coral propagation

[mogurnda]

Hi All,
For a couple of reasons, I thought it might be fun to have a coral fragging thread. First, some of my softies have been getting out of control and needed to be pruned. Second, our local society just had a workshop, so I am full of excitement about it. I am always pushing books, and my favorites on the topic are Sprung and Delbeeks' Reef Aquarium vols 1 and 2. Both have good sections on propagating stonies (vol 1) and softies (vol 2).

For softies, the key tools are a razor blade or scissors. Basically, just cut off pieces and stick them to something solid (rock or shell). If they aren't too slimy, you can use super glue (the gel kind). You can also rubber band them to the rock, but this can cut the frag in two if it's a soft species like Xenia. One thing that works well is a nylon mesh, like bridal veil. Use it to hold the frag to the rock until it adheres. Yet another possibility is to push a wooden toothpick though the frag, and strap it into place with a rubber band or fishing line. In all cases, the animal should stick itself down within a week, then the restraint can be removed.

Zoanthids can be simply placed in a cup with some gravel or rock with some mesh over top until it settles and anchors.

For stony corals, you can either break pieces or cut them with shears. Super glue or epoxy works to stick them to dry rocks. Trying to super glue stony frags to the rock in the tank has failed for me, but using a blob of epoxy has been quite successful. It has the consitency of play-doh, so don't expect miracles. Epoxy also will make your skimmer foam like mad, so be prepared for a lot of bubbles in the tank or simply turn it off.

There, that's the start of a thread. What are others' experiences?

[Guy W]

Sorry for being so ignorant on this, but I have no idea what you mean by using epoxy... I'm sure it's a real common (probably building) material but I've never seen or used it.

Would you mind elaberating on that a little for me please? What is it, who makes, where to get it and so on?

[mogurnda]

You can get it at the hardware store. Comes as 2 parts, one resin, one hardener. There is a huge variety of formulations, but the stuff I use is the consistency of putty and comes as a pair of sticks. You just cut off as much as you need from the sticks, mush them together and put it where you want it. Probably the only way to go wrong is to use the metallic stuff. If you're worried, many online fish suppliers (here's a link to premium aquatics (http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PA&Product_Code=AQUASTIK-GRAY&Category_Code=Glue)) stock it, so that you'll know it's kosher.

[Guy W]

Thanks for the info on the epoxy, and I wanted to ask what you thought of this book:

Aquarium Corals : Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History
by Eric H. Borneman?

I have it and I actually haven't read a whole lot of it, I honestly find it a bit overwhelming. I haven't looked at the other 2 you suggested, do you find that they are better then the Aquarium Corals book I have?

Thanks,
Guy

[mogurnda]

Overall, I like Borneman's book better. I think it's better organized and more up to date. Plus, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than the Sprung/Delbeek set. I should reread the part about propagation in Borneman, because I don't remember how much detail he gives.

I like having both, because the information is somewhat complementary. There are so many corals that nobody has everything in a single book, so each has stuff the other misses.

[BrianH]

I use super glue for attaching sps frags. It is is very simple to find and easy to use. Just try to dry the piece of rock as much as posssible before applying the glue(don't let is sit out of the tank for a long time, just use a paper towel to pat dry). If the rock is too wet, the super glue will roll off the rock like water and stick your fingers. You only have to hold the frag onto the glue for about 10 - 20 seconds, then place in the tank and the glue will harden quickly. JMHO

Brian

[OrionGirl]

A method that works well for some soft corals is to nick the trunk, and place a rock against the cut. In about a week, the trunk will adhere to the rcok at the site of the nick, and you can cut it off. The trunk stub will grow into another coral. Works well for xenia and mushrooms, without hurting the main growth.

For toadstools, cutting a small slit into the base of the coral usually results in a baby at that location, but it will take a while for the baby to pull away from the parent.

[mogurnda]

That sounds like a good idea. I have a sacrophyton that is officially out of control, so I'll give it a shot.

[liquafaction]

are you using epoxy, or super glue inside a tank in which you keep fish? Does this not contaminate the water?

[Guy W]

Originally posted by liquafaction
are you using epoxy, or super glue inside a tank in which you keep fish? Does this not contaminate the water?

I was kinda wondering about that too...

[liquafaction]

Don't they make a live rock glue that you can use in the water? Is this glue safe to use in a stocked tank? can you use this instead of epoxy or super glue?

[mogurnda]

I have read and talked to people a lot, and there's no evidence that they hurt anything. Epoxy makes the skimmer foam for about a day, but even the coral that gets epoxied doesn't show signs of stress. Super glue was invented as a way of rapidly sealing wounds, and is in very common use for gluing corals. If it's good enough for Eric Borneman and Charles Delbeek, it's good enough for me.

If you buy the stuff from an LFS or online supplier, it's the same as what you get at a hardware store, but it gives you a little more peace of mind.

It's funny, with all the care and worry we have about what goes into a reef tank, the livestock aren't bothered by a lot of things.

[liquafaction]

are you saying that regular epoxy is the same thing that the LFS sells to glue together live rock?

Speaking of things we worry about before sticking them in our tanks, it is amazing of the things my mind comes up with before I stick anything in my tank. I got mad at my wife the other night because she washed my "water top off" jug, in the dishwasher, with lemon detergent. She said I was nuts, I said if a gram of oil can kill a tank, imagine the acid from the lemon juice. I was probably being stupid, but that is what my little brain comes up with.

[mogurnda]

Not sure what your LFS sells, but the difference between the epoxy you get at the hardware store and online is that the hardware store stuff doesn't come in pink to match your coralline. Costs 80% less, though.

I can completely sympathize about the dishwasher. Of course I have no idea how many times the little tub I use for topoff was washed before it became "fish-only." Best to be cautious, though.

[OrionGirl]

I freaked out when I found out that my boyfriend used the tube I siphon water from tankswith to winterize the camper. Poured that pink stuff through my hose, of course not his SW tank tubing. He kept saying 'But this stuff is safe to drink!". I made him buy me new hose. Tequila is safe for me to drink, too, but that doesn't mean I want it in my fish tank!

[mogurnda]

Tequila is safe for me to drink Depends on how you define "safe." If something makes you wake up on a strange beach in a foreign country with a pounding headache and no memory, is it really safe?

[OrionGirl]

Originally posted by mogurnda
If something makes you wake up on a strange beach in a foreign country with a pounding headache and no memory, is it really safe?

Am I on the beach? Do I have clothing on? If yes, I will take my chances! :D

[piercea]

Please forgive me I am new to the hobby, What should I do if anything to the original coral after cutting from it. Is it opent to infection?

[mogurnda]

If the tank conditions are good, the coral will heal and regenerate quickly. The only times I have had problems with corals getting sick after fragging were after very drastic loss of tissue. Lopping off a branch or two never seems to bother a colony much.