Removing Frag plugs

[PBMann]

How do you guys remove the plugs that frags come on, especially those with polyps on?

 

[JTP424]

How do you guys remove the plugs that frags come on, especially those with polyps on?

Depends on the type of coral!! If it's a coral with a skeleton, those ill pop off and glue in place.
If they're polyps DIRECT on the plug... I'll take bone cutters to the stick out part and leave the plate... I don't mess much with the polyps themselves.

 

[DHill6]

Bone cutters if you can get underneath coral. Some I leave on the plug and cut off the bottom of plug then glue to another rock or round.

 

[Biokabe]

Usually you don't.

I'll keep the plug itself, as it's inert rock and it makes mounting the coral infinitely easier. Depending on where I plan to mount the coral, I will sometimes cut off the stem with a pair of bone cutters, giving me a flat surface to press up against the rockwork with the glue/epoxy sandwich.

The biggest challenge with polyp-type corals (zoanthids, for example) is getting them to attach to something. The frag plug solves that problem, so I don't look to actively give myself that problem.

For a stony coral (whether LPS or SPS) it's a bit different. I'll still usually leave them on the plug, but if you want to remove them it's not as big a deal since the coral will actually stick to glue. If you do want to remove the coral from the plug... bone cutters are still probably the answer. A high-speed cutter (usually a Dremel or a coral saw) can also be used to cut the frag off the plug, but most people don't have access to one of those and it's usually overkill.