Fragging Ricordea?

[Scribe]

I'm sure it isn't a big deal, and somewhat like regular shrooms, but is there any trick to fragging ricordea? I have two different ones (picture in my gallery). I don't want to risk loosing them, so I'm asking you pros if theres a trick one of them has three mouths and one has two. They have been in the tank for at least four months, and they haven't split or sent out new buds. Are there any ways to encourage them to split? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[Frick-n-Frags]

I only have one of each Ricordias that I have accumulated from swaps, so I haven't actually fragged them yet, BUT.....

I contemplate it regularly in my twisted mind.

Has anyone tried rubberbanding a shroom or Ricordia right across it and its rock/plug with the intent of letting the rubberband tension slowly(vs scissors) cut the shroom in half?

[MiddletonMark]

F-n-F ...
My guess [haven't cut any of mine, yet] is that slicing or separating like you suggest is probably the best bet.

In my mind, likely to be safer [less chance of losing ric] procedure.

[lushuk]

Hi folks just while this post is kicking around ive got 2 orange Ricordia both loose what s the best way of attaching them to rock?
Many thanks Eddy

[Surfzone]

my guess to attach a ricorida would be the good old rubber band and netting trick. Place the coral on teh rock you want and cover the coral w/ith the mesh. then rubber band it in place. in a few days to a week you'll have attached corals. In regards to proping Ricorida there is an arttical at GARF.org on fragging and proping many corals.

[Scribe]

I guess I'm trying to figure out my odds of success if I cut between two of the mouths on my blue and pink ricordea. When I got it, it had three mouths, and was sure it was going to divide soon. No such luck. I thought a little snip snip, may encourage it.

I hate to think I'm being as hesitant as I was before I fragged my regular shrooms not reallizing that they could survive a nuclear attack.

[SpicyBalls]

i haven't cut the ricordeas yet.. they're too beautiful that i'm afraid to mess em up.. but like you, when i first got mine, it had two mouths.. and didn't split for months! however, once it did split into two, it split again soon after! and i now have three... i dice and slice my other shrooms, but when i comes to ricordea, i'll let nature do it's thing... hope that eases your mind.. once they split, they should keep on splittin..

[Scribe]

I had a feeling once they started, they would spread like wild fire, if there anything like my other shrooms. I'm going to try and resist cutting it. The green one I have isn't quite as intense as the other one I have, so if anything maybe I practice on that one.

[SpicyBalls]

that's a good idea...

[gwaters4]

I have a rock with about 12 to 15, fifty cent peice and larger sized green yuma rics on it. It takes a long time for them to split on their own but they also drop off little bud's that, at first, look like little green slime balls. These balls grow into new ric's. I have about 20 little guys all over the rock as well. Also depending on lighting situations, the ricordias move across the rock. As they move they leave a trail behind them that also grows into new ric's. These are just my findings so far. I will eventually pop off one of the big guys and cut him up, but I havn't had the opportunity to do that yet.

Best of Success to you all.

George

[SpicyBalls]

cool.. looking forward to that.. hope mine moves and leaves a nice gooey trail of offsprings... hehe

[bickmade]

www.garf.org

they have information on proping rics

[fishbowlz]

Ive had good success with fragging ricordia. The first time I sliced the entire ricordia off the rock it was on and cut it into three sections through the mouth. I took it off the rock completly because I had two ricordia on the opposing faces of a flat rock and it was hard to position them both for good light exposure. I lost one of the frags when it didnt attach to the rock properly and fell into the back of my tank, but the other two are doing well. As a bonus the place where I cut off the ricordia grew a new one even though I left very little flesh behind. As a side note, ricordia dont grow as fast as other mushrooms so fragging may be necessary for maximum colony growth.... at least it seems that way in my tank

[Surfzone]

I have 2 recordia a green and a orange with a blue center. both of which are splitting. i wouild like to prop them to make a larger coloney buti think i'll wate for them to split first. does anyone know about how long this will take?

[SpicyBalls]

hard to say.. one of mine had two mouths, was beginning to split, and just stayed like that for what seemed an eternity.. probably a couple of weeks.. the other split, seemed like it happend within a week...

[tam]

i sliced one of mine into 4 pieces, ill let you know how it does...

tam

[jedininja]

I frag my rics all the time. What I do Is slice them into 4 pieces and then chip the rock underneat them off. Then I glue the chipped pieces to different rocks. I havent lost a single frag using this method. Just make sure that you slice all the way through and then you chip underneat so that you dont tear too much of the ric. And make sure that each frag gets a piece of the mouth.

[minireef75]

just hack em....do be as wuss ..lol...Cut the head off of the stalk, cut the head into 2 or 4 pieces..voila..3 0r 5 rics...

[tam]

I didnt hack the head off of mine just quartered it. It doesnt look like its dying, but im not sure if it going to heal or split, lol. I've got a loose one floating around, I just need a mesh thing so it doesn't float all over the tank once I slice it up.

Tam

[hope2havareef]

I've been waiting for mine to grow a second mouth. They just keep getting bigger. I have a green one and an orange one, both about 2½" diameter. How big do they have to get before they start the splitting process?

[Scribe]

The razors getting closer. You all are doing a good job of convincing me.

[fishbowlz]

Just do it!!! the little buggers are pretty tough. Just try and slice them cleanly through. The hardest part in the process is getting them attached to a rock.

[polymorphus]

I usually chop the base (which turns into a ric) than cut the lil guy in half down the middle. I than drop the halves into a small glass drinking cup on top of some rock rubble and they attach within a week. Mine typically heal withen 2-4 weeks after cutting. A word of caution! The floridas dont see to mind one bit being fragged the Yumas however seem to have an extremely high mortality rate after fragging, could just be me though

On another note... to promote growth in ricordea you could always just stuff shrimp down there gullets that always seems to work well also. I will try to post pics of the fragging process if folks would be intrested. Here are some before and after pics of the stuff there faces method:
11/07/03 - one on the far right

05/14/04

- g

[MiddletonMark]

Sliced mine down the middle ... then cut a quarter out and moved it to the SPS tank. All seem to be doing well a little more than a week after

[nine9d]

Originally posted by polymorphus
I will try to post pics of the fragging process if folks would be intrested.

I am very interested, thank you.