How to frag encrusting montipora

[Esquire805]

Some people say cut the bottom of the plug and glue it to rock. While others have no clue help

 

[hyprc]

It sounds like you're asking how to get it to grow onto a rock and the way you mentioned would work fine.

However, if you're looking to frag it, it's one of the easiest corals to propagate imo as long as you have larger plugs. I let them encrust around the bottom so I can cut around the skirt of the plug (trying to keep close to the stem so I can get larger frags) and have 3 sides encrusted already and one bare (the cut side) to glue down to the new plug. All you need is bone cutters, plugs, and super glue

 

[Dan P]

That’s what I’ve done when it’s growing directly to the plug. On my sunset Monti I ended up removing the disc after the Monti had encrusted all around it because it didn’t look natural even after a couple years. Traded the original plug disc and Monti back to the LFS. It filled the hole in and looks great now.

 

[Esquire805]

It sounds like you're asking how to get it to grow onto a rock and the way you mentioned would work fine.

However, if you're looking to frag it, it's one of the easiest corals to propagate imo as long as you have larger plugs. I let them encrust around the bottom so I can cut around the skirt of the plug (trying to keep close to the stem so I can get larger frags) and have 3 sides encrusted already and one bare (the cut side) to glue down to the new plug. All you need is bone cutters, plugs, and super glue

Yes the encrusted downward on the plug so I'm like just cut a piece and glue

 

[Esquire805]

That’s what I’ve done when it’s growing directly to the plug. On my sunset Monti I ended up removing the disc after the Monti had encrusted all around it because it didn’t looked natural even after a couple years. Traded the original plug disc and Monti back to the LFS. It filled the hole in and looks great now.

So is there a way to snap it off the disk

 

[Dan P]

So is there a way to snap it off the disk

I think I misunderstood your question, but hyprc’s method for taking frags from a plug of Monti sounds good.

 

[Esquire805]

Lol I'm just new to fraging but the coral is over growing the plug so I have to do something

 

[hyprc]

Lol I'm just new to fraging but the coral is over growing the plug so I have to do something

If you're able to remove the plug from the rock, you need some bone cutters to make the cut. Try to place the bottom blade as close to the stem as possible so you get a good sized frag (you can rotate the plug around to see where you have the most clearance at the top).

If it's already growing onto the rock from the plug, you might try prying it with some type of tool... someone with more experience than I would have to suggest something ideal though (I can't stop picturing a small flathead screwdriver in my head at the moment )

 

[Esquire805]

If you're able to remove the plug from the rock, you need some bone cutters to make the cut. Try to place the bottom blade as close to the stem as possible so you get a good sized frag (you can rotate the plug around to see where you have the most clearance at the top).

If it's already growing onto the rock from the plug, you might try prying it with some type of tool... someone with more experience than I would have to suggest something ideal though (I can't stop picturing a small flathead screwdriver in my head at the moment )

None are on rock yet just plugs but I picture stabbing it until you make a hole lol

 

[hyprc]

None are on rock yet just plugs but I picture stabbing it until you make a hole lol

Bone cutters are kinda shaped like smaller scissors that can that off a section of the disc the coral has encrusted.

https://www.tidalgardens.com/stock-mystic-sunset-montipora.html
If you look at either of the actinic or 10k shots on this Tidal Gardens Mystic Monti, imagine once the monti has finished encrusting around the exposed plug area, then you could 'clip' frags by roughly running the bottom blade of the bone cutters around the stem of the plug