Ever frag a frogspawn?

[cheletnjared]

Hello out there,

Well, I have a pretty good sized frogspawn that has 3 heads which are splitting in two, and a fourth head that is really good sized and pushing against the front of my tank. I want to frag the fourth head off, but have never fragged a frogspawn before. Any suggestions out there on how to do this? My guess is to frag it back on the branch as far as I can to where it is attaching to the main body. I was also thinking that I would just use my dikes to do this. Am I way off or what?
Thanks - Jared.

[Chuck S]

How you frag it depends on how you can handle it. If you can take it out of the tank then simply cut off the branch as far back so that you can ensure getting all skeleton and not tissue. If this is inside your tank and attached so you can not remove it the operation can be a bit tricky. The operation is the same in what you want to remove. However you must be safe and inventive. You can not use a power tool so the branch must break by pliers or some other means. A small tap from a hammer and crowbar ( if very careful can work ) Prop techniques differ greatly if you can or can not remove the animal for propagation.

[Mash]

Frogspawn frags easy but the skeleton tend to be very fragile and brittle compaired to others types of coral. The inside of the frogspawns hard skeleton is hollow and made up of chambers. So when you cut the hard skeleton whatever chambers you cut into tend to be damage both directions from where you cut. So make sure you give yourself as much room as you can between the fleshy bits and where you cut. I would leave minimum of a inch and a half from where the fleshy part ends. I use a sheet metal cuters for fraging most of my stuff they open farther than dikes and are long and pointy to help get into tight spots. Might work a bit better for frogspawn since the dead skeleton can be a good size in diameter.
Personally Omegatron's fraging stile for large well mounted corals looks like it works well for things you can't remove from the tank. He uses a pair of pliers similar to needle nose pliers and grabs the selected peace he wishes to break off down towards where he wants it to break and snaps of the frag.

[Chuck S]

My fragging techniques are quite limited as my stuff is all attached and quite large. Pliers and such are the only way to go. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[SueT]

Jared, how did the frogspawn fragging go?? Did you try it yet?? Just checking in to see. I am about at Chuck's rate right now, everything else that needs fragging will have to be in tank as nothing can be lifted out anymore. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

[cheletnjared]

Sue, I have not fragged yet, but will be doing so this weekend. My dilema is if I should take it out of the sand bed that it is wedged into or not. I say this because the base is about 3" into a 6" DSB, and I have heard that it may release bad things into the water. I am probably just being a little too cautious though. It is possible to frag in place, but I think I will end up getting the tools ready and taking it out just for a few seconds to get the frag. I will let you know how it went. Thanks - Jared.

[Chuck S]

If its in the sand bed I would just remove it. Much easier to frag as far as options and you will be fine. Sometimes we worry too much. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif