Does fragging promote growth?

[JAMSOURY]

I’ve came across a couple posts that says fragging can promote some kind of growth. Any study on this?

 

[road_runner]

I’ve came across a couple posts that says fragging can promote some kind of growth. Any study on this?

There is a recent study by mote research lab, that showed fragging coral to very small pieces stimulated the smaller pieces to grow 40 times faster than bigger pieces...
But I think this is about how small piece of coral can regenerate quick. Not sure if the same apply on bigger size of coral.

The study is fascinating and gives hope in the efforts or restoring coral reefs that is being wiped out by us humans and raising temp and acidity in oceans.

word of caution before you go fragging your coral to pieces.. these are scientists and their environment is the oceans, so coral is being put back in it's best condition. Not sure if home aquaria would produce the same results.


https://www.google.com/amp/s/bigthi...y-could-revitalize-oceans-2622477656.amp.html

 

[bobby.w.hodges]

Watching along.... [emoji102]

 

[29bonsaireef]

If you have corals that are encrusted, but not growing at all. Sometimes, fragging will get the coral to start growing again.

Fragging an already growing coral is not going to speed things up or accelerate growth imo.

 

[road_runner]

If you have corals that are encrusted, but not growing at all. Sometimes, fragging will get the coral to start growing again.

Fragging an already growing coral is not going to speed things up or accelerate growth imo.

Well there is data in the link I posted. The frag will grow fast not the mother colony.
I think mother colonies will not change its growth rate when you cut something from it.
We break small pieces off our coral all the time, no accelerated growth is observed and reported...
Makes sense?

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I've read enough about this that I'm a firm believer that fragging does promote growth.

 

[road_runner]

I've read enough about this that I'm a firm believer that fragging does promote growth.

For the mother Colony or the frag?
Would appreciate any literature you know off you can pass. Would love to read more about this.

 

[LARedstickreefer]

For the mother Clooney or the frag?
Would appreciate any literature you know off you can pass. Would love to read more about this.

Definitely the mother Clooney

 

[road_runner]

Definitely the mother Clooney

Ha ha ha. dang this autocorrect. Gave me a laugh though ha ha ha.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I remember there was a company 15 years ago ( want to say called - Pacific aquaculture) that was planting dozens of frags in the ocean covered with a cage for protection. They would come back a few months later and collect colonies from them. Frag more, plant them and so forth and kept propagation going.

 

[jda]

The ocean probably already grows 40x faster.

In my tank, it depends. Put me down for yes and no. Sometimes fragging will get a coral growing that was stuck doing nothing - this is a good thing to try with a coral that has just sat there for a year. If a coral is growing well, then fragging it will slow it down since it appears that they grow exponentially - for example, a ORA Cali Tort can get to the size of a watermelon in three years if left alone, but if I cut 12-15 frags off of it when it is the size of a cantaloupe, it will not make watermelon size at three years.

 

[ScottB]

I've seen many many anecdotes (not research) suggesting growth accelerates when a colony is cut back.

Personally, I FEEL like I have seen the same thing. I have to trim a handful of colonies all the time. They seemingly explode relative to the uncut areas.

But then I realize that I am cutting back areas that are on the periphery of the colony. Not in the center. So I am NOT

separating out the effect of better FLOW, from the effect of cutting.

I will say that some (like Aussie slimers) always launch multiple new branches at the cut. I prefer the aesthetic of the more dense colony to the long, leggy look of some acros.

Here is a pic of my TSA Raspberry mili. I bet you can guess where I cut this thing back a few months ago.

 

[29bonsaireef]

Just recently photographed this. The darker coral up top is a frag of WWC Purple Candle. It encrusted and sat dormant for the last 8-9 months. Don't have a pic of the original tip but it all looked the same, no new growth. I snipped the tip off and you can see now it is shooting out new branches. This is the only time, imo, fragging will "promote growth".

 

[LesPoissons]

Idk. I have inadvertently fragged multiple corals in my tank. Monirporas, duncans, bubble, psammacora, birdsnest, etc. Have never noticed an increased growth rate in frag or original species. Not sure it makes much sense from a survival point of view anyway, since corals are made from a variety of polyps. If one or 100 are cut off, idk that I believe it sends coral into a hyperdrive of replacement. Since they are without brains and only have a nervous system that extends from mouth to polyp, there is no signal that gets sent if a bunch are chopped off to the main branch to make more.

 

[LesPoissons]

Idk. I have inadvertently fragged multiple corals in my tank. Monirporas, duncans, bubble, psammacora, birdsnest, etc. Have never noticed an increased growth rate in frag or original species. Not sure it makes much sense from a survival point of view anyway, since corals are made from a variety of polyps. If one or 100 are cut off, idk that I believe it sends coral into a hyperdrive of replacement. Since they are without brains and only have a nervous system that extends from mouth to polyp, there is no signal that gets sent if a bunch are chopped off to the main branch to make more.

 

[CNDReef]

I would say the reaction would be like a human getting cut and and the tissue will try to heal itself as fast as possible and this creating a scar that from my understanding ( not a doctor ) is just extra skin tissue. Maybe the corals react in a similar way?

 

[Reefahholic]

I definitely has for me. Especially those stubborn Acro’s that don’t wanna take off.

 

[Cell]

Not a perfect analogy but in cell culture, splitting cells and reseeding can promote faster growth.

 

[TheGreatWave]

I think the more fractal the SPS the more it may respond to fragging. Things like Staghorns etc. I suppose it could be partially flow or light, but then why doesn't it grow back how it was?

Also they haven't told us what "fast" is. Is it a linear measurement? Is it weight? Is it size relative to weight? Displacement? A grams worth of growth on a 3 gram frag is noticeable while while the same weight increase on a larger colony might not be a visually noticeable.

If they grow at comparable weights, but the small ones measure bigger faster then they would have to be less dense. Does a frag grow with the same density as a heavy mother colony? If a tree sapling grows 12" high in a year while the adult version of the tree also grew 12" in that year, which one grew faster? The sapling weighs grams, but the old tree added pounds.

Granted I haven't watch the linked video above, it may answer some of these questions. I am just trying to stay centric to the question until we determine what "growth" is. Superficially, it implies that we can grow "more"(again unqualified) "faster". So in simple terms if I cut my coral into 4, those 4 colonies would surpass size and weight of being left as one in some appreciable time frame.

Maybe it's just different? Like if you cut of one branch and three small branches start to grow, would those three branches grow at the same weight as one larger branch, only to arrive at the original branch size at a date that took three times longer?

It's an interesting topic with more questions then answers, I do agree it needs to be looked at per species for now.

 

[JAMSOURY]

I think the more fractal the SPS the more it may respond to fragging. Things like Staghorns etc. I suppose it could be partially flow or light, but then why doesn't it grow back how it was?

Also they haven't told us what "fast" is. Is it a linear measurement? Is it weight? Is it size relative to weight? Displacement? A grams worth of growth on a 3 gram frag is noticeable while while the same weight increase on a larger colony might not be a visually noticeable.

If they grow at comparable weights, but the small ones measure bigger faster then they would have to be less dense. Does a frag grow with the same density as a heavy mother colony? If a tree sapling grows 12" high in a year while the adult version of the tree also grew 12" in that year, which one grew faster? The sapling weighs grams, but the old tree added pounds.

Granted I haven't watch the linked video above, it may answer some of these questions. I am just trying to stay centric to the question until we determine what "growth" is. Superficially, it implies that we can grow "more"(again unqualified) "faster". So in simple terms if I cut my coral into 4, those 4 colonies would surpass size and weight of being left as one in some appreciable time frame.

Maybe it's just different? Like if you cut of one branch and three small branches start to grow, would those three branches grow at the same weight as one larger branch, only to arrive at the original branch size at a date that took three times longer?

It's an interesting topic with more questions then answers, I do agree it needs to be looked at per species for now.

If a cut is made and three small branches grow the same weight as one large branch, would three branches spread out more quickly than one larger (thicker or longer) branch.

Would be a cool series for @bulkreefsupply investigates videos