Well...I did it, huge Frogspawn no more. I went fragging. Hope I don't regret it

Froggy · #1 01/08/2008, 05:00 PM

I attempted to do some long overdue fragging on my large Frogspawn that has been in my tank for over 5 years. It was growing into the front glass with polyps smashed against it, detritus was collecting deep in its branches and just plain overgrowing the tank and not extending as well as it once did. My original plan was to break it into a couple of large pieces keeping it relatively intact. It was so fused to the rock structure that it just shattered into multiple pieces so I just kept going. I now have about 30 pieces ranging from 3-5 heads each. Of course it looks horrible to me now but I will probably try to epoxy some nice sizes together and trade in the rest to the LFS etc. Here is a pic from a while back...

Imagine a bomb went off on the left side. That is how it looks now...

Hope I did the right thing

Looking for some reassurance

Sk8r · #2 01/08/2008, 05:04 PM

Beautiful piece: I know how you feel: had the same thing with a huge montipora.

Do putty-off at the bottom any snipped-off heads that end up with their end completely open, exposed to worms and other critters looking-for-a-home. I don't honestly know that this is necessary, but I can't believe the corals like to have critters crawling over their internal tissue. I did that with a fox I fragged, and even the end [a gappy wall coral] that I was sure was a goner, which was open at the base] immediately improved and thrived.

Froggy · #3 01/08/2008, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sk8r
Beautiful piece: I know how you feel: had the same thing with a huge montipora.

Do putty-off at the bottom any snipped-off heads that end up with their end completely open, exposed to worms and other critters looking-for-a-home. I don't honestly know that this is necessary, but I can't believe the corals like to have critters crawling over their internal tissue. I did that with a fox I fragged, and even the end [a gappy wall coral] that I was sure was a goner, which was open at the base] immediately improved and thrived.

Thanks Sk8tr, and thanks for the support. My stomache is in knots over doing this. I did not even consider covering the open ends of the skeleton. I did not even think that would be and issue but I can see how it could be since you mentioned it.

dendro982 · #4 01/09/2008, 09:33 AM

No ill intentions, but: it much easier with branching kinds...

Froggy · #5 01/09/2008, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dendro982
No ill intentions, but: it much easier with branching kinds...

Actually, it is the branching variety. It has just been in the tank for so long, untouched, that the branches were pretty fused to the liverock. I had to break it up a few branches at a time.

It is still really P.O.'d today and is not extending hardly at all.....

gabe3d · #6 01/09/2008, 10:55 AM

Though I don't have a branching frogspawn i do have a large branching hammer that' i've done this to accidentally while moving it, at least a good three time. It does tend to not extend out but will do so eventually, good luck.

kstallbe · #7 01/09/2008, 01:11 PM

Can we get pic?! I'm thinking about fragging a yellow leather that is on its way to splitting and have a need for frag pics...

gabe3d · #8 01/09/2008, 01:27 PM

Fragging a yellow leather is a little different from this. You may want to do another post to get relevant info.

kstallbe · #9 01/09/2008, 01:38 PM

No doubt about that, but each new pic of sliced coral will boost my confidence!

dendro982 · #10 01/09/2008, 09:21 PM

Ouch! Thanks, I will watch for contact with LR. Didn't thought about this yet.