Fragging Corals for "BOOSTED" Growth: Do you believe in it?

Do you believe that you can boost coral growth and reproduction by fragging your coral?

  • YES

    Votes: 214 42.0%
  • NO

    Votes: 78 15.3%
  • Not Sure

    Votes: 207 40.7%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 10 2.0%

  • Total voters
    509

revhtree

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Back in the Club Zoa day we used to frag zoanthids to "boost" their growth and try to cause them to grow new polyps by doing so. There are many reefers who believe that the "trauma" of fragging a coral will cause it to reproduce faster. But then there are those who don't believe in that at all! Let's talk about it today!

1. Do you believe that you can boost coral growth and reproduction by fragging your coral?

2. Outside of fragging, what do you think is the best method for boosting coral growth?



image via @ChaosAquaculture
20191106-_DSC0082.jpg
 

Nigel35

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I'm not entirely sure this applies to every coral. It isn't pruning the rose bush and expect beautiful flowers in a few weeks. However for some corals it could be beneficial! For example, a Duncan colony can get so large that it begins to die. But if properly fragged it can be saved and incur new growth: win win! Another example being lobo corals. "pruning" them would end up killing an already slow growing coral. It is truly dependent on the species of coral.

Nigel
 
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revhtree

revhtree

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I'm not entirely sure this applies to every coral. It isn't pruning the rose bush and expect beautiful flowers in a few weeks. However for some corals it could be beneficial! For example, a Duncan colony can get so large that it begins to die. But if properly fragged it can be saved and incur new growth: win win! Another example being lobo corals. "pruning" them would end up killing an already slow growing coral. It is truly dependent on the species of coral.

Nigel

YES great point!

Thank you everyone for the feedback so far!
 

Sarlindescent

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Yes, with stipulations. A healthy growing colony will see benefit from this. An unhealthy coral will probably be done in. The way I see it is like the human immune system. When you break a bone, the fracture site grows back stronger(temporarily). When you get a virus, your body develops an increased antibody load. When... But if your 90 or malnourished, a simple cold can do you in. I generally recommend 6 months and looking healthy before I would risk injuring a coral to promote growth.
 

ZoWhat

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Look at trees....A pruned tree will leap much taller quicker if you prune off the bottom branches

So yes.... irritated corals that are forced to heal, starts a sped up process IMO

Ever dive or snorkel a reef? It's a violent place with changing currents that will scare newbies to death who want to get back on the boat. Lololololololololol
 

Nigel35

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Look at trees....A pruned tree will leap much taller quicker if you prune off the bottom branches

So yes.... irritated corals that are forced to heal, starts a sped up process IMO

Ever dive or snorkel a reef? It's a violent place with changing currents that will scare newbies to death who want to get back on the boat. Lololololololololol
Great point! When a cyclone comes to a coral reef hundreds of corals are "pruned" by the beating waves.
 

James_O

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Look at trees....A pruned tree will leap much taller quicker if you prune off the bottom branches

So yes.... irritated corals that are forced to heal, starts a sped up process IMO

Ever dive or snorkel a reef? It's a violent place with changing currents that will scare newbies to death who want to get back on the boat. Lololololololololol
So like- I have some softies. If I split my massive ricordea mushroom via a razor blade, that both half’s will grow back strong and big?
 

MabuyaQ

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No, best case scenario fragging has no impact on growth, worst case neither frag nor fragged coral survive.
 

MabuyaQ

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Look at trees....A pruned tree will leap much taller quicker if you prune off the bottom branches

So yes.... irritated corals that are forced to heal, starts a sped up process IMO

Ever dive or snorkel a reef? It's a violent place with changing currents that will scare newbies to death who want to get back on the boat. Lololololololololol
By cutting of the branches you:
1. Take away resources that would have been used for growth
2. You created a wound (stress) that has to be healed with resources that can not be used for growth

So in the end you reduced total growth compared to if you had not cut of these branches. All you did is direct the left over growth to the area you find desirable, thus shaping the tree to your liking. If you hadn't done so the tree would shape itself in the most efficient shape.

The same will apply to our corals.
 

Just John

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Trauma certainly gets them going sometimes. A couple of months ago I accidentally fed a few single polyp frags with food that had gone bad. They closed for weeks and some died, but on all of them multiple new polyps began to come out of the base before they even opened. Some that I had waited ages to grow a single polyp suddenly had five.
 
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MNFish

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By cutting of the branches you:
1. Take away resources that would have been used for growth
2. You created a wound (stress) that has to be healed with resources that can not be used for growth

So in the end you reduced total growth compared to if you had not cut of these branches. All you did is direct the left over growth to the area you find desirable, thus shaping the tree to your liking. If you hadn't done so the tree would shape itself in the most efficient shape.

The same will apply to our corals.
However if you have apple trees and do not prune often you will get apples every other year where a well pruned tree can produce a consistent crop every year...... so I think trees much like coral are dependent on what type they are and what you are attempting to accomplish.
 

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