Yet another acan fragging/mounting question... skeleton depth?

[jyg]

I bought a nice 1.5"x1.5" frag of an acan. Its got about 4 complete heads, 3 almost complete and a few somewhere between a 1/2 to bits of a head. The skeleton under it all is over 2" deep from where from the average point I can see only acan flesh.

I want to place the acan onto a domed piece of LR so that it eventually covers it. However, I'd like to cut the acan skeleton as shallow as possible so that when the acan starts to spread out the original skeleton doesn't look so pronounced on the LR (like a cube block sticking high out of a dome).

After cutting the skeleton off the bottom of the heads, how thin can the remaining skeleton be without fatally damaging the acan?

I've attached some pics for reference.

thanks,

jyg

 

[seafd]

I would just cut a hole into the live rock that puts the coral at the surface. Then you won't have to worry about the frag moving and you won't have to worry about killing the coral.

 

[jyg]

I would just cut a hole into the live rock that puts the coral at the surface. Then you won't have to worry about the frag moving and you won't have to worry about killing the coral.

Did you mean, routing a pocket or cutting straight through? I have routing bits for my dremel, and I was thinking of this earlier. But,I cannot go as deep as the current depth of the skeleton. I really would not want to have to route deeper than 1/2". And so my original question still stands... at least to 1/2"... but the shorter the easier.

If you meant cutting all the way through, this piece of LR is at least 3" deep in the spot where the acan's skeleton would sit. If only I had a drill press and a deep scroll saw

 

[seafd]

I meant cutting it with a router like you said... You could also use some plumbers putty to make a smooth transfer from real rock to the skeleton if you still aren't completely flush. I'm also pretty sure you can cut some off the bottom of the skeleton without hurting the frag.

 

[returnofsid]

I've fragged Acans, using a wet tile saw, many times. When they've had a thick skeleton, like in your photo, I trim the skeleton down, to about 1/4" from the flesh, sometimes even thinner. Never had any issues at all, doing this.

 

[organism]

I've fragged Acans, using a wet tile saw, many times. When they've had a thick skeleton, like in your photo, I trim the skeleton down, to about 1/4" from the flesh, sometimes even thinner. Never had any issues at all, doing this.

+1, you can shave it town to about 1/2" under the flesh to be safe, it usually doesn't go any deeper than that.