pyrocreep Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 A while back I picked up a really nice orange wall torch. It's grown a fair bit sense I originally purchased it and I'm basically being proactive and trying to figure out how to frag it before I need to frag it. I have a dremel and the diamond wheel and can do the actual act of cutting it, but I don't know how to locate the actual mouths of the torch. I would obviously rather make sure that any frag I make has at least one mouth, but when it is inflated I can't really see anything and when it is deflated it is closed up to tight. So is there any trick to finding the mouths on these things? Link to comment
sogreedy23 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 A while back I picked up a really nice orange wall torch. It's grown a fair bit sense I originally purchased it and I'm basically being proactive and trying to figure out how to frag it before I need to frag it. I have a dremel and the diamond wheel and can do the actual act of cutting it, but I don't know how to locate the actual mouths of the torch. I would obviously rather make sure that any frag I make has at least one mouth, but when it is inflated I can't really see anything and when it is deflated it is closed up to tight. So is there any trick to finding the mouths on these things? That's gunna be tough..fragging a wall anything is hard because it's easier to hit the fleshy part of the coral when you stard cutting..I have no tips for you as I've personally never done it but all I have to say is be careful with it...and let me know when you have some orange torch for sale! That sounds sick lol Link to comment
drainbamage Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Good luck- most everyone I've known frag a wall anything, it just ends up receding from the cut point till total death. But haven't seen a lot of people attempt it, who knows, maybe you'll have the right method finally! Read of people making a small cut in the very bottom, inserting a wedge, and applying increasing pressure over a long period of time, encouraging the coral to grow away from this point, and then eventually breaking it off, sounds risky though. Have a wall hammer that's actually formed a separate colony; the flesh has separated healthily into two sections, though the skeleton is still connected so no way I'm going to try and cut anytime soon. Link to comment
n0rk Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Having fragged all kinds of LPS like this successfully in the past, the best advice I can possibly render is this: DO NOT, under any circumstance, use a rotory tool or bench saw of any kind. The absolute best (and I'd say only, actually) way to cut them is from the base using Acro shears/bonecutters at the thinnest point of the skeleton, and breaking through the mantle in as quick or unhindered pass as possible. There should be minimal tissue damage in this way. No need to look for the mouths because they won't be where the thinnest part of the lobes are. Put 'em in fresh, clean water, swish them around a bit, then transfer them to a healthy tank with sufficient flow to keep any jelly that forms away. They heal up rather quickly under good conditions. (and yes, I cut 40 frags off of one over the weekend, lost a single one which was due to shipping stress) Link to comment
nano-paul Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I would be interested in seeing a picture of this orange torch. Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I would be interested in seeing a picture of this orange torch. DITTO Link to comment
doppelganger Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I've also heard ppl putting an elastic band around where you want to make the cut and let it recede away from there. Once it extends back to normal after some time, you can take it out, remove the elastic and make a cut. Never tried... I think I read that on wetwebmedia at some point. Link to comment
paneubert Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 If you ever frag it and want to sell, I am local Keep me in mind! I hope it works out for you. I do hear that wall type coral is not the easiest..... Link to comment
n0rk Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 The rubber band method is dumb and increases the chance of failure, for what it's worth. Why do people need to overcomplicate things when there's a perfectly good and proven method out there that's designed to not harm the coral beyond necessary...? Link to comment
doppelganger Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Because not everyone can explain it as well as you Thanks for clarifying. Link to comment
n0rk Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I don't think it's necessarily to do with explaining, I'd say it's more to do with logic. If you make a coral sick deliberately, of course it's going to do poorly when it comes time to cutting (which is why these have typically been suggested for so long to be avoided for cutting - the methods have been overcomplex and needlessly causing harm). Using the rubber band method, sure, you might get a release of propagules on occasion... but it's from stress, not from health. You'll almost always encounter problems down the track with it though which makes me wonder how it got popular to begin with. If you cut them properly, it's literally no harder than fragging SPS and has a very similar success rate. I think in all the time I've been cutting fleshy LPS like this I've lost maybe 4 using this method, while the successes are well over a hundred. Draw your own conclusions. Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I conclude that n0rk is spiffy. Link to comment
Needreefunds Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I conclude that n0rk is spiffy. Certainly nifty...no... I think your right. Spiffy seems correct. Yup. Agreed. Spiffy. Link to comment
sogreedy23 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Certainly nifty...no... I think your right. Spiffy seems correct. Yup. Agreed. Spiffy. Dude sweet avy Link to comment
nano-paul Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Spiffy would be the correct description of nOrk. kthksbai Link to comment
pyrocreep Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Well, I don't currently have any plan to frag it, but for everyone who wants to see a picture there are plenty in my 20L thread. Fair warning though the rest of the tank is undergoing renovation. I probably won't be fragging anytime soon though. I just want to make sure I know how. Thanks for th info everyone. I didn't expect one so quickly. Link to comment
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