Coral Growth - Stop/Slow Down after Fragging it or No?

[that Reef Guy]

Does Coral Growth Stop/Slow Down after Fragging it?

I asked because one guy said yes and one guy said no.

I have some Zoanthid Frags that are Growing and wanted to frag them.

But there still is some room on the Plugs.

Should I Frag them now or wait until the Whole Plug is covered?

Does it really matter if you want Maximum Growth.

I have two very opposite responses that people are telling me.

 

[Acro]

I've heard pretty much forever that fragging causes the coral to go into survival mode, which makes it start to grow faster. This is also something I have experienced plenty of times.

 

[that Reef Guy]

I've heard pretty much forever that fragging causes the coral to go into survival mode, which makes it start to grow faster. This is also something I have experienced plenty of times.

See I heard the opposite.

I was told that they are very very stressed from the cut and they have to focus on Healing and Not Growing.

Then they have to get used to the tank conditions again like when they move from Tank to Tank.

I was told that after you frag it then it takes months to start growing again and that concerns me.

What does everyone else think?

 

[Rob&Gab]

It will take about a week or 2 to heal after that they will start to grow. I've fragged zoas and put them in out other tank and within 2-3 weeks I already had babies growing. Then again a big play is your tank conditions and lighting as well as flow. Just make sure if and when fragging you do it correctly so you won't harm the polyps

 

[Pete polyp]

In my experience zoa grow faster right after they have been fragged.

 

[jasonp87]

Mine have always grown faster after fragging as well.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Good topic!

 

[footballdude2k3]

I think it is going to be a little bit of conditions in your tank, how quickly the frag heals, if you do a dip after, and most importantly, are you using a water cooled saw, or a hammer and chisel, or something in between

 

[that Reef Guy]

In my experience zoa grow faster right after they have been fragged.

Really?

Because I had two frags of Everlasting Gobstoppers with 2 Polyps on each Frag and they grew to 20 Polyps each in no time flat.

I was amazed and have never seen Z&P with anywhere near that growth (Usually I get a Polyp a Month from Z&P).

So I Fragged the Two Plugs Three Months Ago.

And of all my Frags I just got my First Baby Polyp Three Months Later.

I though I would have gained like 200 Polyps by now based on what I experienced from the Initial Growth before Fragging.

Nope Just One.

 

[that Reef Guy]

And Why is it then that if I get a Tiny 0.5 Inch Acro it takes forever to grow while my Mother Colonies seem to take off?

They should grow at the same Rate Right?

It seems to me that One Stalk at 0.5 Inches takes like 6 Months to grow another half inch but my Mother Colonies can grow 0.5 Inches a Month and they have tons of Branches all growing 0.5 Inch a Month not just a Single Branch like the Frag.

Normally, I have always in the Past liked to keep a Coral for a Full Year before I do any Fragging because it seems like I will get never ending Frags to Sell because the Colony gets so Big that it grows very fast and I cannot keep up with orders at that point.

Do you guys get what I am saying about that?

I am not sure if I am wording it right.

 

[poolshark8961]

The more coralites that there are, the more chance the coral can replicate and grow. 1/2" to 1" frags never grow as fast as 2+" frags. Exponential growth.

 

[sante210]

I think this really depends on the zoa... They've all reacted different for me when I've fragged over the years.

Some types react bad to being fragged

 

[that Reef Guy]

The more coralites that there are, the more chance the coral can replicate and grow. 1/2" to 1" frags never grow as fast as 2+" frags. Exponential growth.

So what is the "Sweet Spot"? How big should a Coral be before you begin to Frag it so that you get maximum growth and maximum Frags?

 

[Vpham]

I ve been fragging z & p since I got in this hobby. ..IMO, I only fra when I think they r healthy and need more space to grow.
For example, polyps r big, they should be in 1/4" range when full open and zoas r smaller, 1/8" when fully open....they both r colorful as should be. When I frag I cut where the big polyps r , cause they r adult, can take a stress and faster healing than baby.
Again each tank chemistry and lighting r different, some grow like weeds and some couldn't make it through. .. If u look further into their dietary, some required mag, stronium and iodide, when others need different supplements or more to get healthy and grow fast.
same ideas with sps, each poly on their body is like one mouth, more polyps it has more foods it can take in and faster it grows. This explains why 1/2" frag take forever to grow in a mini colony and not as healthy as a 2" frag...
Hope I make sense here. Again this is my 2 cents. ..

 

[Mikesmith34]

The mother will grow faster than the frag due to the exponential grow by size. More coralites would seem to grow faster than less coralites

 

[poolshark8961]

So what is the "Sweet Spot"? How big should a Coral be before you begin to Frag it so that you get maximum growth and maximum Frags?

That is something that I wish I knew. But in terms of math, if you take 100% of a colony and frag to 50% and 2x 25%, the. When you make it to 75% and 50% respectively, you can turn 1 into 3 and then 6... But that is all with relativity and assuming everything grows then same.

I personally think that you should just let the coral grow uninterrupted until it is necessary to frag for health reasons. That would seem to me how you get maximum growth.

 

[darrente]

Great topic. I just started fragging my Z&P i have tried, razor blades, exacto knife, dental tools, and bone cutters. I have tried dipping afterwards and tried different dips. The one thing that has been constant, the further I get into the frag and do not touch the tissue, the quicker the growth and the higher the survival rate.

 

[mcarroll]

[…]
I have some Zoanthid Frags that are Growing and wanted to frag them.

But there still is some room on the Plugs.

Should I Frag them now or wait until the Whole Plug is covered?[...]

You want to frag a frag (!!) that hasn't even covered the plug it is on?

Sign of the times?

-Matt

 

[footballdude2k3]

Even if they have the same growth rate, it would be an exponential growth by the number of existing polyps are available to help it grow

 

[Ryan2428]

You want to frag a frag (!!) that hasn't even covered the plug it is on?

Sign of the times?

-Matt

Yep agree why frag a frag let it grow