Miserable colt

[BlAcK_PeRcUlA]

Ok so i just fragged my 6" tall colt. I cut off a tiny branch about 1" tall and used a needle and thread to stick a thread horizontally through the colt and then wrap it around the rock and secure the string with a rubber band. It looks very stable and i put it in a mildy circulation spot. The mother looks very wrinkled and shrunken . This is my first ever frag i've dont myself and i dont know how this will turn out or the reactions.

How long until the mother looks like it's normal, open self? It looks like it turned grey and wrikly. It is usualy oraangy and the polyps are dark purple.

Do you think both will make it?

how long until the frag attaches itself?

[griss]

I have not fragged a Colt in a while, but usually the mother colony would start expanding within a day or two. The frag should attach within a week.

griss

[BlAcK_PeRcUlA]

the mother is getting worse i think. Before it was just half it's normal size and greay and wrinkled but now all the branches are wilted and the tips are resting on the rocks.

[griss]

Be patient and give it some time. Hopefully it will recover fully, Colts are generally pretty tough corals.

Griss

[BlAcK_PeRcUlA]

the only other time the colt has wilted like this is when my temperature got to 87 degrees. When i suspended the hood and let the heat escape the temp lowered and beacuse steady and the colt sprang back to life and grew. Hopefully there is a happy ending here too

[BlAcK_PeRcUlA]

Happy news, the mother colony is almost fully recovered! as from what it looked like last night i think this is a miracle! the frag doesn't have it's polyps open all the wa but maybe that's because it has a sting through it and it's spending all energy on attaching.

[Bio]

In my experience placing the freshly cut pieces in a high water current helps speed up the healing process.

This is essential beacuse it helps blow away the slime produced during propagation.

[Heavenly Damsel]

I fragged my colt a couple of weeks ago. The mother looked frumpy for 2-3 days and came back strong. I placed the frags near the mother colony for a couple of days and they didn't look so good so I moved them into a stong current and closer to the lights and they are doing well. I used the toothpick method and rubberbands. It took a long time for me to get enough nerve to cut the beautiful colt. It has new polyps extending from the stump where I cut the branch off. This was my first fragging experience...I liked it.

[griss]

Originally posted by BlAcK_PeRcUlA
Happy news, the mother colony is almost fully recovered!

Woo Hooo :thumbsup:

Griss

[TooFar2Sea]

I am ready to frag my colt. Is it best to cut off a stem near the center (the tallest) or to take one or two off the edge? Should I cut a stem or two and stop, or cut as many as possible?
Finally, the colt is in a display tank, not my grow out tub. Is it best to leave the frags next to mom in the display for a few days or could I move them straight to the grow out tub?

[BlAcK_PeRcUlA]

I would take a small cut (an inch or 2) off a branch and attach with the toothpick method. I would place it in the same tank as the mother because it's used to those conditions and already has had enough stress from the cut. http://atlantisaquatic.com/colt.html

^ see there for info on propagating the colt