Softie Fragging 101
- Thread starter Bkndsdl
- Start date
Bkndsdl
Member
No trick...I sometimes make the first knot in the fishing line before I have the rock in place; kinda like make the loop, then put the rock in the circle of the loop, then tighten it. Not too tight so the fishing line cuts through the coral, but snug enough that it won't slip off the rock. Then I make the second knot, and pull it pretty tight. Then, if there's room, I make a second tie with a second piece of fishing line perpendicular to the first one.
The coral doesn't have to have the base touching the rock, it can be touching on the side as well.
You're welcome, can't wait to see pics!
Bkndsdl
Member
Thanks, I think I did what I wanted with this thread, to help people start fragging without having to search and search and search and ask questions for weeks like I did.......
I use tool alot too, and I think that's what I'll use on my next frag attempt, a mushroom.
Thanks for the comments!
tanyashankles
New member
Re: Re: I did it!
Re: Re: I did it!
Thank you! And yes addictive it is, cant wait to see how my lil guys turn out.
There is no holes for flow but it is topless. No lid or anything, just hi sides to keep too much water flow from my power head from bothering them. Its one of those critter keepers things, hard plastic with handle pink lid with holes in it? Well I just used the container without the lid. I will take pics and show you to make sure it is enough water flow... I have all three frags in there, and I put the mother back where she was before the 'surgery'... Does she need to be shielded too? Thanks a bunch!!
Re: Re: I did it!
Thank you! And yes addictive it is, cant wait to see how my lil guys turn out.
There is no holes for flow but it is topless. No lid or anything, just hi sides to keep too much water flow from my power head from bothering them. Its one of those critter keepers things, hard plastic with handle pink lid with holes in it? Well I just used the container without the lid. I will take pics and show you to make sure it is enough water flow... I have all three frags in there, and I put the mother back where she was before the 'surgery'... Does she need to be shielded too? Thanks a bunch!!
dsanfilippo
Member
Well, as promised, here are a few pics of my first fragging endeavours.
First...the cutting site...
The new frag...
I think I could probably make about 50 of these frags at this size- about 3" tall each...anyone interested in doing some trading...?
First...the cutting site...
The new frag...
I think I could probably make about 50 of these frags at this size- about 3" tall each...anyone interested in doing some trading...?
ridinfast03
New member
Possibly where are you located? Probably shoud pm me back to make sure I see it
Bkndsdl
Member
I'd definitely put some holes in it, or make some other container with holes in it. They need some kind of flow, and although it seems like an open top would have some flow, it's very very small flow if any......
The mother colony will be just fine in any part of the tank. It's the ones that are separated from the mother that have the most stressful time of it..........
Waiting on those pics!
Bkndsdl
Member
FINALLY, Fraggin a mushroom!
FINALLY, Fraggin a mushroom!
Ok, I had a bit of time this week and decided to frag a mushroom. I had a free floating green-dot mushroom making his way around the tank, and I’ve been having a lot of people wanting some of these so I snatched him up.
First things first â€"œ there are several different methods people use to attach mushrooms. The method I’ve found to work really well is the tool, or wedding veil method. Basically, you wrap the frag and a rock in the tool, tie it securely, and let it set for a couple of weeks. The most important thing to remember when using this method is not getting the tool too tight and squishing the frag through the holes. All you want to do is keep the frag in contact with the rock and to keep the frag from shifting.
Ok, now I get my tools ready: my trusty frag pan, which has been marked so as not to confuse it with the other pans in the house. I also keep it separate from the other pans. I’ll also need a pair of scissors (marked and kept separate as well), some tool, and some small rubber bands. You can get these at any dollar store or in WallyWorld.
I also have a bunch of these jello dispensers; they are the perfect size, and are cheap. This is where we’ll be placing our frags to heal; drill or cut some holes in the side for flow. I have some fishing line handy as well.
I’ve got a towel handy as well. Now, down to business: here’s the donor mushroom. I’ve got a bunch of these in my tank, and they grow like crazy:
Now, when you take a mushroom out of your tank, it will immediately begin to secrete slime; LOTS of it. It will be hard to hold, so I dab it off a bit with a towel. I couldn’t take a pic of it in my hand, but you just pick it up, palm up, with the base between your index finger and your middle finger, and the disc on top of your fingers. Spread your fingers a bit, and cut the mushroom in half, making sure to cut the mouth in half. THIS IS NOT EASY. It will want to slip and slide, but if you cut it quickly and use your thumb to keep it in position, it will cut pretty straight.
Now, take those two pieces and cut them in half as well. You can repeat the cutting as much as you want, but you need to get a bit of the mouth in each piece. Four pieces is usually about all I can get.
Now comes the tricky part, attaching them to your rocks. Rock selection is very important. The ideal rock is a rock that has a dimple or recessed area in it. The reason for this is to keep the tool from cutting through your frag. If you place the frag in the dimple, the tool will act as a cage and keep the frag in the dimple. However, there are times when you don’t have appropriate dimples in rocks; just remember to keep the tool loose enough so as not to smash the frag, but tight enough so it won’t come off.
First, place your frag on the rock. Simple enough, right? Remember, this thing’s still full of slime. I take the towel and put it on the frag, then pick the towel and frag up, then place the frag on the rock. I then use something to hold the frag to the rock, like the scissors, then lift the towel away.
Next comes the tool. Cut a piece big enough to cover your rock and be able to be bundled on the back. Place it over the frag and rock, and pull it LIGHTLY together on the other side of the rock. Place either a rubber band on the bundled tool, or place rubber bands on either side of the frag, or tie the tool with fishing line. After wrapping each frag, cut off the excess tool on the bottom.
Now, place the frags in the container you’ve chosen. Arrange them so that the frags are facing up, and so that they can’t move around or roll around in the container. Place some extra rubble in there to position them inside the container.
Now, if you have hermits and other critters like I have, you know they get into everything. For this reason, I put tool over the top of the container to keep them out. I secure it to the top with a plastic zip tie and cut the excess tool off. The lip on the jello cup keeps the tool on.
Now set it in a place with low flow, and wait at least two weeks until you cut the tool off. Don’t worry, I’ll post about that when the time comes!
Hope this helps, and if you have any questions feel free to ask!
FINALLY, Fraggin a mushroom!
Ok, I had a bit of time this week and decided to frag a mushroom. I had a free floating green-dot mushroom making his way around the tank, and I’ve been having a lot of people wanting some of these so I snatched him up.
First things first â€"œ there are several different methods people use to attach mushrooms. The method I’ve found to work really well is the tool, or wedding veil method. Basically, you wrap the frag and a rock in the tool, tie it securely, and let it set for a couple of weeks. The most important thing to remember when using this method is not getting the tool too tight and squishing the frag through the holes. All you want to do is keep the frag in contact with the rock and to keep the frag from shifting.
Ok, now I get my tools ready: my trusty frag pan, which has been marked so as not to confuse it with the other pans in the house. I also keep it separate from the other pans. I’ll also need a pair of scissors (marked and kept separate as well), some tool, and some small rubber bands. You can get these at any dollar store or in WallyWorld.
I also have a bunch of these jello dispensers; they are the perfect size, and are cheap. This is where we’ll be placing our frags to heal; drill or cut some holes in the side for flow. I have some fishing line handy as well.
I’ve got a towel handy as well. Now, down to business: here’s the donor mushroom. I’ve got a bunch of these in my tank, and they grow like crazy:
Now, when you take a mushroom out of your tank, it will immediately begin to secrete slime; LOTS of it. It will be hard to hold, so I dab it off a bit with a towel. I couldn’t take a pic of it in my hand, but you just pick it up, palm up, with the base between your index finger and your middle finger, and the disc on top of your fingers. Spread your fingers a bit, and cut the mushroom in half, making sure to cut the mouth in half. THIS IS NOT EASY. It will want to slip and slide, but if you cut it quickly and use your thumb to keep it in position, it will cut pretty straight.
Now, take those two pieces and cut them in half as well. You can repeat the cutting as much as you want, but you need to get a bit of the mouth in each piece. Four pieces is usually about all I can get.
Now comes the tricky part, attaching them to your rocks. Rock selection is very important. The ideal rock is a rock that has a dimple or recessed area in it. The reason for this is to keep the tool from cutting through your frag. If you place the frag in the dimple, the tool will act as a cage and keep the frag in the dimple. However, there are times when you don’t have appropriate dimples in rocks; just remember to keep the tool loose enough so as not to smash the frag, but tight enough so it won’t come off.
First, place your frag on the rock. Simple enough, right? Remember, this thing’s still full of slime. I take the towel and put it on the frag, then pick the towel and frag up, then place the frag on the rock. I then use something to hold the frag to the rock, like the scissors, then lift the towel away.
Next comes the tool. Cut a piece big enough to cover your rock and be able to be bundled on the back. Place it over the frag and rock, and pull it LIGHTLY together on the other side of the rock. Place either a rubber band on the bundled tool, or place rubber bands on either side of the frag, or tie the tool with fishing line. After wrapping each frag, cut off the excess tool on the bottom.
Now, place the frags in the container you’ve chosen. Arrange them so that the frags are facing up, and so that they can’t move around or roll around in the container. Place some extra rubble in there to position them inside the container.
Now, if you have hermits and other critters like I have, you know they get into everything. For this reason, I put tool over the top of the container to keep them out. I secure it to the top with a plastic zip tie and cut the excess tool off. The lip on the jello cup keeps the tool on.
Now set it in a place with low flow, and wait at least two weeks until you cut the tool off. Don’t worry, I’ll post about that when the time comes!
Hope this helps, and if you have any questions feel free to ask!
pimpinitup6969
New member
great thread i have been wanting to frag stuff for a long time just havent had instruction i thought was proper. now i feel totally comfortable with trying it? i have some ricordeas i would like to do everyone i know has been dying to get their hands on some. anything else in the works?
Matt
Matt
pimpinitup6969
New member
possibly some zoa's???
Matt
Matt
LovinDaReef
In Memoriam
Very good step by step guide, this is very helpful.
tanyashankles
New member
They are doing great, well, three of them are, the fourth one is lost somewhere in my tank, lol... Probably just fine wherever it is, but I cant monitor because I cant find it, oops... I had bought some frags on ebay from a seller that were terrible. The frag was of colt coral, only about 1/16 inch thick, and 1/4 inch long, I could barely see the thing, it took me about 5 minutes to find it and when I finally did find it, about 10 minutes after being in my tank it fell off its rock rubble mount thing and it too is now lost in my tank. However that I know I will never find unless it miraculously grows without being picked up in my overflow. The star polyps I got from him were ok about 15 polyps, but it too fell off of its mount and I had to glue it to get it to stay. Geez. But I am proud to say my own frags are slowly coming out of their depression, staying open a little longer and healing nicely, if the red slime would stay away from its scars. Quick question... Ok 2 questions.. Why am I getting red slimey bubbly algae stuff coating my rocks and (at this point Im just blowing them off with a turkey baster) can I get rid of it? It keeps growing right on the cut area of my frags. Question 2 is the frags I cut are fairly large, like 3 inch with about 8 to 10 branches, or arms, or whatever they are called (this is a finger leather) so should I frag one of them down even further? They dont seem to be thriving as they were before, so I want to make sure they are healthy before brutalizing them again.. Thanks for listening!!! Tanya
Bkndsdl
Member
How long has your tank been set up? Sounds like a bit of cyano......if your tank hasn't been set up for a while, usually it will go away on its own. If you change your flow direction, it could help it a bit as well. I'm no expert on cyano, I normally don't see it unless the tank is a new setup; I usually leave it alone and it goes away on its own. Maybe someone with a little more insight could chime in?
They've had more than enough time to recover, so if you wanted to you could cut it some more. I usually try to wait a couple days before I cut them again, but that's just me.
No prob, glad I could help!
tanyashankles
New member
It is a fairly young tank, only set up and running about 6 months. It only bothers me when it becomes intrusive, and hounds in on my zoa's and my other corals, or too near my anenome, I really dont know if it would hurt the anenome but I have heard other people say it can 'choke' corals. If let go that is... Anyway it seems to be a bit heavier than green hair algae, because as soon as you blow it with the baster, it sinks right back to the bottom. it doesnt float around the tank like the green stuff does when you scrape it. But if it will go away on its own then thats terrific. Hopefully it will... Thank you again! Tanya
