Post by L0S3R on May 21, 2009 0:50:37 GMT -5
Purple Photosynthetic Gorgonian Propagation
Ok heres a little info on fragging the Gorgonian, I read that this works for all gorgonians. I have only tried this one though. So use at your own discretion as each and every coral will not react the same way to everything.
Before fragging any coral you should always research it first. Not everything reacts the same and you need to know what you are doing before its to late. Never over frag your corals, They can be stressed which can have many outcomes including death.
Now on to the good stuff...
Tools needed:
- Sharp scissors
- Super glue gel (cyanocrylate)
- Rock rubble or frag plug/disk
- Bowl of water from water change
- Gorgonian
A good thing to have would be some good epoxy but not necessary.
Heres who I needed to frag...
I did not get step by step pictures but I have before and after shots.
What you need to do is make sure the scissors are sterile and sharp. If they are sharp enough they will make a quick clean cut. Remember the goal here is to not stress the coral anymore than necessary. You want to eye the coral over to make sure you know exactly what it is that you need to do. In my case he outgrew his area so I needed to remove 2 branches and shorten 1.
The gorgonian do not produce toxins when clipped so they can be cut in tank. The method I used was to put the backside of the blade against the coral. That way you can see where you cut before you cut. After making the clipping pull the frag out of the tank and put it in the bowl of water.
After making your final clippings have your rubble ready. You may need to take a small masonry bit and drill holes in the rock. I chose rocks with natural holes about 1/4" deep. You can go 1/2" for bigger pieces. Here you will need to peel off 1/4" - 1/2" of the skin (depending on hole depth). It is easily removed with the backside of your thumbnail. You could also use a scalpel but that is overkill. The center is like a wire. Thats what you want showing to go into the hole.
The way I did it was take the super glue gel and fill the hole wait about 30 seconds. Then position the Gorgonia into the hole so that the center piece shows about the thickness of a dime from the rock. Try not to glue the skin as that will cause the skin to rot and the coral will lose hold of the rock and fall out. It could also lead to infections.A little is not the end of the world but less is better. Withing 10-15 seconds put the newly glued frag into the bowl of water. Super glue and epoxy heat as they cure. The water helps prevent harm to the corals. Also I just don't like putting uncured super glue in my tank. The water gives the glue a flash dry. Which helps harden the outside layer. Give them a few to cure then they are ready to be put back into the tank
I did not have epoxy but when using it make sure it is thoroughly mixed (solid color) FRAG > SUPER GLUE > EPOXY > SUPER GLUE > ROCK.
Remember to research before making a cut on any coral. Fragging does not always work as planned so be prepared before you start. Each coral is its own and will react in its own way. Just because something works for 1 person doesn't mean it will another. But every coral fragged saves the reef from another loss. Frag when your coral are ready as to not stress them.
Heres the frags I took.
Then heres my little guy 10 minutes after the fragging, Notice the polyp extension? Looks good.
Hope you enjoyed the info and Happy Reefing!
L0S3R
Ok heres a little info on fragging the Gorgonian, I read that this works for all gorgonians. I have only tried this one though. So use at your own discretion as each and every coral will not react the same way to everything.
Before fragging any coral you should always research it first. Not everything reacts the same and you need to know what you are doing before its to late. Never over frag your corals, They can be stressed which can have many outcomes including death.
Now on to the good stuff...
Tools needed:
- Sharp scissors
- Super glue gel (cyanocrylate)
- Rock rubble or frag plug/disk
- Bowl of water from water change
- Gorgonian
A good thing to have would be some good epoxy but not necessary.
Heres who I needed to frag...
I did not get step by step pictures but I have before and after shots.
What you need to do is make sure the scissors are sterile and sharp. If they are sharp enough they will make a quick clean cut. Remember the goal here is to not stress the coral anymore than necessary. You want to eye the coral over to make sure you know exactly what it is that you need to do. In my case he outgrew his area so I needed to remove 2 branches and shorten 1.
The gorgonian do not produce toxins when clipped so they can be cut in tank. The method I used was to put the backside of the blade against the coral. That way you can see where you cut before you cut. After making the clipping pull the frag out of the tank and put it in the bowl of water.
After making your final clippings have your rubble ready. You may need to take a small masonry bit and drill holes in the rock. I chose rocks with natural holes about 1/4" deep. You can go 1/2" for bigger pieces. Here you will need to peel off 1/4" - 1/2" of the skin (depending on hole depth). It is easily removed with the backside of your thumbnail. You could also use a scalpel but that is overkill. The center is like a wire. Thats what you want showing to go into the hole.
The way I did it was take the super glue gel and fill the hole wait about 30 seconds. Then position the Gorgonia into the hole so that the center piece shows about the thickness of a dime from the rock. Try not to glue the skin as that will cause the skin to rot and the coral will lose hold of the rock and fall out. It could also lead to infections.A little is not the end of the world but less is better. Withing 10-15 seconds put the newly glued frag into the bowl of water. Super glue and epoxy heat as they cure. The water helps prevent harm to the corals. Also I just don't like putting uncured super glue in my tank. The water gives the glue a flash dry. Which helps harden the outside layer. Give them a few to cure then they are ready to be put back into the tank
I did not have epoxy but when using it make sure it is thoroughly mixed (solid color) FRAG > SUPER GLUE > EPOXY > SUPER GLUE > ROCK.
Remember to research before making a cut on any coral. Fragging does not always work as planned so be prepared before you start. Each coral is its own and will react in its own way. Just because something works for 1 person doesn't mean it will another. But every coral fragged saves the reef from another loss. Frag when your coral are ready as to not stress them.
Heres the frags I took.
Then heres my little guy 10 minutes after the fragging, Notice the polyp extension? Looks good.
Hope you enjoyed the info and Happy Reefing!
L0S3R