If your at the point where you need to start sniping the birdsnest, its probably best to invest in a good pair of stainless cutters.....you can snap pieces off with your fingers, but the breaks will be random(it never breaks where you want it to....sometimes even with cutters

).....as for the cap the same cutters can be used but ive always used my fingers.....montis tend to be a lot more brittle than other sps species and usually break where you want them to

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260g mixed reef, 105g sump, water blaster 7000 return, Bubble King SM 300 skimmer, Aqua Controller Jr, 4 radions, 3 Tunze 6055s,1 tunze 6065, 2 Vortech MP40s, Vortech MP20, Tunze ATO, GHL SA2 doser, 2 TLF reactors (1 carbon, 1 rowa).
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=50034 . Tank Video here
http://www.vimeo.com/2304609 and here
http://www.vimeo.com/16591694