fragging a hammer coral

[melonheadorion]

this is the first time i will ever have had to frag a coral, and would hate to mess it up. from what i see, there isnt much to do, but figured i should ask more knowledgeable people first.

so, about a year ago, i bought a hammer coral with 4 heads. its now at 10-12 heads. ive been keeping this coral in my first tank with a couple fish, and figured that with as big as this is, it would be a good time to frag it, and put the other half in my newer tank when i feel that its time to do so. in regards to cutting, i can obviously use bone cutters, or a dremel, which is the route im going to take, since i have one. when i cut this, obviously im steering clear of any flesh, but since i am cutting bone, i assume that i dont need to do any kind of iodine dip afterwards?

 

[ClownSchool]

this is the first time i will ever have had to frag a coral, and would hate to mess it up. from what i see, there isnt much to do, but figured i should ask more knowledgeable people first.

so, about a year ago, i bought a hammer coral with 4 heads. its now at 10-12 heads. ive been keeping this coral in my first tank with a couple fish, and figured that with as big as this is, it would be a good time to frag it, and put the other half in my newer tank when i feel that its time to do so. in regards to cutting, i can obviously use bone cutters, or a dremel, which is the route im going to take, since i have one. when i cut this, obviously im steering clear of any flesh, but since i am cutting bone, i assume that i dont need to do any kind of iodine dip afterwards?

I’ve watched the guy who owns the coral shop I buy from frag hammers and torches a couple times for me and other customers and he’s never dipped them before bagging.
I use both, parasite and therapeutic dips, when needed. And, he’s never suggested anything other than the normal parasite dip, though it couldn’t hurt.

 

[Hooz]

Leave about 1" or more of "bone" below the flesh line when you cut. Glue to the plug or whatever, then you can dip if you like. An iodine dip wouldn't be bad, but since it's your tank, there's probably no need to dip for pests (unless you have pests in your tank).

I'd let the frag(s) heal up in the original tank (that they're used to) for a week or so, just to make sure there are no issues. Then they're ready for moving/selling/whatever.

Using a Dremel with a diamond cutting wheel is a much better option than bone cutters. I mean, the cutters work in a pinch, but I've seen them split and shatter some skeletons when fragging. The Dremel will breeze right through in a few seconds and leave a nice, even cut.