How to frag a giant bubble coral?

[AnemoneBay]

hello! My giant bubble coral is getting too big and I wanted to frag it! It’s base is Huge too! I have a drumel too! Here’s a picture of it, it’s about 6” wide when expanded!

 

[AnemoneBay]

How do I frag it is what I forgot to ask*

 

[Reefer40b]

Well its kinda like a wall hammer, I personally have not done it yet but I would get a big rubber band and divide the coral with it and then when the tissue dies around the rubber you should have a clear line to cut with a dremel or tile saw. That way it has time to repair itself in the tank and you not cutting through the tissue to limit the chance of infection.

 

[JoshH]

#Reefsquad any thoughts on how to handle this? I mean, aside from the obvious solution of just removing it and shipping it to me

 

[Crabs McJones]

@mikejrice might know, he has alot of threads on how to frag corals.

 

[BellaCoop]

I thought you could not frag bubbles.

 

[AnemoneBay]

I thought you could not frag bubbles.

Wait do they split or something?

 

[Crabs McJones]

I thought you could not frag bubbles.

How do you get new ones then?

 

[KrisReef]

I fragged a pearl bubble once, by accident. Both pieces have been alive afwards for 3 or 4 years now.

I had bought a small pearl bubble, I guess that the skeleton was 2, maybe 3 inches long. The old dead base a was probably 3 inches tall and I decided I wanted to remove the lower end because it was tall and tended to fall over in the current (I had not decided where I wanted to mount it in the tank).

I made a cut into the dead lower part of the skeleton parallel to the single fleshy polyp about a 1/2 inch below where the living flesh ended. That went ok, I didn’t hit the flesh inside but before I completed my cut the skeleton split perpendicular to the cutting tool and I ended up with a polyp holding two pieces of skeleton together.
I was not happy as I figured that I had just killed my bubble coral trying to make a cosmetic cut. Anyway, I carefully placed the polyp and two attached pieces of skeleton back into the tank and the coral split itself and healed (similar to an anemone dividing) in a few short days. The smaller piece is now about tennis ball sized, the larger piece didn’t grow as fast and recently got stung pretty bad by another coral. What remains of that piece is about the size of the original one I had. I need to trade it back in before I lose it in the over crowded DT.

I can’t recommend that you try this, but if you do I hope you will post up pics of the twins. I think this method will work, but my single experience isn’t a lot af data to go on. HTH

 

[Brian1f1]

Your going to want to use a wet saw or have someone use a wetsaw. This is a relatively high risk operation from what I understand.

 

[BellaCoop]

How do you get new ones then?

Thats true.... haha maybe I heard it was just difficult to do it with them than.

 

[JaimeAdams]

Cut between mouths with a wet saw. I've done it with wall hammers bubbles and elegances. It is, as everyone says, iffy. I've never heard about that rubber band thing above, but that sounds pretty solid.

 

[tupes]

How new are you to the hobby? Depending on your answer is what I'll say about fragging it.

More or less if you're just starting out dont attempt it. The main reason is not taking proper precautions when fragging and possibly loosing a nice coral.

If you've been in for a few years I'll tell you some steps I've taken to frag them.

 

[shred5]

Branching ones are easy to frag just like any of the branching Euphyllia.

The wall type are very sensitive to fragging.

It can be done but it is not without risk...

 

[Billdogg]

I would think that the best way would to use a rubberband like someone else mentioned. Let us know if it works! I've go an elegance that is huge now that eventually I'm gonna haft to do something with.

 

[Kremis]

I would not personally frag a bubble coral, its like a wall hammer

 

[ReefMonkey714]

I have a pretty big bubble that has three mouths. One is starting to form on its own away from the other two. I’m guessing it’s a wall type and you would cut the head once it’s developed??

 

[tupes]

I have a pretty big bubble that has three mouths. One is starting to form on its own away from the other two. I’m guessing it’s a wall type and you would cut the head once it’s developed??

This one is easy if its completely separate which it looks like it is. Just cut right down where I made the mark with preferably a coral bandsaw. A dremel with a diamond blade can also be used but if you take to long it can heat up and damage the tissue

 

[ReefMonkey714]

I might frag it later down the line. Right now I like how big it is so letting it be for now. I was just curious how these bubble corals reproduce and propagate.

 

[Victor Guyton]

This one is easy if its completely separate which it looks like it is. Just cut right down where I made the mark with preferably a coral bandsaw. A dremel with a diamond blade can also be used but if you take to long it can heat up and damage the tissue

What happen if the cut slits between the mouth? I just fragged some. It was getting to big and no one wanted a big piece.