/index.htm
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-03/ac_sp/feature/index.htm
Steven Pro
New member
There are some more propagation articles here
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=605983
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=605983
great idea shane, we should have a sticky with all the lps fragging techniques!
Frag your corals people, the reef has given enough to go around =)
I think if marlo would have tried a stiff putty knife instaed of the screwdriver he would have had better luck.
Check the coral propagation forum for more info, here's the best info I have seen:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-03/ac_sp/feature/
Frag your corals people, the reef has given enough to go around =)
I think if marlo would have tried a stiff putty knife instaed of the screwdriver he would have had better luck.
Check the coral propagation forum for more info, here's the best info I have seen:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-03/ac_sp/feature/
shane 1111
Premium Member
reasons to frage your coral
originally posted by Anemone
One thing to keep in mind, when you trade a frag of a coral you own (any coral, not just acans), you give yourself the possibility of getting the coral back if you have a tank meltdown.
It's nice to hope it doesn't happen to you, but better still to have a bunch of your frags out there so that if it does happen, you can get any "prized" corals back...
originally posted by Anemone
One thing to keep in mind, when you trade a frag of a coral you own (any coral, not just acans), you give yourself the possibility of getting the coral back if you have a tank meltdown.
It's nice to hope it doesn't happen to you, but better still to have a bunch of your frags out there so that if it does happen, you can get any "prized" corals back...
shane 1111
Premium Member
bugsy714
i asked Anemone and he said maybe
i asked Anemone and he said maybe
MiddletonMark
Premium Member
shane 1111 said:
No offense, but where to cut the line?
Sure seems like there's too many similarities with the `ruled out' corals [or non-`LPS' whatever the heck that definition means].
Perhaps you should list a full list of what Genus you want - as I guess I don't understand the difference between fragging a Euphyllia and a Plerogyra as 90% of the technique is the same [if not more].
shane 1111
Premium Member
I have to admit. my hands were shaking at first.But now, I have no problem cutting up corals.
shane 1111
Premium Member
originally posted by MarLooney
i use this wheel (dremel #545) and it works great. now that you think of it. i think i do remember john telling me he used that one. when i first started fragging he was one of the guys that helped talk me through the process. without help from ppl like him and especially randy it would've been a long messy road of acan flesh until i was getting good frags. luckily with their help i got it down now.
yeah, i think the way i mount now is the best way to go. cutting thin just involves more risk to you and the coral and doesn't really hold any advantages that i can see.
i use this wheel (dremel #545) and it works great. now that you think of it. i think i do remember john telling me he used that one. when i first started fragging he was one of the guys that helped talk me through the process. without help from ppl like him and especially randy it would've been a long messy road of acan flesh until i was getting good frags. luckily with their help i got it down now.
yeah, i think the way i mount now is the best way to go. cutting thin just involves more risk to you and the coral and doesn't really hold any advantages that i can see.
shane 1111
Premium Member
MiddletonMark said:
no it is not. fraging Euphyllia is simply you don't have to cut thorough a lot of tissue. Plerogyra is thick. i have fraged both of them and Euphyllia is easier.
please this thread is not for debate. I would like to keep it on track.
shane 1111
Premium Member
hear is the list
Echinophyllia, Oxypora, Echinopora, favia, acanthastrea, micromussas, Blastomussa Wellsi, Tubastraea.
Echinophyllia, Oxypora, Echinopora, favia, acanthastrea, micromussas, Blastomussa Wellsi, Tubastraea.
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