[CaptainK]

Hi All,
I woke up this morning to find that the cover I have over the intake of my power head came off and a few arms of my colt coral got sucked right in! You can see in the picture below how it used to look now it as all closed up and stuck!
I tried giving a few tugs on the intake tube but the arms are stuck in there good.
So I think I may be pushed into cutting the arms off that are stuck.
Can I have some advice on the proper method of "cutting" this coral is? My main focus is to save this coral, and since I most likely will have to cut off some arms maybe I can start a little frag colony if I can save the arms that are stuck. So maybe some advice on how I might be able to frag the arms if I can get them out OK.

Thanks for the help,

CaptK

[scubadude]

Hey capt!

Just take a very clean, and dry razor (preferably brand new) and make one clean, straight cut right where you want...I like doing this in a bucket of tank water with a couple of drops of Iodine in there so I dont foul up the tank water as much. Also make sure you have spots to put your frags...rocks for them to attach to, which brings me to your second step....I have tried a couple of different ways for fragging colts.

1. I take sewing thread and actually go through the base once or twice then tie the thread off to a hole in a small piece of rock. I make sure the frag is snug against the rock/flesh but not cutting through the flesh.

2. use 2" pvc couplers and put in the bottom of the tank w/low flow area (this part is very important or else your frag will float around the tank) then put a small rock inside the pvc coupler and gently lay the frag ontop of the rock.

Colts are pretty tough, but they are very slimey so be careful not to drop it when you take out of the tank.

[Reinhold]

I had one Colt coral from which I made over 25 frags. I then traded them for other supplies or corals. I made over $500 from that one Colt.

I used the method scubadude described. I used 17 lb test monofilament fishing line. I also made sure that the cut base of the frag fit into a depression in the LR rubble I sewed it to. If you tie the frag too tightly to the rubble, the line will pull right through over a couple of days.

It usually took about a month for the frag to "glue" itself to the LR.

[CaptainK]

So I got home and got a clean razor blade, threaded a needle, and made a bucket of water with iodine.
I don't know how it came out, but I was able to twist the piece of the power head that the arms got stuck in and I managed to get everything pulled out of the PH. So no need for surgery. Except for two liitle amputations because the arms looked blackish at the tips.
I really wanted to cut something to start some frags but I will wait to try my hand at this when the Colt looks healthy again.
Just thought I would fill ya's in

Thanks again for the help,
CaptK