Finger Leather Growing question

Well, as much as you hate it, most corals will react if and when you touch them. You can't change the nature of the beast. If you hate the way the leather looks when you touch it, you'll hate it even more if you frag it. If you don't return it to the lfs, just leave the coral alone. It's still adjusting to your tank and the more you handle it, the longer it will take to settle in. Just leave the coral alone and prop it against your rock work if you're concerned about it leaning.

 

See that's the thing though. I have only touched it twice!! (once when I put it in the tank, and once when I added a xenia). It's not like I have some weird desire to bother it.

And it's not that I don't LIKE THE WAY IT LOOKS! It's just not healthy for the coral (or the tank) for it to be laying on the sand. After reading ALOT about this coral, I am MUCH more afraid that the portion in the substrate will suffocate and spread necrosis throughout the rest of the coral. Your not supposed to let a coral sit like that!

Anyway, I think the problem may have been the water flow. Before when it was falling over, I concluded it was getting too much flow and I redirected it a little.

I redirected the flow once again to give the leather some moderate direct flow, and he is standing back up!!

He is a picky little thing. And yes, I would still like to frag him.

 

Then you touched it two times too many Seriously though, it will react even if you just graze it by accident. Most of the time, they will only retract their polyps but it's not unheard of for them to go limp on you too

Fragging the corals is easy. Just get a sharp razor blade and cut off one of the stalks. Then, attach the frag (loosely) to a piece of rock with a rubberband. Voila

 

Is that a dirty little Bichon in your pic amcarriag? I had one for a long time.

So I just use a sharp blade and cut off one of the "stalks?" Do you think corals feel pain??

I saw one guy stick a toothpick through a coral, cut below the toothpick, and then wrap a rubber band around a piece of LR and around the tooth pick. Then, once the coral attached itself, he removed the band and pick. Is that a good idea?

Ok, so I want to do this in the next couple days. I just need a pair of latex gloves, a new box cutter or razor, a rubberband, toothpick, live rock rubble...what else? Do I need to clean it with anything after I frag it? Do I cut it out of the tank? And if I disinfect it with something like iodine, do I just put it back in the tank with the iodine on it?

Thanks

 

There is not need at all to direct feed leathers. We have three in our display tank and they are thriving....Here is a pic of our long polyp toadstool.

 

And a Neon Green Finger Leather with lights out...

 

No idea about the dog as it's not my picture

I don't believe that corals feel pain due to the lack of a central nervous system. I could be wrong though The "toothpick" method of attaching soft corals works very well so go ahead and give that shot.

It wouldn't hurt to dip both the frag and the parent coral in a bowl of tank water mixed with 1-2 drops of iodine for a few minutes before you put them back into the tank.