The elegance coral project - fragging Catalaphyllia jardinei

[Blue World Aquariums]

Great work, Russell. Are you dipping your LPS after a cut? Can you describe the care you take afterward to avoid infection?

[whatcaneyedo]

I don't dip them but I do discard the water that I use to rinse them after fragging. So after I cut them and put them back in the bucket to transport them back to the tank I dumped the bucket down the drain. I also try to put them back in the same spot so that I'm not stressing them by changing their environment. As I mentioned earlier I also like to make sure that the damaged area gets good water flow around it so I brace newly cut coral up with PVC pipe or sit them on egg crate so that they're not being smothered in the sand or against a rock. Finally, I don't part with any LPS that has been cut until it has completely recovered. I think a lot of coral is heartier than we give it credit for but good risk management never hurts.

The only LPS I've ever lost after fragging was a wall hammer that I cut to try and save it from a brown jelly infection several years ago. I tried doing a lugol's dip on that one but I still lost it. Aside from that incident I only frag coral that is healthy and well established which is why I waited eight months before fragging the elegance.

[whatcaneyedo]

Its been over a month now since the night I cut my elegance into three. I'll probably post pictures again next week as there are still two spots that have not completely healed to the point of looking normal yet.

September 3 daytime shot



September 4









These last two pictures show where this elegance was originally cut from a much larger colony perhaps about a year ago. You can see how the side is relatively flat and then projects outwards into a roundish shape about half way up. You can also see how the skeleton here is porous rather than ridged so clearly this is an old cut area. In time this is how my cuts should look once the coral deposits more calcium as it continues to grow in its usual formation.

[The Grizz]

WOW nice job Russel, I have always wanted an elegance coral but to afraid to try one that i have seen at the LFS because of the price.

[reefwars]

same here ive only ever had two both didnt even make it a month i wanted to get one a while ago since its benn several months since ive tried but the price was too high

great job russell when i see you doing this it makes me want to just go in and start fgragging stuff lol

[whatcaneyedo]

I bought this one for $150 which wasn't too bad... or maybe I'm just desensitized because of the high price of everything in this hobby. If it had died right away like the Indonesian one I tried a few years ago that would have done me in. But considering how much it has grown and how well its recovering I think its safe to say that its here to stay.

Now if only I could get my hands on a super expensive scolymia and frag it....

[whatcaneyedo]

Its the frag on the left and the one in the middle that I am still waiting for. I must have hit a mouth on those two cuts and that is why they are taking longer to heal. You can see in the second picture that there is some tasty looking discharge coming out. I'm not concerned as I'm pretty sure its just pooping from its disfigured mouth.

September 11

[topher]

I have a huge pearl coral that i would like to frag, do you think a band saw is better than a dremel tool?

[whatcaneyedo]

Originally Posted by topher

I have a huge pearl coral that i would like to frag, do you think a band saw is better than a dremel tool?

Definitely. The bandsaw can cut deeper, is actively cooled, the mess is contained and its stationary. A rotary tool cant cut much deeper than 1", can get pretty hot, sprays everywhere and is awkward to use while holding a slimy coral at the same time.

[topher]

What type of blade did you use (teeth per inch) fine or coarse?