Coral "Maintenance" :)

[fender4string]

So I've been wondering how people prune their corals when they or their colonies get too large. I've only kept fish but am looking into getting a biocube HQI for the purpose of keeping a few corals.

So what's the process? For acros is it just a matter of trimming off a few inches? For montis do you just snip some of the plate off? What about encrusting montis?

How about for soft corals like zoas? Do you just scape them away from the rock?

Can you tell I'm a coral noob :D?

If you all would be so good as to post the methods/process for different kinds of corals I'd be very grateful. Thanks!

[Allmost]

search coral fragging on youtube.

you can frag any corals, different methods.

SPS u cut a piece using bone cutter, and glue it to a plug.

softies same, cut a peice off, and secure it to a rock using robbermaid and it connects and u got another coral.

[fender4string]

Cool thanks. I'll do the search.

[dcombs44]

What he said. Needle nose pliers work well for snapping off small branches of sps.

Razor blades work will for softies and polyps

Bone Cutters, band saws, dremels, etc. all work well depending on the type of coral you're fragging.

Just wear hand and eye protection.

[Bigez]

Also remember that zoanthids are poisonous/ toxic, so make sure to wash your hands and keep them out of reach of children and pets.

[thelittlereef]

Also remember that zoanthids are poisonous/ toxic, so make sure to wash your hands and keep them out of reach of children and pets.

WOW did not know that!! Toxic how(do you have to put it in your mouth)?

[Bigez]

WOW did not know that!! Toxic how(do you have to put it in your mouth)?
Basically, here's a link to a thread about it.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158730

[fender4string]

Watched a few vids. I've also seen it done at Tropicorium (a big LFS here in MI) using a band saw. It's amazing to me how you can seemingly chop the hell of these things and they can still grow just fine. It's incredible how delicate these things can be when a few nutrient issues are present yet can handle being literally cut in half. Crazy.

[dcombs44]

WOW did not know that!! Toxic how(do you have to put it in your mouth)?

That's a good link. The palytoxin can cause issues in people by entering orally, through open cuts, etc.

Some people seem to be more prone to problems than others, but it's pretty nasty stuff.

One of the most toxic substances on earth from my understanding.

[Allmost]

WOW !!! thanks fro posting that !!!

do any other corals have toxins ?

man ! I drank some water from my tank and have been having these bad coughs lately, now I'm scared it relevant. ":S lol u scared me well, going to see a doctor. side note, done suck on the tube to get water out of the tank, lol
haha

[Conrad25]

I always recommend cutting zoa's and palys in the tank or a cup of saltwater from the tank as you have less risks of it squirting at you or anything like that and causing issues. Than I take it out and glue it a new plug and put it on the frag rack for trading or selling

Conrad