Yellow Fiji Leather cuttings.

[Teabag]

I have read on GARF how to cut leathers but they are the leathers that branch out like fingers. I am not sure how to approach cutting a yellow fiji leather since it has no branches. Do I just cut the whole top off and cut it into pie slivers? If I do this will the base grow back? How thick should the cut be? Or should I just cut off a section at a time? Also, is it possible to cut a yellow fiji leather completely in half or in quarters, all the way through the base. Help? Please.

[bgdiving]

I have heard that the yellow leathers are MUCH more delicate then the other leathers, when it comes to propping them. Just what I've heard, don't really know since I haven't tried to prop my Fiji Yellow Leather YET. I've propped well over 60 species of corals but I'm nervous about doing the yellow leather. I've been thinking about making a single cut along one of the creases and letting that heal in place before making a 2nd cut which would be allowed to also heal in place and then when both cuts have healed cut this section free from the parent colony. I think that's what I'd do but would like to hear other peoples experiences.

If your checking out the GARF site look at how they do the Sarcophytons they are shaped more like the Fiji yellow leather (but much HARDIER). The Sarcophytons would be more similar to the Fiji yellow than the finger leathers or simularias.

Hope to hear from some people who have tried to prop the Fiji Yellow Leather. I'd really like to prop mine but...........:confused:

[Frick-n-Frags]

FWIW, a yellow leather is a Sarcophyton elegans. That's why it looks like other Sarcophytons. :D

[griss]

There are several ways to frag Sarcos.

One is just take a cutting off the "crown" (there the polyps are) at attach to a rock.

Another is to start at a natural fold in the crown and (using a razor blade) and cut part of the crown and on down the stalk. Essentially, you are forcing the coral to bud off a clone.

These techniques are kind of hard to explain in this format, but hopefully you get the idea.

Griss

[bgdiving]

Originally posted by Frick-n-Frags
FWIW, a yellow leather is a Sarcophyton elegans. That's why it looks like other Sarcophytons. :D

Kinda assumed the Fiji Yellow leather was a Sarcophyton but wasn't possitive, thanks for the clarification. Checking sites or posts re: Sarcophyton propigation will give good ideas but usually will not give much warning about difficulties with Yellow leathers. Most Sarcs can be handled or chopped most any way you want to as long as you use a little bit of care and meet their basic needs, but I've heard Fiji Yellow Leathers are much more demanding and I want to be sure Teabag understands that before jumping into any old procedure for propping any run of the mill Sarcophyton.:eek1:

Frick-n-Frags and/or Griss have either of you had any experience propping Fiji Yellow leathers? I would really like to prop mine (it's seems to be doing well in my system but not quite as bright yellow as when I bought it) but I've heard horror stories about how difficult they are to prop and handle. Can anyone enlighten us more re: their experiences or at least direct observations with the Yellow leathers? Thanks

[griss]

I have never even owned a yellow leather;)

A friend of mine (who is a member here) was going to frag his yellow leather, I'll PM him and ask him to put his experience here.

Griss

[bgdiving]

griss, thanks. I'm sure there are a few of us who would appreciate your friends imput re: his experience with propping Fiji Yellow Leathers. Thanks

[Frick-n-Frags]

Also, no I haven't propagated any yellow leathers either. They are too expensive and touchy for me to play with (yet). I'm still working on EZ corals like elegance(:D but I didn't say that here)

I tried one once a while back and it didn't like my conditions and slowly faded and got smaller and smaller. I still have the zoos that came on the rock though (small consolation)

Did you see that unbelievable yellow leather that smiller has. Holy shamoley! Looks like one off the real reefs.

Whosoever frageth yellow leather maketh lots of money.

[bgdiving]

!'ve had my yellow leather for about half a year+, it seems to be doing well but isn't as bright yellow as when I got it. It really should go a little higher in my system but I'm hurting for prime Reef Estate. I'm anxious to try to prop it but don't want to loose the parent. I also don't want to cut it in the acro tank or put it right back in immidiatly after cutting but I'm concerned that my frag tanks aren't bright enough to serve as a good recovery room for a few days and may not be bright enough to grow out the cuttings which brings me back to a shortage of brightly lit prime Reef Estate in my acro tank. Any one have an idea how soon they should be/or have to be back in brightly lit vs a moderly lit holding tank?

Another debate I'm having is: do I do just one frag the first time I try to prop it and see how it goes or should I attempt to get 3 or 4 frags while I'm going through the multiple step process and then wait (hopefully) for TOTAL recovery before attempting amy more cuttings?

Would really like to hear from anyone who has attempted to frag a Fiji Yellow Leather! Please jump in with your experience good or bad.

[ATLANTIS]

You might be interested in this Propagation Link (http://www.atlantisaquatic.com/leather.html)

[bgdiving]

Brian, thanks for the link, would you do anything special if you were propping a moderate sized collected yellow leather? Mine seems stable, had it for 6 months+

[worf59]

In Anthony Calfo's book on coral propagation...he say's that sarcophyton elegans do not take well to being cut. He recomends using a constrictive technique on these delicate creatures.....such as a zip tie. I assume (uh oh )(G) that you would find a lobe of the sarco and put a zip tie around it....slowly (probably over several weeks) tightening the zip tie until the frag comes off....or at least looks like it is safe to cut. The mother would be walling off the lobe as it is constricted....which should help keep the mother safe from any infections that might be encountered from just cutting it.
Not sure if this helps...but worth thinking about

[jimroth]

FWIW:
I have propped many sarcophytons and other leathers. When I tried a yellow leather I had little success. My experience was there is a larger frag size needed. All my smaller <1" frags rotted away. I have fragged other leathers to those sizes with success. I got greedy and lost half my crop.

[Teabag]

I like worf29's technique of using a zip tie and slowly cleaving of a peice.

Maybe you could take a piece of thread and wrap it aroung the entire coloney and cause it to naturally split, leaving two larger colonies.

[Goby1Knoby]

Interesting

When I originally got my Sarc.Elegans, it had some black necrotic edging, as they are prone too , being susceptible to tranportaion damage/stress.

It did recover, unlike the previous one I had purchased, though it then developed another necrotic area in the centre of its crown.

It was a case of necessitie to frag the dying coral to try save it.

Took 2 cuttings, one survived, and is now a large 6" beautifull coral, one day last year feeling brave I took the scisors to it and cleanly cut off a section , tying it to its new mount as per B.Congers method above.

Result 2 S.Elegans. :smokin:

On my main colony it has numerous small crowns/nodules growing from the underside, and some are getting quite large, prime candidates for fragging.

One essential requirement I have found for this spp. is to ensure a good brisk water flow around and over the newly cut coral to ensure adequate healing.




Cheers


Brian.

[zulu_principle]

I have successfully propagated my yellow leather once and about two weeks ago cut him again in prep for another.

My steps:

1. Cut into him, but not completely a small pie piece.
2. Let him heal with lots of current
3. After he has healed you will still be able to see the marks from the initial cut.
4. Cut him again (same cut), and remove the frag.
5. I used an elastic to hold him to a plug, it worked but split the frag in two. Think next time I will use fishing line and needle.

Let me know if you would like to see pictures.


Zulu

[Rick O]

I have fragged my yellow leather a few times. Mine split in to two pieces shortly after I got it so I'm not as nervous about cutting one of them. They were getting huge and encroaching on other corals so I had to do something.

I used a razor blade because I believe that it's less stress on the tissue than scissors are. Scissors tend to squeeze the tissue that's close to the cut. I make one big cut to the parent colony. Then I cut that piece into fairly large (2") frags.

These corals are anchored to some of the larger pieces of my LR so it's not practical to remove the corals for cutting. I always do a 10% water change after fragging it and run carbon for 48 hours afterwards.

So far I've had 100% success (knock on wood:))

[Rick O]

Here's a frag. Very valuable trading stock.:)