Fragging Corals — A Quick-Start Guide
Why Frag?
- Control growth — keeps the tank manageable
- Share and sell — trade or sell to offset tank costs
- Backup copies — if the main colony crashes, frags survive elsewhere
- It's rewarding — watching a tiny frag grow into a colony is a great part of the hobby
What's Needed
Essential: Coral cutters/bone cutters, scalpel or razor blade, frag plugs/discs, super glue gel (cyanoacrylate), epoxy putty, container with tank water, towel.
Nice to have: Frag rack, magnifying glass, iodine dip for cut surfaces.
Fragging by Coral Type
Zoanthids: Cut between polyps with a scalpel, keeping some mat attached. Glue to a plug — they attach within a week or two.
Mushrooms: Can be cut in half with a razor blade and both halves grow back. Or place in a cup with rubble and they attach naturally.
Branching LPS (torches, hammers): Cut through the skeleton between heads using bone cutters. Sharp cutters and a clean, decisive cut are key.
Branching acropora: Snap or cut at a branching point. Aim for 2–3cm minimum. Glue to a plug and they encrust within weeks.
Plating montipora: Break off an edge piece or cut with bone cutters. Montipora is incredibly resilient.
After Fragging
- Place frags in moderate flow and light
- Don't move them for at least a week
- Watch for infection — brown jelly or rapid tissue loss means something's wrong
- Give 1–2 weeks before selling or trading
Key Tips
- Only frag healthy corals — never frag stressed or declining specimens
- Work quickly — minimise time out of water
- Larger frags survive better — resist cutting tiny frags to maximise numbers
- Wear gloves with zoanthids — some species contain palytoxin
- Label everything — frags on identical plugs are easy to mix up
Once frags are growing, Reefsy's coral frags section is the place to list them for other UK reefers.
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