[SouthBayPhoto]

Hey all,

I've seen people post about making/cutting frags from their current corals in their tank to sell, give away or trade with someone else. I do not currently have any corals as of yet, but I'm curious as to how you "make" a frag of your coral.

What is the smallest frag you can/should make? Largest? How do you actually cut them and have them live? If you glue them to the rock (that's what I'm gathering from several posts), then how do you "unattach" them when you cut this frag? Do you cut it in the tank or outside of it? I've also seen them on little stands or in cups...how long do the last like this?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm just curious as to how it works. This way when I'm ready to buy or eventually frag my own, I'll be better prepared.

[Ninong]

Instead of answering each of your questions, which would just generate new questions, I think I will give you a couple of links and let you read up on this stuff first. Then you can ask questions later if there is something you didn't find covered or don't understand.

Coral Frag Propagation Tips, Techniques, & Resources

They provide links to detailed instructions on how to frag various corals. If you read all of those, that should answer most of your questions.

[charlie]

That is an excellent site Ninong, thanx, i needed that !!!!

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by charlie

That is an excellent site Ninong, thanx, i needed that !!!!

It's a starting point. His very first link describes a method for "fragging" Ricordea florida that really amounts to "transplanting" a single polyp from one colony to a new piece of live rock. I don't know if I would call that "fragging."

However, if you check out his link to mushroom fragging, you will see the technique that can be used to actually frag R. florida or R. yuma. Ricordea can be fragged by slicing the individual polyp like a pizza using a clean sharp razor blade or something similar. It's possible to get four or five frags from a single polyp. Here is a different link to coral-fragging tips. That guy used to purchase some of those extremely expensive bright pink R. yuma wholesale and then frag each polyp into five or six slices. Then, six months later, he had five or six R. yuma that he could sell for $100-$300 each.

Note to SouthBayPhoto: This applies to corallimorpharians. Fragging softies is a lot different from fragging stony corals. And, with stonies, SPS and LPS are different. If you google "fragging corals" you will get lots of hits.

P.S. -- In home reef tanks, Ricordea florida typically reproduces by fission and R. yuma typically reproduces by pedal laceration. You will notice that R. florida has a tendency to develop two or three mouths prior to fission. R. yuma has a tendency to move and leave tissue behind that develops into a new polyp.

[SouthBayPhoto]

Thanks a bunch for the links and info Ninong. I'll definitely read up on it and will probably re-read up on it when I have a specific coral I would want to frag.

[charlie]

Another good source would be Anthony Calfo's book of Coral Propagation.

[Ninong]

Or Anthony's Calfo's online article on fragging corals.

[charlie]

Old Mat is gonna be so busy reading, he isn't going to have to get his tank going!!!!

Thanx for the links, you can't really tell us you don't do anything Ninong, you are better than an encyclopedia when it comes to this hobby.

[SouthBayPhoto]

You guys are Gods!!!!!

I appreciate the info. Saved that link as well for future reading.

That's okay...I don't do anything at lunch anyway, so sometimes I just print out the links and take them with me so I can read them at lunch.

Learning is a good thing. Hehehe...