Coral Propagation

[mihkaail]

Hi guys,

Ive decided to just go ahead with it. I've just cut a sacrophtyon into 0.75" pieces and placed them in a perforated CD container attatched to the side of my tank. Also cut off a good head of xenia.

Was also gonna cut a fuzzy mushroom but i just remembered somewhere that they dont as well as normal 'smooth' shrooms when cut. How true is this? Bear in mind that my shroom isnt a ricordea; Ive heard those almost always die upon-cutting.

Also, when i cut a shroom, is it good to wait till the shroom is open or quite closed. Somewhere i read both viewpoints. Is it essential to keep a part of the parent mouth on the cuttings; or can i just cut off the sides off a mother?

Finally, on Sacrophytons; how long do the cuttings take to attatch themselves; and how long would the mother colony (about 2" across the crown) take to regrow her head?? Btw, i'm using white marble pebbles as substratum.

Sorry to ask so many questions in one post; i just thought it'd be easier for readers, reply-ers and moderators as well as myself to have it all in one post as compared to "Sacrophyton prop.", "Xenia prop.", "Shroom prop." threads.

Thanks in advance for any replies, however useful, to this thread.

 

[incysor]

Good luck with that. If I had any useful advice I'd give it, but I haven't really tried fragging anything yet. So I don't really have anything to add execpt good wishes. :smile:

B

 

[shaggydoo541]

I tried fragging a piece of xenia by cutting of a stalk and gave it to a friend. It died so I don't know if his tank killed it or what but next time I will do what the LFS I got the xenia from did. The cut the stalk off and rubberband it to a piece of LR or even a snail shell.

As for the mushroom fragging, from everything I've seen and read you want to cut the mushroom down the middle so you get a part of the stalk with it. As long as you get some of the stalk it should grow back into a full mushroom. I had a fuzzy shroom that I tore off the rock to move it to a different location. The place I tore it from now has another hairy shroom growing as I guess it left some of itself behind when I took it off the rock. It took a couple weeks to even grow enough where I can see it but now it is almost as big as a dime after only 3 weeks.

 

[djconn]

I've had extremely good luck fragging xenia. Maybe too much luck since I now have tons of frags which I trade and sell locally. Its very easy to frag. Just cut off a stalk near the main base of the colony and place the cut end underneath a small piece of LR for a few days. Put it near moderate to strong flow. It will attach very quickly you will see and thats it. You now have a xenia frag. It will grow very fast.

As far as shrooms, I hear that hairy shrooms are indeed harder to cut and frag. I think they get infections easier for some reason. I do know that you want the mushroom as closed up as possible before cutting. This helps to reduce infection/bacteria on the fresh cut. Do this by lifting it in/out of the water a few times until it retracts. Then simply cut away leaving the mouth of the parent colony intact. Garf.org has some good articles I think.

Hope this helps.

 

[mihkaail]

Thanks dj, i have successfully cut and pasted a xenia colony
My xenia is retarded though: i took a frag off someone, and placed it on a rock. it stuck and was happy, however not growing/spreading. However, when i cut off a nice sized trunk to frag, the stump is growing back nice and fast.

Anyway, met someone today, best corals ive seen here in au (sad its mainly softies or SPS, no LPS). He runs a 3' by 1.5 by 1.5' with NO FILTER!!!!! only two damn suped up super powered skimmers and LR. His nitrates 0, phosphates 0, trites and NH3 all 0!

Anyway, his prop tank had loads of SPS and softies, all selling for +- half LFS prices! His 'pulsating ball' (the name for pulsing moptop looking xenia) is only $29 a 3" frag (its a staggering $129 for a 4.5" one at the LFS)

Will try using mostly prop corals in my new 35cm cube.

 

[djconn]

Cool. I really like buying/trading with other reefers whenever possible.

Its my opinion that xenia actally grow better, stronger, and faster when they are cut. I know they complete for light and thus grow, but I swear when I cut a new stalk, it takes off.

 

[mihkaail]

Hi,

i know what you mean. I noticed that with the xenia too. I wish it would recover faster though Reminds me of pruning such shrubs as hydrangea and roses, if left unpruned growth slows, same with xenia.

As to the trading with other reefers, ill try. Just looking for more reefers to trade stuff with. We dont have the clubs like you do in the states, and even the people i know who want to trade say many aussies are selfish! they buy a rare coral, dont propagate it, and keep it for themselves. That way, nobody really benefits. (sorry to all aussies out there, im trying to be objective). There are, of course many exceptions too