How do I frag a colt coral? polyps? sea mat?

[XXX]

I have fragged my colt twice.Cut off a branch in a spot just below a V in the branch. Use a rubber band to connect the V to a rock, Make sure the rubber band is just BARELY tight enough to hold the colt in place. Give it at least two weeks or more before cutting the rubber band. Thet take a while to attach well. The last one I did I had the r-band a little too tight. Now I have two smaller frags. When it connects well the colt will start to look good. Nothing to it.

 

[Anonymous]

I have been most successful with colt corals using the toothpick method

here is a link to Soft Coral Propagation Links

[ July 16, 2001: Message edited by: ATLANTIS ]

 

[grimreefer1]

Hi,

My boyfriend has a beautiful colt coral that we are going to frag. What is the best way to do this? Can we just cut a piece off of it?

We have heard of people cutting a piece off, sticking a toothpick through it and tying it to a rock and waiting for it to attach, and then removing the toothpick.

If we cut a piece, does it have to include some of the base (where it attaches) or can we cut anywhere?

Also, how do we frag sea mats and polyps. Can they be pulled or peeled off the rock? Is it possible to slice them off the rock?

My man and I are so happy, now that we both have reefs, we can trade with eachother! I won't be able to add anything to my tank for a while, but he is going to frag now, and grow some goodies out for me in his tank.

 

[jdeets]

I recently fragged a sinularia (finger leather) and I just cut the pieces off, put the toothpick through them and attached them to little rocks with a rubber band. They've all attached now, and it's been about 10 days.

I don't have a colt, but I understand they're pretty slimy and hard to work with. The sinularia was pretty slimy, too, but it worked.

For best results (and to keep your toothpick from pulling through the coral), bore a hole in the rock you will be mounting it on, a few millimeters deep and as big around as the "stem" of the frag. Try to push the toothpick through the frag about as far up the stem as the hole is deep. Then when you attach it, the stem of the frag will go down into the hole and the toothpick will rest on the rock. This will keep the toothpick from pulling all the way through the frag. (I didn't use this method on my sinularia because the frags were really big, with bases of around 3/4" in diameter. Nevertheless, one of them did pull through and I had to remount it with the toothpick.)

Some may also recommend super glue. I've tried this in the past without success. Even if the frag is securely attached, it can still pull away and go floating.

HTH