When's the last time you fragged a coral and why did you do it?

What's the biggest reason why you personally frag corals?

  • Overgrown Coral

    Votes: 125 45.1%
  • Coral touching other corals

    Votes: 41 14.8%
  • Trying to save a receding or dying coral

    Votes: 21 7.6%
  • For the purpose to trade coral

    Votes: 20 7.2%
  • For the purpose to sell coral

    Votes: 32 11.6%
  • For the purpose to give frags away for free

    Votes: 18 6.5%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 20 7.2%

  • Total voters
    277

shakacuz

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I’m surprised there isn’t an option to select titled “promote growth”.
I watched a tutorial not long ago of an aquarist who claims she frags all the time to promote growth.
I didn’t think much of it until part of my aquascape collapsed two months ago and chipped a few of my frags. Without exception, every one of the frags that chipped are showing major growth in/around the damaged areas.
i like to think of corals as plants! this happens also with plants!
 

Calm Blue Ocean

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There have been a few instances of fragging to save a dying coral and to my amazement it often works! Most of the time I only wish I'd intervened sooner.

But typically, it's growth that brings out the fragging kit!

Most recently I removed a huge number of zoas that were smothering everything around them. The darn things were even growing on themselves! Fortunately, they came off the rocks fairly easily and I missed very few. I'll have to go in with some tweezers and get the holdouts.

I also have to trim back my sinularia regularly. It gets so big that it can barely hold up its own weight.

Kenya trees, xenia, and branching GSP also have regular meetings with the scissors to keep them from taking over the world. I have a toadstool in my nano that has regular meetings with a scalpel to keep its size reasonable.

I recently removed a green pocillopora that was shading out corals lower down on the rocks. Still struggling to get rid of the remnants of that one where it encrusted on and through the rocks over a sizable area.

I've had some limited warfare but the most notable was an Alien Eye Candy Cane that was stinging the crap out of its neighbor (it killed at least 3 heads of another candy cane). I had no idea there were species of candy canes that were aggressive like that. It's all by itself in the sand now.

So, lots of fragging going on. And I always say to myself, such a problem to have! Hard to complain when everything is growing like crazy!
 

DHill6

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Scoly had a double mouth so I cut it in half with a scalpel and cut that piece in half. Each piece grew out fine, within a year each piece looked like the parent piece.
 

abet

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I chose other, because the absolute number 1 reason my corals get fragged is because I'm fricking clumsy.

99% of the time it's cause I dropped something in the tank or my arm bumped a coral while I was trying to turn a snail over or something.
How do you frag it?! Asking for my Duncan coral
 

Double monti 61

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I do not frag them but I do let small pieces live on the substrate and that is only if I knocked a piece off during maintenance only two of my coral grow that large my montipora and my echinopora. I have tried to give pieces away but never got any answers some pics of a dried out piece of my montipora.
 

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UnderseaOddities

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Sps when they get to big
Softies when I feel the piece is tapped out and not growing for awhile I cut them and they seem to grow better with the stress
Zoas mushies and nems when I'm bored

Lps hardly ever unless branching hammer torch or chalice and it starts to sting stuff other lps are meant to be left as is imo for better growth
 

UnderseaOddities

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I have never fragged one although is there a thread or article on how to do it? Because I know I will have to some day?
I would watch gallery aquaticas frag files aussie marine biologist were fragging corals since the 90s and have perfected the science
 
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AydenLincoln

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I would watch galley aquaticas frag files aussie marine biologist were fragging corals since the 90s and have perfected the science
Thanks! It’s hard to find a good video on YouTube or at least that I who doesn’t really know anything about fragging could understand.
 

UnderseaOddities

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Thanks! It’s hard to find a good video on YouTube or at least that I who doesn’t really know anything about fragging could understand.
It's pretty strait forward an easy way to start is with mushroom its as easy as cutting them in half with razor blade and dipping in iodine 1ml per g include piece of mouth

Then move on to zoas dont cut just cut frag plug in half or quarter with bone cutters regular, u dont even gotta cut polyp just the plug

Soft coral nems cut with sharp scissors or scalpel on nems include mouth


Hard coral are as easy as breaking a piece off and regluing it just be careful not to overdue as it can cause glue burn


Lps stay away until you buy a saw unless it's something like candy cane chalice branching hammer torch or yaysmensis

But u may want the thicker curved bone cutters be sure not to cut flesh


It's really not that hard most people over think it, it's like propigating a plant then ur left essentially with the original and an identical copy,
U now gotta baby it in low flow low light(fancy way of saying bottom to middle of tank)
 
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jfoahs04

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Last week. I mostly frag overgrown corals and my Red Planet and Monti Digitata were fragged (just a couple of branches) last week to keep from growing into the glass (Red Planet) and growing into another coral (Digi). I also frag/kill back certain zoas that have a tendency to takeover if left unchecked. I sell or give away the frags.
 

BKLYN651

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Always getting rid of parts of my monti, and candy cane. Elegance and leather are getting out of control but have no idea of how to frag.
 

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ReefGeezer

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I'm glad I'm not the only "clumsy" reefer. I have a ton of frags of birds nest and digita to give away. Most times, I bump corals when my staghorn damsels attack my hands and startle me. I should be used to it by now! A 2nd choice for me would be corals touching each other and I do have 2 groups touching but as they aren't harming each other, I'll leave them: stylophora & digita and a deep water acro & birds nest.
Rather than fragging a single broken piece, if you take several of them and glue them together on a single frag plug, they will heal together into a small colony in no time.
 

Susan Edwards

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Rather than fragging a single broken piece, if you take several of them and glue them together on a single frag plug, they will heal together into a small colony in no time.
exactly what I've been doing. Even have a birds nest and pocillipora colony as I was given a bunch of "bits" and didn't know what they were lol's
 

Fish Think Pink

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I frag when it overgrows ...
I'm in TX and everyone is bouncing back from Artic Blast Ice Storm about a year ago last Feb. I've given my frags away, no matter what they are... they are animals that need another home, and with many empty tanks around TX, people are grateful.
 
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