is wet saw the best to cut acans?

[MoCha920]

what is best to cut acans, blastos etcs

[nick18tjetta]

I have seen them chopped with a hammer and chisel. I would imagine a wet saw would be fine.

[one8thscale]

I cut acans with a wet saw, pretty good. But for a more precise cut look into a bandsaw.

[saltyreefguy]

i too was thinking what would be the best way to cut/prop acans, would you think even a hobby scroll saw, might work more accurately? and which side down, rock or skin up. have you done yours yet?

[PL-Reef]

when i cut acans i use a dremel to thin out the underside of the colony. then i'll score the underside of the acan without going into flesh. then i'll take a flat head screw driver into the score and turn untill the frag pops off.
this way you'll never lose a head due to a sloppy cut. its a nice clean break. and no more half heads.

[mvite]

^My college roommate was from Coventry CT!!

I have used all these methods mentioned and I finally realize that different rocks of acan have different needs for a cuttin'.

I use my wet tile saw to "thin out" large pieces of rock and make easy rough cuts between heads that are spaced far apart.

I use my band saw (with the steel cutting blade upgrade) to cut straight lines through walls of acan. You really have to watch this because the blade can twist (on my $88 Lowe's Ryobi band saw) and they can crack the head of the acan.

My most precise cuts are done with my dremel and a diamond disc blade. I cut underneath the cell walls---and come up through. That's usually the most precise---but I still use my tile saw to cut the big pieces of rock---because doing that with your dremel is tedious.

Sorry for the novel......

[tankgeeks]

which model dremel are you guys using for this??

[PL-Reef]

mine is not a dremel. i hse a roto zip. it never bogs down like a dremel will.

[mvite]

Mine is a Craftsman rotary tool---I just say Dremel like "Kleenex"!

[jessp]

depending on the thickness of the rock a wet tile works well, or you can score w/ a dremel and use the hammer and chisel technique. both work well.

[ggk1988]

how long can corals live out of water when you are cutting them?

[mvite]

I don't worry about it too much. Bring a bowl with the coral in it and then have another bowl with clean water for the new pieces. You can swish them in the old water and then place them in the new.

Try not to rush---you have time for them to be out. I have had stuff out for 5-10 minutes (zoas, LPS) Watch for SPS because they can dry very quickly.

[saltyreefguy]

i'm ready, i'm ready...