Jump to content
inTank Media Baskets

Fragging Open Brains, Plates, ect.?


sambo123

Recommended Posts

I have a really nice cynaria brain and plate coral that I was thinking about fragging. I would like to know the risks of cutting them and the chances of survival. I would also like to know the best method of separating them. I heard of using wet saws, jig saws, tile saws, ect. Which is better? I also heard of using the rubberband method for open brains. How long does it take to grow back to a whole peice? will they ever grow back normally, or will the frag be mishaped? Also do they only reproduce by spawning in the wild? How do you get plate corals to drop off frags like they do in the wild? Is it possible to propagate open brains through spawning in a home aquarium?

 

Lets start a thread displaying the methods of fragging the harder to propagate corals :)

 

Please post your method of fragging and the outcome you have, also any info you may have on propagating these kinds of corals!

 

Thanks!!!

Link to comment

I dont want to get in trouble but Reefcentral and Reefkeeping magazine have a "frag of the month" and this month it is brain coral and hammer coral. The articles are fairly good. Sorry if I offended anybody.

Link to comment

I have been trying to find out about cynarina as I have one too thats just huge. There is a lot of question as to whether or not you could successfully keep both if not just a half and have it grow around to make another. They speculate it may grow back a bit lop sided too.

 

I plan to leave mine alone.

 

Wellsos I'm not sure but if there are separate polyps you can separate I don't see why not but I'd be concerned about infection. LPS seem so prone to it

Link to comment

Has anyone tried the rubberband method on brains?? Im pretty sure someone here has done it before, and would like to know the risk in that. Come on! I know there is someone on here that has fragged a open brain or fungia before.

Link to comment
Has anyone tried the rubberband method on brains?? Im pretty sure someone here has done it before, and would like to know the risk in that. Come on! I know there is someone on here that has fragged a open brain or fungia before.

I haven't done it! I know that er1c_the_reefer mentioned that he rubberbanded a scolymia before.

 

I had a cool little cynarina pop up at the base of a larger one---and I removed it and it's growing very nicely. It's about the size of a golf ball now and was the size of a pea when I snipped it.

 

I've done echinos and haven't had the best regrowth once they were cut. But they didn't die or anything.

Link to comment

I know but its the only one I have, im so scared it will die....lol. Anybody have experiance in this and can show me the best way? Anybody have any pics of fragging a fungia or open brain?

Link to comment
sephroth_r1

fungia...

 

Best way, it to just keep them optimum. they will eventually start letting out their own "daughter" colony's. they take time.

 

They are a coral you need to be patient with.

Link to comment

Ive had mine for a year and its a incredible neon green, same color as the trumpet in my avatar. Its 3 1/2'', so Im guessing it takes a long time to do this. How long, any way to decrease the time it takes? Do all types of Fungia do this? How long does it take to grow back and is it risky to frag them by cutting.

Link to comment

Fungia's are super hard to frag....They are a wuss coral and seem to catch infection easy...Not to mention if you frag one it takes forever for the 2 halves to grow back into circles again

 

BTW: A wet tile saw works good with these

Link to comment
sephroth_r1

In the 2007 marine fish and reef, there is an article on them.

 

It says "small amounts of irritation" can help in forming daughter colonys.

Link to comment
In the 2007 marine fish and reef, there is an article on them.

 

It says "small amounts of irritation" can help in forming daughter colonys.

 

How big are they when they do this? anybody have a fungia that does this? How do I irritate it? I could put one of my really annoying red tip hermits on it! :lol: I was thinking about trying the rubberband thing. Anybody think it will work on a cynaria? What are the chances it will live? Regrowth time?

Link to comment
How big are they when they do this? anybody have a fungia that does this? How do I irritate it? I could put one of my really annoying red tip hermits on it! :lol: I was thinking about trying the rubberband thing. Anybody think it will work on a cynaria? What are the chances it will live? Regrowth time?

I think the first key to this is having a fungia or cynaria.

 

Post some pics when you get to playin wit it!

 

Also--can you clarify the coral you are calling cynaria brain coral? I may be messing it up--I can't tell from what you have. Brain corals fall into a huge category that I think is made up of a bunch of corals that don't go anywhere else.

Link to comment

Here's the brain, sorry not the best pic:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/gallery/showphoto...mp;ppuser=19529

 

And the fungia, this is a horrible pic, but you can see the coloration is really bright

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/gallery/showphoto...mp;ppuser=19529

 

 

I not going to start "playing" with them until I know its not a huge risk, and can decide on how to frag them. I want to know the time it takes to grow back, best method, and the risk of losing the coral.

Link to comment

I agree with Prorap...

 

It will be riskey...but if you want to frag...wet saw them right down the middle of their mouths.

Only real problem I would see is the width of wet saw blade may be a little to wide at the mouth of the coral.

Not sure if you score with wet saw then finish with sharp cutting blade or dremel...but all that may be to much for the coral in the end...

Good luck

 

Izzue

Link to comment

Im having doubts about cutting it in half, would anyone think the rubberband method would be easier and less risky?

 

Also does anyone have a fungia that is dropping off daughter colonies?

Link to comment

i'd cut before i'd rubberband. you can cut and do an iodine treamtment to help keep away infection, but the rubberband will cut into the flesh 24/7 leaving it open to infection the whole time.

 

I'm glad youre trying to prop such difficult corals. $100 cynarinia is a little too rich for me to possibly kill. i hope you can do it, best of luck.

Link to comment
firefishbrain

but then the rubber band serves no purpose, the purpose of the rubberband is to kill the flesh and to create a nice line to cut down. I suppose you could dip the coral every couple of day to keep infections away. the Iodine won't stay on the coral forever, so i don't see how it seems any more fool proof than the rubber band, and once the rubberband is has served it's purpose, the coral will start to heal then you're not tearing a ripping live flesh apart with a saw blade.

I would get a piece of crap cynaria first before i try it. anything that breaks $40 is worth saving to me.

and for brains, depending on the species you can just cut it, just remember to dip it every couple of days, a lobo you can just cut the stalk, but with a wells or trach or radiata, it might be a little risky, you would want to make the smallest cutt possible and to go through a mouth, or the mouth if there is only one, this ensures that both frags will become coral, not just living matter that will eventually rot away. same theory as shrooms...

goood Luck!!!

Link to comment

I have never fragged brains or plates but I do have a suggestion. Buy another to practice on before fragging the one you want to. I just bought a cheap acan colony to practice on and I've gotten a few sucessfull frags. it's much easier to try with something you don't care about vs your prized coral.

Link to comment

ok, I think Im going to look around for a cheap welso or other open brain, my cynaria is way to nice to kill probably worth about $80 or something

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...