Fragging Green Birdsnest

[Enigma]

I have a green Birdsnest that I'd like to trim to make a little neater looking, and maybe thin out a little so more light reaches through the "branches." It is an "ORA Style" I think. It grows very nicely in my system. I don't remember when it was given to me (maybe just over two months ago?), but it has trippled in size while I've had it. The lower "branches" are quite brown, while the upper ones are a beautiful vibrant greet.

I have frag plugs. I have frag glue and epoxy putty. I have a little pair of side cutters that I actually use for flytying, but they're the most appropriate cutting tool that I can find in the house.

What's the best way to go about this?

[MMAX]

When I trim mine I find the branches very brittle. Cutting them right through with the side cutters seem to shatter the things into small bits. I go as close to the base as I can, squeeze the cutters with light pressure and use them to snap off the branch carefully.

[reefwars]

+1 cut at the base of the branch, that ways if it splits youll still get a decent frag.

[Enigma]

Thanks, guys :)

Is there a minimum size I should keep in mind? I don't know how picky I can be in my pruning.

[reefwars]

Thanks, guys :)

Is there a minimum size I should keep in mind? I don't know how picky I can be in my pruning.


if you want to sell them go minimum 1-2" if your gonna keep the frags for a while well you seen how fast they can grow, ive grown huge pieces from skin flaps lol

[Enigma]

if you want to sell them go minimum 1-2" if your gonna keep the frags for a while well you seen how fast they can grow, ive grown huge pieces from skin flaps lol

This piece was given to me by sphelps when I helped him out with something. I don't think I'd feel right selling frags of it: though I think I'd feel okay trading them for other frags.

Or, I could just populate my contest tank with twenty little birdsnest corals. :lol:

[reefwars]

i love the trading game too its the only way to roll lol so if you want bring one to me and ill give you a piece of the purple favia with metallic green/blue eyes you had inquired about??:)

[Enigma]

i love the trading game too its the only way to roll lol so if you want bring one to me and ill give you a piece of the purple favia with metallic green/blue eyes you had inquired about??:)

You were going to send me photos so I could choose the one I wanted. You never sent photos (and then I forgot to remind you).

I'll bring cash for that.

I'll see how the frags do before I commit to any trades. :)

[reefwars]

You were going to send me photos so I could choose the one I wanted. You never sent photos (and then I forgot to remind you).

I'll bring cash for that.

I'll see how the frags do before I commit to any trades. :)

yeah i know im bad for photos lol i think i posted them in the thread though, heres the one im talking about now:)


sorry my phone only captures blues lol

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/reefwars/coral/IMG_7916_zps1f77e7b5.jpg

[Nano]

Lucky. Mine has maybe doubled in size in 7 months. Not sure why. Do you have high flow? I have good params and light so I'm assuming that's the problem.

[Enigma]

"Notme" and "Idonno" have struck again. Pretty sure it was "Idonno" as "Notme" probably would have glued his nostrils shut with it.

My frag glue is AWOL. :( I'm pretty sure it is supposed to go glue/epoxy/glue . . . Right? Grrr. I do have head cement (for fishing flies). Could I use that? It isn't very thick, with the exception of the UV stuff that glows bright yellow.

[Enigma]

Lucky. Mine has maybe doubled in size in 7 months. Not sure why. Do you have high flow? I have good params and light so I'm assuming that's the problem.

Moderate flow, moderate light, and very high nutrients. I have a monti cap that grows very well in the system, too. My pink birdsnest is doing all right, while I have two other SPS that aren't doing very well.

[Enigma]

yeah i know im bad for photos lol i think i posted them in the thread though, heres the one im talking about now:)


sorry my phone only captures blues lol

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad85/reefwars/coral/IMG_7916_zps1f77e7b5.jpg

Lovely :) I'll just bring some cash and browse your frag tank. :lol: I have stuff to pick up from Greg, too.

[reefwars]

just use the gel by its self , if your using plugs drop a healthy amount on and stand the frag in it , if you pour a few drops of water over it it will cure faster;)

use eggcrate to hold your plug while it dries out of water, sprinkle water on it every few mins to keep it from drying out:)

i only use glue for eveything i find epoxy does nothing that glue by its self wont do;)

[Enigma]

Bummer. I'll pick up some glue this weekend.

[reefwars]

Bummer. I'll pick up some glue this weekend.


i have some ecotech glue you could borrow i find its the best stuff, greg(snappy) is where i get mine its the best glue on the market ,once you use it youll never use any other glue again lol :)

[mrhasan]

Moderate flow, moderate light, and very high nutrients. I have a monti cap that grows very well in the system, too. My pink birdsnest is doing all right, while I have two other SPS that aren't doing very well.

Very high nutrients? :| Aren't nutrient the prime enemy of sps? :surprise:

[Enigma]

i have some ecotech glue you could borrow i find its the best stuff, greg(snappy) is where i get mine its the best glue on the market ,once you use it youll never use any other glue again lol :)

I'll see if I can pick some up from Greg. But, thank you for the offer. :)

Very high nutrients? :| Aren't nutrient the prime enemy of sps? :surprise:

It isn't ideal. That's why I'm building my contest tank. :)

My display system is heavily stocked, and is more of an LPS and softie system.

[mrhasan]

I'll see if I can pick some up from Greg. But, thank you for the offer. :)



It isn't ideal. That's why I'm building my contest tank. :)

My display system is heavily stocked, and is more of an LPS and softie system.

Ou. I know softies do like a bit dirty water but does LPS likes nutrients too? Because my system has undetectable nitrate, thanks to the chaeto that I have put in a AC110 and that thing is sucking up nitrate real fast. My API never register any nitrate in the system. And I feed my fishes like 4/5 times a day (they tend to skip the later meals tough :P).

BTW sorry to hijack the thread :$

[Enigma]

Ou. I know softies do like a bit dirty water but does LPS likes nutrients too? Because my system has undetectable nitrate, thanks to the chaeto that I have put in a AC110 and that thing is sucking up nitrate real fast. My API never register any nitrate in the system. And I feed my fishes like 4/5 times a day (they tend to skip the later meals tough :P).

BTW sorry to hijack the thread :$

All of my LPS are spot fed. There is a lot of meaty food going into my display system, which increases the nutrient level. They aren't as sensitive to the high nutrients as SPS are.

[gregzz4]

You're going to love the ecotech coral glue
You can use it in or out of the water - even apply it under water
Only thing I've found is it won't stick to slimy plug or rock surfaces, so a quick scrub with a nail brush does the trick for me

They made a short video (http://ecotechmarine.com/media-gallery/video/coral-glue-mov/) I found helpful

I don't know if it makes a difference, but I keep it in the beer fridge
I put it on top of the T5 fixture before I use it. This makes it flow well, but not runny

Oh, try to cut the tip as small as you can as it's not cheap and is really easy to use too much :wink:

[sphelps]

If you're looking for a guinea pig to try out these new frags let me know ;)

[Enigma]

Thanks, Greg!


If you're looking for a guinea pig to try out these new frags let me know ;)

:lol: You can have the whole thing back if you like. :) Otherwise, I'm sure a frag is doable. ;)

[mrhasan]

All of my LPS are spot fed. There is a lot of meaty food going into my display system, which increases the nutrient level. They aren't as sensitive to the high nutrients as SPS are.

I feed my acan, torch, frawgspan and trumpet every day (hoping that they would grow big and stop being frag) :P. Infact, I overfeed them till they can't hold any more food in their mouth :P

I still wonder how much nitrate is considered "high". Like is it around 10-20, 40+ or like 100?

[Enigma]

I feed my acan, torch, frawgspan and trumpet every day (hoping that they would grow big and stop being frag) :P. Infact, I overfeed them till they can't hold any more food in their mouth :P

I still wonder how much nitrate is considered "high". Like is it around 10-20, 40+ or like 100?

My nitrate doesn't register on my ELOS test: it shows as 0. I do have too much phosphate, IMO.

My tank's parameters are in my signature (the 40 gallon). I test once a week.

[Enigma]

Woah! That Ecotech coral glue us pricey. I'll use the cheap stuff and the epoxy for now. None of the boys in my house can be trusted with glue that costly. Well, none of them can be trusted with my glue. They've cleaned me out.

[mrhasan]

My nitrate doesn't register on my ELOS test: it shows as 0. I do have too much phosphate, IMO.

My tank's parameters are in my signature (the 40 gallon). I test once a week.

Oooo. I never checked phosphate actually. I guess I should :P

Thanks :D

[gregzz4]

Woah! That Ecotech coral glue us pricey
Hehe, told ya
I've gone through the $55 bottle since may :surprise: but I used a bunch on my middle structure

I don't know what cheaper stuff you've been using
I tried this glue (http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/product-info.php?product_ID=ba-glue02) and I'll keep it as a backup
I find it really runny, doesn't work well under water and takes time to cure out of water, unless you use the accelerator (http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/product-info.php?product_ID=ba-glueac), and then you're paying the same as the 75ml/2.4oz CG

The runny glue makes a nice clean frag, and the CG makes a really solid blob - both have their benefits

[Aquattro]

I just use gel super glue from the dollar store. Works fine. Same technique, big glob, stick frag, couple drops of water, let dry.

[Enigma]

I had is stuff:

http://tailoredaquatics.com/tools/aqua-glue/

I picked it up at Red Coral here in town. I asked for something thick, and that was what Kevin recommended. Sadly, my local supply is no more. I hadn't used it, so I can't comment on how it would have worked.

[Enigma]

I just use gel super glue from the dollar store. Works fine. Same technique, big glob, stick frag, couple drops of water, let dry.

What brand? I go through a lot of the Loctite gel glue (in the blue bottle) when I'm tying flies. My supply of that is null, too. I do need some more of that.

[gregzz4]

I like the idea of dollar store glue, but I glue my frags right to my LR
No plugs, no rubble
I'll have to find some of the $1.25 stuff and see if it works underwater

Shelly, as the others were saying about fragging it, snapping branches off is easy
I made 2 accidental frags recently just by bumping it and they snapped off clean right at the base

[sphelps]

I had is stuff:

http://tailoredaquatics.com/tools/aqua-glue/

I picked it up at Red Coral here in town. I asked for something thick, and that was what Kevin recommended. Sadly, my local supply is no more. I hadn't used it, so I can't comment on how it would have worked.

I've always used that glue in conjunction with the tailor epoxy. Works fine for frags but I let them set out of water to dry for about 5-10min. Pretty sure OC sells it if you're looking for more.

I like my frags on plugs BTW :mrgreen:

[gregzz4]

What brand? I go through a lot of the Loctite gel glue (in the blue bottle) when I'm tying flies. My supply of that is null, too. I do need some more of that.
Depending what you pay for that bottle, you may want to re-think using it

I paid $5.25 for a 4ml bottle of the Loctite superglue gel
- $1.31/ml
I paid $55.00 for 295ml of Coral Glue
- $0.19/ml

7 times the price for that little bottle :surprise:

Come to think of it, the Coral Glue is still cheaper than the dollar store stuff if it's a 4ml bottle

[Enigma]

I like my frags on plugs BTW :mrgreen:

Noted. ;) I only have the clear acrylic ones. Will that work for you? The monti you gave me is on one, so I assume that's okay.

Providing nothing goes badly, I'll make sure there is one for you. :)

[Enigma]

Depending what you pay for that bottle, you may want to re-think using it

I paid $5.25 for a 4ml bottle of the Loctite superglue gel
- $1.31/ml
I paid $55.00 for 295ml of Coral Glue
- $0.19/ml

7 times the price for that little bottle :surprise:

Come to think of it, the Coral Glue is still cheaper than the dollar store stuff if it's a 4ml bottle

:lol: You don't have a son who steals your glue! There is no way I would tempt him with $55 worth of glue. I'd rather lose $5 worth.

[gregzz4]

:lol: You don't have a son who steals your glue! There is no way I would tempt him with $55 worth of glue. I'd rather lose $5 worth.
Plus he could do a lot of damage with a bottle that big :surprise:

[sphelps]

Noted. ;) I only have the clear acrylic ones. Will that work for you? The monti you gave me is on one, so I assume that's okay.

Providing nothing goes badly, I'll make sure there is one for you. :)

Yeap acrylic ones are the best :)

[reefwars]

im on my seventh bottle of coral glue with 2 more ordered today lol

[reefwars]

my whole bonsai tree is built with it.

loc tite,gorilla,taylor.....no comparison:P

[Enigma]

Well, I got a few little frags made. They're about half the size I wanted them to be.

I guess I had never looked that closely at the birdsnest before . . . At least I hadn't noticed how the braches fuse when they touch, anyway. When I looked at what I wanted to cut, I discovered it was connected to other pieces: like a big web. I don't think what I did will help the bottom pieces get more light, but at least the frags are sparse enough that nothing will block the light they get. :)

I just kind of snapped off the braches with the side cutters as suggested, and that worked really well. I only got one little "shard."

They do look quite neat and tidy, so I'm pleased with that.