first frag/frag question

Yesterday, I fragged a coral for the first time. I cut a branch off of my green tree leather, put a toothpick through it, and rubber banded it to a plug, and now I'm waiting for it to attach. This is really just a trial run before I frag the heck out of my enormous leather corals.

My question is: How do you frag a huge toadstool. Should I just chop pieces off the head and put them on plugs? Chop off the head and then cut it up? Once the head is off can I take more frags by cutting down the stem? Also, any advice on fragging GSP that are slowly taking over the left side of my tank?

 

I think with the leather the first idea is the one. The GSP just remove whatever you wish by cutting it with a scalpel or Exacto knive.

 

a good method for fragging a huge toadstool is

1) remove from tank into a large bucket if possible as they do slime up pretty bad when you do this
2) using sharp scissors cut a ring about I inch wide, right round the corals cap
3) rinse the mother coral and place back in DT
4) With the donut you have created - cut this into 4 or 5 pieces
5) tie using bridal veil or mesh strips these segments to a piece of rock rubble (dont use rubber bands as the coral is now deflated and when it inflates the bands will cut through the coral segments and can cut them cleanly in half)
6) place your pieces, losely tied to rocks in a low flow area at base of tank
7) in about 2 weeks remove the ties and the shroom will have fixed themselves to the rock
8) it takes a couple of months, but eventually these oblong shapes you have cut, will round themselves out and become mini toadstools

Hope that helps

Steve

 

Thanks Steve. There are a couple problems. One is that the toadstool is on a major support rock, so it would be extremely difficult to remove it from the tank. The next is that I need to shorten the coral because it is quickly approaching the water line on my 90. Can I just cut the stem a few inches down then cut up the cap?

 

LCP136

Yes you can
the stem you leave will eventually become another toady
and then you can cut the cap into as many sections as you like
best to be on the large size as I found they attach and then take shape a bit quicker

deflated, as the coral will be after being cropped and then placed in bucket
most sections I cut where approx 3 inches long by 1 - 2 inches wide

Steve