Coral "Cloning"

[Jslamka5685]

I found an article online that explained the process of cutting a piece of cactus coral and super gluing it to a piece of rock for the tank. Then, it showed a picture of it a month or a few months later growing again. Is this possible?

[Blinky]

There are lots of corals that can be fragged by cutting off a piece and re-attaching it to a rock with epoxy or superglue. Some things like mushrooms or Xenia produce a lot of slime, but they'll attach on their own in a spot with low current or if you gently hold them in place with bridal veil for a week or two.

[Jslamka5685]

Is this a risky process to the coral itself or is it relatively safe to perform. I don't have any coral in my tank now but, I am going to eventually want some in there and i am thinking that it might be a good idea if i were to start my own coral pieces rather than buy harvested coral.

[Mahlhavoc]

You can do it yourself, but with soft corals it can be risky, might lose the whole coral if done improperly, I haven't done it myself but I hear you should use a exacto knife for a clean cut and they can bleed out. SPS are usually easier, but if I were you, I would do ALOT of research on it. You also might look online for places that sell coral frags, some of them go through detailed ways of doing it or you can buy from them or even trade coral frags within your own area and learn from some veterans on methods.

As for superglue, I never used it, there is a reef safe putty I used before, like a playdough, you pinch a part off and roll it around in your hands till it's plyable, then form it around a small rock and your fragment, might be easier on the coral and safer for your tank. There may be something like this for softer corals also, but I never fragged anything but my SPS.

Good luck on it, and great for saving or even earning you money on corals and certainly is easier on a reef if you have tank raised specimens, not only that they are usually hardier.

[Gealcath]

Corals are colonies of animals called Coral Polyps, hence its many diffrent individual animals acting as a single organism, so when you take a coral frag you basically break away a portion of the colony and it starts a new colony from the fragment, doesnt mean the colony will survive if not done properly, but thats how it works :)

[mogurnda]

Is this a risky process to the coral itself or is it relatively safe to perform. I don't have any coral in my tank now but, I am going to eventually want some in there and i am thinking that it might be a good idea if i were to start my own coral pieces rather than buy harvested coral.
It's a pretty straightforward process. It helps to have a good pair of bone shears for the stonies and gorgonians (although I break my montipora by accident all the time), and a sharp, new razor blade is best for softies. If the tank conditions are good, then the coral will recovery quickly from the cut or break. The frags themselves tend to be much more durable than wild-collected colonies.

In a way, fragging is a normal part of tank maintenance. Once the corals start growing, many will get out of hand if they are not pruned occasionally.

Also, fragging is often the best way to save a colony that is suffering from some form of infection.

I would strongly encourage you to look for a local club or group of reef aquarists, because people are generally happy to help people out by giving them frags. Anyone who stops by my place usually leaves with a frag or two, and I have filled my tank with interesting corals from other people's tanks.

[LordsSoilder]

So when is the party Dave? did you send out my invitation yet ;)

I've got to find one of these clubs, right now I don't have anyone to tell me to slow down, or that It's not a good idea to jump into things to quick. I mean, I have you guys but I don't know anyone in michigan that can actually smack me upside the head and really get the message across...

On that note, when can you frag shrooms etc (how big / old)? and is it wise to seperate sea matt, and other individual collony polyps? yellow polyps etc...

[mogurnda]

If you find your way to my area, I'll set you up :D

You can frag most mushrooms any time. Just hack off a piece and it should develop into a mushroom for you. Most of the time, I just let mushrooms and zoanthids grow onto movable things like shells, rock, or even sand and then separate them.

[mayran]

[QUOTE=LordsSoilder]I've got to find one of these clubs, right now I don't have anyone to tell me to slow down, or that It's not a good idea to jump into things to quick. I mean, I have you guys but I don't know anyone in michigan that can actually smack me upside the head and really get the message across...

I am in Grand Rapids and would be happy to come by and smack you in the head :D

I'm new at this and do not have a set up for corals yet, but plan to in the future (fish only right now). When I do have healthy ones, I'd be all for sharing.