Re-frag a colt Frag

[jcm1229]

Last week I received a colt frag - a 4-5 inch piece of stalk with 2-3 branches. I have it sitting on a rock now. I'd like to start 2-3 smaller frags off of this. Can I just cut these branches and mount them or is this a bad idea since this main piece was cut 3-4 days ago??

Thanks!

[ccd]

I don't really see a problem with re-fragging the coral as long as it is responding well to its recent ordeal.

Colts were always difficult to persuade to attach after fragging for me and not too much fun to cut either. I never did find a good way to attach colt frags to a base, alot of them just would never attach.

[scubadude]

I like trying to frag moreso naturally....atleast attaching naturally if possible. What I do is take a plastic clear shower caddy the ones with suction cups and a bunch of holes in them for aeration and attach this to the side of the tank...then I put the colony in the shower caddy then I put about 2-3 rock rubble pieces almost on top of the tissue of the colt...atleast make the rocks touching the tissue with light pressure. eventually they will stick to the rock rubble and start growing on them then you take a razor and slice a chunck of the colt to stay on the rock rubble and viola a new frag is born. No mess...no toothpicks, no rubberbands, no bridal veil...etc etc. this has worked fairly well for me...Good Luck and i hope that helps.

[jcm1229]

Well, I got 2 nice cuts off the mostly large stalk I had and mounted them with good contact of the cut end with the rock. The cuttings are 3/4 inch to an inch, but look good. I hope these small peices will blossom!!

Any comments??

[MECorals]

Colts are one of the most hardy & easy to propagate of the soft corals IMO. I currently work with over 40 species of soft corals. Though Colts can be hard to handle due to being slippery, once bindered they usually attach quickly (within a few days depending on your tank constions, water & lighting). Even tiny pieces of tissue will take off like little weeds once they attach to the substrate. Though keep in mind, sometimes they will reject the substrate you've chosen for them and refuse to attach. Then you just find another piece of rock & binder them again! Thank goodness that doesn't seem to happen very often for me.

Penny

[jcm1229]

Well, one of the frags is still on the rock and looks good. I'll leave it for another week or two just to be sure before I remove the toothpick/.rubberbands.

The other broke free and is wandering around the bottom of my tank. When it is out from under the rock, I'll try to catch it and mount to another rock. Any danger of it stinging other corals while it wanders around??

[MECorals]

Colts have one of the most potent stings of the soft coral family. I would not let it tumble around with the opportunity to touch & sting other corals. It will sting LPS & SPS. A beautiful coral but needs to be kept in it's own place...away from most others. Let me say though, there are corals it does not harm. You just don't want to take the chance with it having free range right now.

Tumble weed babies are one of the points which make soft corals more difficult to propagate. Unlike stonies where gluing to a substrate is all you need to do. Patience, the correct binding method & binding pressure for different species is key to success with soft corals.

Penny

[zooqi]

Onion bags are the best to attach colt. Put the small pieces of colt in holes (lose holes) or somewhere on the rock where when you put the onion bag on it it will not put any presure on it. The bag is just to hold it down and circulate the water easily. Use the rubber band to hold the bag on the rock. It will take colt long time to attach but you should have good success this way. I've done all kinds of trick and this trick seems to work the best.

[jcm1229]

Well, I had the colt secured to a piece of rock for about a month. I had it speared with a plastic toothpick and the ends of the toothpick secured to the rock with riubber bands. After I removed the toothpic, the colt came right off the rock. I'm trying again.

Any other tips??

[MECorals]

Patience is key. Allow the Colt to get a good grip on the rock. When you decide to unbinder cut the rubber band with a razor and twist the toothpick while gently holding down on the Colt. This gently breaks the bond it has with the toothpick. Cutting the rubber band leaves less chance for accidental slipping & tearing the coral's bond. I like to hold the rock in my left hand with my thumb, pinky & ring finger while using my pointer & middle to apply slight downward pressure on the coral while unbinding. Use your right hand to do the unbinding. Again, patience is key both in letting it attach & in the unbinding process.
Good luck!