First Fragging

[Rufio808]

Well my first coral ever has grown a little since I got it. At first I wanted to let the zoanthids grow out onto a rock then just cut the rock when I needed, but I'm constantly working on the tank and I'd really hate to mess up the scape. So, I broke out some fragging equipment and read a lot about different ways to go about the process. I noticed that some polyps were growing off the sides of the frag plug so I figured it'd be easiest to just scalpel around them. Well the process went quite well and I can't wait to do it again!

Here are some pictures for you picture fiends!

The victim!

The supplies. Good thing I'm a biology major!

You can see the overhanging polyps on the right.

Here they are after being cut and glued.

And in the tank

And here they are opening up nicely. I had to reglue them. Dumb hermit and his overly obnoxious sized shell.

 

[Hiker4twenty]

Good job! They look good and happy. Nice use of proper protection as well. You should also consider adding a face mask of some sort or use a face shield. Those zoanthids and palys can squirt that toxin pretty far sometimes and it can easily go right into your mouth. Just don't want to see anyone get hurt.

 

[Rufio808]

Good job! They look good and happy. Nice use of proper protection as well. You should also consider adding a face mask of some sort or use a face shield. Those zoanthids and palys can squirt that toxin pretty far sometimes and it can easily go right into your mouth. Just don't want to see anyone get hurt.

haha the whole time I was squinting my eyes and locking my mouth shut. :Cheers:

 

[d2mini]

Hey, can i borrow your thread to ask a question about fragging?
I have some sps that is getting huge so i figured I'd make a couple little frags. I made 4 and they were fine for a couple days but I came home today to find one had gone completely white. The others are fine at the moment and so is the parent colony. What gives? :12:

 

[Hiker4twenty]

Hey, can i borrow your thread to ask a question about fragging?
I have some sps that is getting huge so i figured I'd make a couple little frags. I made 4 and they were fine for a couple days but I came home today to find one had gone completely white. The others are fine at the moment and so is the parent colony. What gives? :12:

That's quite common Dennis. Sometimes they simply can't take the stress of being fragged and glued, especially with SPS. I do quite a bit of fragging and attend all of my local reef clubs frag swaps so I'm used to that sort of thing happening every now and then. Just be happy you still have 3 good frags. :bounce:

 

[Rufio808]

Sorry about your sps. The zoanthids are super hardy. I irritated them a lot while cutting and they handled it fine.

 

[fastrd400]

Hey, can i borrow your thread to ask a question about fragging?
I have some sps that is getting huge so i figured I'd make a couple little frags. I made 4 and they were fine for a couple days but I came home today to find one had gone completely white. The others are fine at the moment and so is the parent colony. What gives? :12:

Is there a chance that you placed that particular frag too close to something like a chalice that could have stung the help out of it?

 

[carter]

its actually really common for sps too just die from stress like that you could have had perfect evrything and just the fragging stress coulda killed it
but you still have the mother and a few new colonies to enjoy

 

[parrotchute]

Denis, did you give it a dip after fragging? It can help prevent infection.

 

[d2mini]

Thanks, guys! They are just little 1 inch frags. Hopefully the other few make it and grow fast like the momma.

And no, i didn't think to dip it.

 

[Rufio808]

Fragging is addicting man

 

[Aquatic]

Good job! They look good and happy. Nice use of proper protection as well. You should also consider adding a face mask of some sort or use a face shield. Those zoanthids and palys can squirt that toxin pretty far sometimes and it can easily go right into your mouth. Just don't want to see anyone get hurt.

Zoanthids are toxic? This is something new to me.

Grats on your fragging Rufio!

 

[Bifferwine]

There is a thread about it stickied at the top of the Corals forum.

https://www.livingreefs.com/please-read-re-zoas-t14371.html

 

[Rufio808]

Thanks! I was nervous!

 

[Aquatic]

There is a thread about it stickied at the top of the Corals forum.

https://www.livingreefs.com/please-read-re-zoas-t14371.html

Dang, that's some scary stuff right there. The girl in that thread is lucky.

 

[parrotchute]

Aquatic, they DEFINITELY squirt! Think of it like cutting into a grape, they sometimes explode!