SpencerShepard Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 How do I frag a sun coral? When I first got my sun coral 2 weeks ago, I placed it on my sandbed. Didn't realize a few polyps were burried around the back. The flesh from those polyps died and sloughed off, but it seems to be continuing to errode into the healthy colony. I placed it on the rockwork in good flow, and it's been opening up for feeding nightly. Link to comment
irishtexan Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 WOW! What color sun polyps are those?!?! If you figure out a way to frag them, I am interested in a small frag! tex Link to comment
mvite Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 Tex--You are too funny--If you bought all the frags you wanted, you would need your own ocean! To cut sun coral it's pretty easy. If you have a Dremel with a cut off disc, it will make clean work of it. You could also snip it with wire cutters if you have some---BUT MAKE SURE TO RINSE THEM WITH FRESH WATER OR ELSE YOUR PLIERS WILL BE RUSTED FROM TODAY UNTIL THE DAY YOU DIE!!!! The skeleton of sun coral isn't as hard as you would expect--especially around the edges. I bet you could go over the area with a razor blade repeatedly and it would cut. They are fairly hardy and should rebound. You may just be experiencing some tissue die off from the initial injury. Link to comment
SpencerShepard Posted September 28, 2006 Author Share Posted September 28, 2006 sorry to disappoint, but it's just a common sun coral under actinic lighting. Link to comment
SpencerShepard Posted September 29, 2006 Author Share Posted September 29, 2006 Okay I went the dremel route. I used a round cutting bit for maneuverability. If you ever decide to attempt this, use saftey goggles and wear an old shirt. Yellow goo was flying everywhere. As I was working, I noticed a second area in recession. I removed about 1/3 of the skeleton in total. looking into the tank about 15 minutes after the operation, I can see a few polyps opening....but I don't have a lot of confidence in success with this one. Link to comment
mvite Posted September 29, 2006 Share Posted September 29, 2006 Bravo! Bravo! Sculpted very nicely. I forgot to mention the nastiness that flies! It will be fine--I have had sun coral take weeks to come out. You can coax it out with food by placing it in a separate container--but even that may not work. Best thing to do is just leave it alone now. Keep it out of really intense light and just watch it. If the polyps are firm, even slightly saggy at the top, they are fine. If they cave in all the way and go hollow, then you know it's dead. They can stay in there on you when they are stressed. Link to comment
mahi mahi boy Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Awesome, job, Genix! I love these corals. I can't really tell what's, what. Is the frag in the bowl the new frag, or was that it before you cut it? Which dremel wheel did you use, I found a site that has really small ones. According to Eric Borneman, the more fine the blade is... less tissue damage will result. + edit: I see the tiny cutting wheel now.... is that the wheel for cutting dishwashing sinks? ( that's on the Dremel picture) The site is www.mcmaster.com Mahi Link to comment
SpencerShepard Posted October 3, 2006 Author Share Posted October 3, 2006 i actually used a round cutting bit. I was considering using the cutting wheel, but it couldn't give me enough maneuverability to get between and under the polyps without damaging healthy ones. The frag in the bowl is before I cut. The mess in the bowl is after. Link to comment
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