How do you frag montis?

[seasalt dreams]

My purple tipped monti is growing like crazy and is about to grow into my overflow. How can I remove the branch that is going to hit? can I just snap it off?

[jrpdriver]

I use tin snips, they are strong enough and sharp enough to make a quick clean cut, but the guy at a lfs takes the coral out of the water and uses a dremel with a cutting wheel and the frags always do fine. I think anything will work as long as you get a clean cut.

[YiNYaNg]

Snapping works good but remember to hold the other end so not too much breaks off.

[seasalt dreams]

cool, thanks!

[skeety]

the cleaner the break/cut...the less risk of infection.

But if you're confident in your tank water, just snap it off. I frag my monti's all the time just doing tank maintenance. I dont' MEAN to....but I do. (sigh)

If you're worried about an infection, use superglue gel on the break and it'll seal it up like a liquid bandaid.

But the most important step in fraggin monti's is to ....

...make sure you send a piece to ME!!!!

[seasalt dreams]

Originally Posted by skeety

the cleaner the break/cut...the less risk of infection.

But if you're confident in your tank water, just snap it off. I frag my monti's all the time just doing tank maintenance. I dont' MEAN to....but I do. (sigh)

If you're worried about an infection, use superglue gel on the break and it'll seal it up like a liquid bandaid.

But the most important step in fraggin monti's is to ....

...make sure you send a piece to ME!!!!

haha, I will be sure to put one in the mail! As for the monti, I talked to the guy I got it from today and he said just to let it grow and hit the overflow, the worst that will happen is that it will encrust on the overflow. So I think I will leave it be and just get some more seeing as how its growing so well. I need different colors now!

[seasalt dreams]

and holy crap, takin another look at the pic, I seem to have quite a bit of surface agitation .... doesn't look that way from the front or top.

[Fly Guy]

I use a cordless dremel with a cutting wheel for almost everything. Danae and capricornis I cut all the way through, but most things I just score it halfway or so depending on the coral so a gentle tug will break it off EXACTLY where I want it to. Doing it like this wont make other branches pop off from the abrupt jerk that sometimes happens to the entire coral when just using bone shears.

[ckusnierek]

2 Days ago I broke of a bout a 1" peice of my digitata, I just pulled out the superglue and glued it to a rock! I dont know what I would do without the superglue!!!

[seasalt dreams]

Originally Posted by ckusnierek

2 Days ago I broke of a bout a 1" peice of my digitata, I just pulled out the superglue and glued it to a rock! I dont know what I would do without the superglue!!!

Do you have to take the rock and the frag out and dry them where the glue goes when you do this?

[Loverotties]

I use a Dremel,with a diamond tip cutting wheel.

[ckusnierek]

Originally Posted by seasalt dreams

Do you have to take the rock and the frag out and dry them where the glue goes when you do this?

Here is how I do it....

1)I get a container large enough for the coral and LR (filled with SW)
2)I break off a peice of the coral if not already broken
3)I look at the LR I'm going to use (usually a smaller peice) and try to find a "pocket" for the frag or drill a hole just deep enough create a divot
4) I put a few drops of GEL super glue in the divot
5) place the frag
6) hold for about 30sec
7) the I use my finger and let a few drops of RO/DI fall on the frag and doen to the glue. (this helps the glue set faster) If you use too much glue and water you'll get glue everywhere.
8) put the new frag in the SW and leave it for a few mins.
9) put it in the tank on the bottom for a few days and then move it up.


I do dry the LR where I'm placing the frag but leave the frag "moist" The coral is out of the water maybe 1-2 mins total. No Problem I do this in the kitchen and make sure there is not a cold or hot breeze. Within a few weeks-month the frag encrusts the super glue.

GEL super glue makes it ALOT eaiser.

I have considered doing a iodine or Lugols dip after fragging but don't right now and have never had a prob.

HTH