Let's talk about fragging... supplies and maintenance

norg: what kinda saw you looking to get??

 

Thats a good question... Im honestly not sure yet.

 

I have a hard time with softies.. any advice?


SPS on the other hand I have down pat. LPS I don't have the tools and am not sure exactly what tools I would needs.. I know a dremel can do most. But what attachements?

 

A sharp blade makes a world of difference when fragging soft corals. The cleaner the cut the better the chance of recovery. Soft corals are obviously hardy and almost always recover but some can be touchy. A better cut means better recovery. Vitamin C helps these corals greatly after being fragged in my experience.

The dremel can be good for fragging certain LPS. I however have not done it. I will be choosing to use a coral saw instead because there is less heat build up that can damage the coral. This would be ideal for fragging brain corals, acans, war corals, favias, ect. A method that I have heard of that works without a coral saw to cut corals like this is to cut a notch in the back of the corals skeleton then on the face of the corals skeleton use a hammer and a razor to separate the cut from the colony. Again, I havent done it. It sounds a bit risky to me. Id rather let my LPS continue to grow out then frag them with a coral saw when I get it.

 

where do you get your buffered absorbic acid?

 

The hobbiest junk just rusts and the steel is weak as crap.
Drop by ebay and pick up a pair of SURGICAL grade bone cutters. They will be the last pair you buy. Liston bone cutter in the search will yield good results.

 

Also don't waste time with a dremel. IME they butcher corals too much. Good for cutting thin stuff like goni and favia etc. but for chalice or any other lps you almost need a saltwater band saw. Champion lighting carries one... There are only two saltwater-proof brands on the market that I know of.

 

I got a good deal on Brightwell Aquatics' Vitamin C so I picked it up. But in the future I will be using absorbic acid. Ill let you know when I figure out where Im going to buy it from.

 

I have a few small tupperware containers that I fill with tank water. 2 are plain tank water, and 1 has Revive coral dip in it. As I cut the frags I drop them in the revive and then swish them in the first one and the store them in the last while I finish my fragging. Anyone else doing something similar?

 

Bone cutters, razor blade, a pair of small scissors, some gel from the $1 store and I could frag zoas all day.