Hey all, I've been reefing for about 4 years, and I'm just now getting into the world of fragging as some of my coral is getting pretty overcrowded. First to be done are some Duncan coral, gsp, assorted zoas, and rhodactis mushrooms. Any tips or tricks you have for beginners, or tool suggestions would be fantastic! I have a dremel, assorted exacto knives and chisels.
Beginner Fragging
- Thread starter AWildZacR
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nautical_nathaniel
Indecision may or may not be my problem.
You can use the dremel for stony corals, I recommend slow cuts with the diamond cutter. Never cut through the mouth of an LPS coral, the success rate for that polyp significantly goes down in my experience.
A razor blade is great for soft corals, just be sure to clean the blade before and after each coral. Set up tubs of saltwater to put the cuttings in while you secure them to plugs or other rocks. Leather corals don't glue to anything well, I recommend using light pressure from a rubber band and putting them into cracks or crevices of rubble rock over using plugs. Too much pressure and you will cut through the coral (if the surface of the coral is being pushed in by the rubber band, it is too much pressure and it will cut through in a few days).
I would suggest cutting mushrooms into halves with a razor blade until you get used to the process, some folks cut them into quarters but you may have a lower success rate with that method. I had great results dipping mine in an iodine dip post cut to help with the healing process. You can place the pieces in a cup placed in your aquarium filled with rubble rock top off with a mesh lid and they should take hold in a few days.
Always use proper protection with any fragging operation but most of all with zoas, look up palytoxin effects and you'll understand why. I recommend eye protection especially and always wash your hands and work area after handling zoas. Treat them the same what you would treat handling a ghost pepper and you'll be fine
A razor blade is great for soft corals, just be sure to clean the blade before and after each coral. Set up tubs of saltwater to put the cuttings in while you secure them to plugs or other rocks. Leather corals don't glue to anything well, I recommend using light pressure from a rubber band and putting them into cracks or crevices of rubble rock over using plugs. Too much pressure and you will cut through the coral (if the surface of the coral is being pushed in by the rubber band, it is too much pressure and it will cut through in a few days).
I would suggest cutting mushrooms into halves with a razor blade until you get used to the process, some folks cut them into quarters but you may have a lower success rate with that method. I had great results dipping mine in an iodine dip post cut to help with the healing process. You can place the pieces in a cup placed in your aquarium filled with rubble rock top off with a mesh lid and they should take hold in a few days.
Always use proper protection with any fragging operation but most of all with zoas, look up palytoxin effects and you'll understand why. I recommend eye protection especially and always wash your hands and work area after handling zoas. Treat them the same what you would treat handling a ghost pepper and you'll be fine
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