Help me frag

ktaylor660 · Jan 22, 2013

Ok, so all I have ever fragged is Leather Corals and Xenia. I am needing to frag some Zoas and Montipora Caps. What's the best way to frag these corals? The Zoas are on rocks that are attached to my PVC frame, which I can't remove from the tank. I have a fresh exacto knife, that we bought to frag our Xenia forest. Any and all help is appreciated. I don't want to mess up and cause a large Palytoxin death camp in my tank.

SLUF681 · Jan 22, 2013

The monti caps you can simply snap pieces off of. I accidentally "fragged" one earlier while trying to remove it from a rock. I wound up with 5 frags instead of 1 coral.

ktaylor660 · Jan 22, 2013

Ok, easy enough. I didn't know if I could do that or if I had to cut it with something. It started on a plug and is now massive and shading my zoas.

k2parkstar · Jan 22, 2013

I've never fragged zoas in the tank so I'm not sure of the best way for those. Agree with sluf on the monti, just break it off.

EvilMel · Jan 23, 2013

With zoas in the tank, it's best to either find a spot on the colony where you can pull up the mat (difficult to explain) or just chip away at the rock underneath them. It's more challenging in the tank but can be done. I hope that helps a little bit. It's hard to explain what I mean without just showing you.

ktaylor660 · Jan 23, 2013

I think I got it. Going to make them withdraw, then slice the mat, then slowly work the exacto under it and peel a few polyps up. Then I'll super glue them to a plug. How Long should they heal before I send them to their new homes? I'm going to put them on a frag rack in the back of the tank to heal up, also going to dip them in Lugol's after fragging.

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dRsLy · Jan 23, 2013

I think if you waited a day or so before moving them that should be fine. Just make sure to put the frags in about the same depth as the colony from which they came... In other words, you don't want to cut frags from your zoas sitting on the bottom and then move them to a frag rack that's at the top of your tank ( and closer to your lights.)

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EvilMel · Jan 23, 2013

I don't know why you'd have to dip them in Lugols. That seems unnecessary. They will be perfectly fine without it.

Engloid · Jan 23, 2013

EvilMel said:
I don't know why you'd have to dip them in Lugols. That seems unnecessary. They will be perfectly fine without it.

I would assume it's kinda like putting alcohol on a paper cut...not necessary, if nothing gets in the cut, but helps in the event that it did. Likewise, maybe Lugols will help kill anything that might get into the coral? I'd like to hear a more educated answer than my assumption though, if anybody has one.

cee · Jan 23, 2013

I always used to dip fresh zoa frags in Lugol's diluted too. Not as an antiseptic though; I found that the iodine/iodide helped them recover faster.

ktaylor660 · Jan 23, 2013

Yep. Helps with healing and any infections that may try and occur.

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EvilMel · Jan 24, 2013

I'm not saying you shouldn't do it but I've literally fragged hundreds of zoas frags and I have never needed to do it. Mine opened up right away without any issue.

SLUF681 · Jan 24, 2013

+1 with Mel. I haven't fragged near as many as she has, but I've never had an issue with them not opening immediately afterwards.

k2parkstar · Jan 24, 2013

I've done it both ways. No dip, and coral rx dip. I think the dip helped them recover a bit faster. But it could just be a placebo effect...either way its best to keep the frags in your tank for a couple days to let them heal, rather than stress them in another tank.