Fragging Help Please! -- 08/19/10
Good morning.
<<Greetings>>
I just have a quick question for ya.
<<Okey-dokey>>
Due to my schedule I have recently and regrettably let my green star polyps "engulf" my only Acropora.
<<Uh-oh>>
I have since took off the green stars and had to break up the last 2 major branches I had left of the Acropora. Half way up each of these main branches are dead and white, the other half( top half) still have great color and polyps flowing in current. Do I have to clip these branches where they're still alive and frag them that way,
<<Is best, yes>>
or can I leave the dead portion in which case they might re-inhabit the old vacant holes with new polyps and flesh.
<<Acropora generally will not 're-inhabit' old dead skeleton. And rarely does it even overgrow such, in my experience--though alga/sponge/other encrusting organisms have no such issues re. I think your best chance for success here will be to remove all but a small bit of the dead skeleton (for reattachment purposes) and treat/mount these as you would fresh new Acropora frags>>
Your help has always led me to success. Thanks for your time.
<<Is a pleasure to share'¦ EricR>>

SPS Question'¦Stump Eradication -- 09/19/09
Hello Crew,
<<Hiya Matt>>
I have recently clipped out my large pieces of Monti Digitata colonies as well as a few other colonies of sps that have started to dominate my tank.
<<Ahh'¦a problem many hobbyists 'wish' they had [grin]>>
My new plan of action is to add more valuable colonies of Acropora.
<<Valuable? Oh'¦you mean as in the trading/selling frags of such'¦gotcha>>
My question is, after clipping the colonies; the bases are still leftover and slowly creeping along my live rock and will eventually shoot out new digi branches.
<<Yep>>
Is there an effective way of covering up or killing capricornis or residual sps from my live rock to replant new colonies?
<<There is>>
Should I just place epoxy over the bases to starve them out, any other possible recommendations?
<<That's one method'¦ Another is to cover the area with a Kalkwasser paste much like when treating Aiptasia. Turn off your powerheads and let the paste 'sit' for a few minutes to kill the stump/leftover base. You could also try scraping the base of all flesh, but I have found Montipora species to be surprising resilient/able to resurrect from seemingly impossible treatments re>>
Thank you,
Matt
<<Happy to share'¦ EricR>>

Re SPS Question'¦Stump Eradication -- 09/20/09
I managed to use my coral cutters and cut the rock/bases off somehow. Little bits of live rock came with but at least there are no more living sps bases leftover anymore.
<<Ah yes'¦another alternative if/when the bases are small enough and the rock is accessible for such treatment. An old carpenter's chisel is also a useful tool for scraping/shaving organisms from 'soft' calcareous rock>>
Kalkwasser paste, hmmm interesting idea.
<<Does work'¦do use with care>>
Thanks again,
Matt
<<Always welcome'¦ EricR>>

Caribbean Elkhorn- legality of fragging a hitch hiker   4/9/09
Hey Bob and Crew,
<Darby>
About a year ago y'all helped me out a great deal in getting my 150gal Caribbean biotope up and running. It's doing great (though I had to "break" it by housing a Yellow Tang, but other than that...) and I've been
having to prune my gorgonians like crazy (donating to the DFWMAS coral co-op) as well as having Ricordeas splitting like it's going out of style.
Good stuff! I'd like to say thanks for that, and also ask a question:
<Ok>
I recently discovered a tiny little branch of what appears to be Caribbean Elkhorn beginning to grow out of a pour in a rock.
<Acropora palmata does "come in" as such at times>
I'm very excited about this, as there's the potential that it will grow in a pretty dang cool coral. BUT, I know that they are a protected species and are not to be deliberately removed from the sea. BUT BUT, as this is a
hitch hiker which just recently sprouted/revealed itself, is it legal to distribute frags to other reefers as it grows?
<Mmm, I don't know. I'd be asking Eric Borneman next... BCC'd him here>
Should I just dial up Fish&Game to see what they say?
<A good idea as well>
The trouble I worry about is someone thinking that I, or the seller that I bought the rock from, intentionally harvested the coral from the sea, bring all sorts of problems down around my ears...
Thanks,
Darby
<Understood and agreed. Cheers, Bob Fenner>

Mounting a Montipora capricornis 10/24/08 Hey Guys, <FJ> I have a simple question, I think. What is the preferred way to mount and place a purple rimmed Montipora Capricornis frag. I have two pieces. One is two inch long and half an inch wide piece. The other is a fairly rounded 4 inch by 3 inch piece. I was going to mount the with glue or putty flat on some live rock but before I do I wanted to check what is recommended. I can't find any specifics. What's your take? Thanks FJ <There are a few approaches... some folks do as you suggest, and just methacrylate or epoxy the bits to hard substrate... I prefer to mount them on some "stick to rounded base" plugs to make it easier to move about... See the net re "frag kits". Bob Fenner>

SPS Accident  - 5/8/2006 Hey everyone, I had a little accident with an Acropora in my tank. I broke off four 1 inch long pieces - fragging by accident I guess. I have always wanted to propagate my own coral to become more self sufficient in the hobby. I have some small cylindrical bases for the coral and want to use reef putty to connect the frags. My question is in regards to the base of the frag being slightly buried in the putty. I need to get at least a couple of millimetres into the putty to get the frags to stand. Is this alright or should I try something else. Cheers Marc <Marc - Yes, it is OK to stick the frag in.  If it grows, the base will eventually cover the putty.  With new frags, it is usually best to try to duplicate the same lighting and flow they had before they broke off for best results.  However, with a brand new frag, you might want to start the frag lower in the tank and then move it higher over the course of several days.  Best of luck, Roy>

Fragging A Montipora (digitata?) - 03/03/06 I currently have a larger piece of Montipora and would like to frag this.  Any suggestions? <<Well, if we're speaking about Montipora digitata this is very easy to do.  It's likely you won't even need tools as the skeleton of this coral specie is usually quite soft/brittle.  To frag, carefully snap (or cut with bone scissors/side-cutting pliers, if you wish) a small piece from the branch tips (about 1" long is ideal) and attach these to your choice of mount with a cyanoacrylate adhesive.  M. digitata is quite hardy and takes to fragging well so there is no need to be overly concerned about damaging the coral.>> By the way your site is great... <<Thank you...a collective effort.>> Eric Godin <<Regards, EricR>>

Mounting M. capricornis Frags - 11/18/05 WWM Crew, <<Kevin>> I received a small capricornis frag today, and I am inquiring in to the best way to attach the frag to a small rock for placement in my tank. Is superglue necessary or are there other possible means. <<Superglue is the best way in my opinion. Very easy to do...gently blot the back of the frag dry with a paper towel, place some superglue (gel) on the back and press to the rock...a quick dip in the tank water while holding the frag in place will speed curing. Once the glue starts to set (usually about 15 seconds), place the frag where it will receive good water flow and adequate light and it will begin to encrust/grow in no time at all.>> Thanks. Kevin <<Regards, EricR>>

Acropora fragging and aggression - 4/5/04  Hi, what would happen if two of my Acropora corals touched each other? <Sometimes they grow together, other times they kill of the area where they are touching. Do search for SPS aggression on Google. There is much info available on this subject> Also, is there a minimum size an Acropora coral frag has to be? <Not really. I have tried 1/2 inch on up. Sometimes they make it, but there is usually high mortality in very small frags (under an inch)> Thanks, Adam