Coral Fragging Tips: Share with the community your way of "cutting" corals!

[revhtree]

Coral Fragging Tips: Share with the community your way of "cutting" corals!

What are some tips and techniques that you have learned that makes fragging coral easier and maybe even safer?

In case you don't know what fragging is, here it is in a snail shell! Fragging simply means cutting a piece of your coral off of a larger coral colony and attaching it to a frag plug or small rock to start a new growth. Different corals need different fragging techniques: soft corals can often be cut with scissors or a razor, while hard corals might need bone cutters or even a small saw. After cutting, just glue the frag to its new home, let it heal, and it’s ready to grow. Fragging is a great way to manage coral growth, earn some hobby money, share with other R2R members, and help keep your reef tank looking its best!

 

[MoshJosh]

It's all about having the right tools

 

[MoshJosh]

But some real tips?

You don't need fancy tools, I seriously use a bread knife I got at Goodwill and pliers/cutters from Home Depot. You may not (probably will not) be able to cut all the way through large corals with a serrated knife, but making a deep cut where you want to frag then snapping the coral at the weak point works well.

When gluing down frags get the glue wet: Put glue on the plug, dip the end of the coral into the glue, submerge both in tank water, slowly pull apart and put back together as needed. The glue will become thicker and easier to get the coral to stay put. Once the coral is mostly stuck, dip again or get your finger wet and spread some of the excess glue around onto the plug and slightly up the base of the coral.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Wifes kitchen scissors...she wasn't happy

 

[ChiCity]

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following, been curious about fragging coral

 

[Reefer Matt]

It depends on the species involved. For zoas, cut in between the polyps with a razor knife, then use bone cutters to cut the plug or rock then super glue to a plug. For other softies, try scissors and rubber band them lightly to a plug until attached. For branching lps, ensure both heads are completely separated with no flesh connecting them, then cut as far as possible from the polyp. Some coral may splinter, and a saw is a better choice. Other brain coral types can be cut with bone cutters or a band saw.

For branching/plating sps, just snap with fingers or cut a piece with bone cutters. For encrusting sps, bone cutters or a band saw. For thin acros, bone cutters work well. For thick acros, coral shears are better. I highly recommend a band saw if you have a lot of lps and sps coral, they really are worth it, imo. Even a diamond hand saw will work.

 

[rossco]

When cutting acros out of the water, use a dremel instead of bone cutters if possible. The shock wave of the bone cutters will blow the end of the branch off sometimes leaving you with a less desirable frag.

When cutting acros in the water, if the branch isnt too thick, give a little twist as you are cutting and it will usually break where you are intending to cut. Only for well encrusted colonies, lest you break the whole thing loose from the rockwork.

 

[Dburr1014]

Fragging a hammer

 

[folsomreefing]

Wifes kitchen scissors...she wasn't happy

Are you me?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Are you me?

If you're me then I'd be you.
If you're them, and they're you, then who am I?