Finger Leather Fragging

[melosu58]

I`m going to try my first fragging effort tomorrow on my thin finger leather. I`ve already been told the super glue gel most likely will not work due to sloughing off a layer and that sewing or toothpics will be probably the route to go. Any tips will be appreciated. I know I need something sharp like a razor and I`m not cutting the whole thing just trim it down. Here is the patient.

 

[roka64]

I don't have any suggestions, but I would be interested in a new thread, with pics, of how you do it......

 

[loyalrogue]

I don't have any suggestions, but I would be interested in a new thread, with pics, of how you do it......

Me too.
Lots of pics, please.

 

[melosu58]

I will do and I`ll have a friend there to take pics and we will post. Going to do it tomorrow afternoon. I`m kind of scared a little since this is the first fragging I`ve ever done but I got to do it sometime so I just need to jump right on in.

 

[Devilishturtles]

The trick is to do it so that it's still nice to look at it in your tank until it heals, lol.

My advice would be surgical scissors, a sharp knife, scalpel, etc. to make a clean cut. Try to avoid the "sawwing" motion. Poke it with either a toothpick and attach the toothpick to a piece of rubble, or you can "thread" it with fishing line. I've seen both ways done. The only precaution (that I learned the hard way) is to make sure you aren't tying the toothpick down too tight, beacuse it will slice right through the leather (or in my case, it was a colt frag).

I, as well, would love pictures.

 

[Hara]

Mike, I have a huge finger leather and a pair of scissors works just fine. I frag mine quite often.

 

[MarineFlake]

I frag mine constantly to keep it from over growing the tank. If you want to keep the frags, I suggest stuffing the cut end into a snail shell. Once it adheres in a couple weeks, you can place the shell where ever you want on the reef. In a month or so it will have grown out of the shell and onto the rock. Its what I do and works far better than toothpicks or any glue. Do make sure to use a shell that is *small* enough. That is you want to be 'stuffing' the cut end into the shell so that it won't slip out and take a walk-about on ya.

Peace!

 

[melosu58]

Thanks for the info . Yall are making it a little easy for me.

 

[loyalrogue]

Mike, I have a huge finger leather and a pair of scissors works just fine. I frag mine quite often.

I frag mine constantly to keep it from over growing the tank.

Excellent.
Thanks for chiming in, Hara & PC.
Glad to hear a voice or two of experience.

I'd like to ask both of your opinions on the following..

I have been reading up over at WWM, AA, RC, and a plethora of Google searches, and from what I've digested so far is, Leathers are a heavy mucus producing coral.
The general consensus is that it's better (less mucus producing) to make a clean "surgical" slice with a razor, scalpel, razorknife, etc., than a crushing/cutting instrument like scissors, snips, sidecutters, etc.

Less handling, or handling with gloves produces less damage and mucus.

Excess mucus should be rinsed in the hours after cutting to reduce the chance of infection and promote better healing.
(This doesn't make sense to me as mother nature provides these types of behavior as a natural defense against infection from foreign contaminents.)

A single stich of nylon thru the leather frag and around the rock is preferable to the toothpick and rubberband method.
(Snip and remove the nylon thread after a couple of weeks)

Less stressful attachment of a frag is to place it in a container of rubble, inside the main tank in an area of low flow, and let it attach itself over time.

Less stressful fragmentation involves tying a plastic tie around the coral appendage and slowly tightening it each week until the frag is eventually "decapitated" from the colony and encrusts the plastic tie, forming a base, in the process.

If you two don't mind, could you give us the benefit of your opinion on those methods?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Hara]

seeing as my coral is almost beyond my reach, I stand on a step stool to do anything in the tank, my options are limited. The coral is 2 ft across and cannot be taken out of the tank. Scissors work the best. Yes they slime. That is what carbon is useful for.

As far as the different methods, do what is easiest for you. Frankly, being cut and whacked and sewn and stuck is going to be stressful...but...they get over it. I like keeping my frags in a higher flow area, not a low flow area, so I dont use the rubble method. I have tried the plastic ties and captured a branch of the coral and banded it to a rock, that didnt work well for me at all.

 

[loyalrogue]

The coral is 2 ft across and cannot be taken out of the tank.

Dang, mang.... just let me know when you're ready to send me an extra piece of that big bad boy...

Thanks for the real life info, "hot off the grill", Hara.
I like it much better than the random, and sometimes outdated google searches I'm normally stuck with.

 

[ellisz]

I use scissors as well as the tooth pick method to attach. Us a rubberband around the toothpick and the rock piece. The rubberband does not need to be tight just snug so it wont let the toothpick get away. This has always worked better for me than letting it attach on it own... go figure. After a week or two, just take the rubberband off and pull the toothpick out.

I am sure the thread and precision cuts are better but when you cut it, it will slime and if the piece is small, it won't be easy to stitch on. Low tech has always worked for me.

Good luck!

 

[melosu58]

Thanks Ellisz and Lisa, I always value your opinion and thanks to all that helped.

 

[melosu58]

Here are some pics of the fragging. Man I was scared. I carved some outside pieces off and sewwed them on the rock rubble. They look pretty good. Here is a few pics. You`ll have to start at the bottom and move up. I`m not thinking today.

 

[roka64]

Cool. Thanks for the pics!

 

[loyalrogue]

Thanks for the pics, melosu.
Looks like you did an excellent job.
The frag looks great!

If it's not too much trouble do you think you could add a little narative to describe what you're doing in each photo?
What was cutting thru it like?
How bad did it slime?

 

[melosu58]

It really did not slime as bad as I thought. What I was surprised was by how much water came out of that thing. But all I did was carve around on one side. I cut 5 frags and put them back in the bucket. I then returned the main coral back to the tank. I then tied the frag to a piece of rock going thru the base of the frag and tying the frag to the rock. I then placed it back in the tank. There was one small piece I placed in a snail shell. The original coral is already starting to get bumps all over it trying to return to normal but the frags still look bad. It will take a week or two to get back in the swing of things I`m sure. Hopefully it will stop hating me and do good. LOL

 

[Devilishturtles]

Awesome post, Mike! They'll bounce back in no time at all!

Did you notice that smell of coral? I don't know exactly what it is that causes that smell, but coral has quite a potent scent.

 

[melosu58]

Yes I did and after I washed my hands you could still smell it pretty much. Thanks Lindsay I owe alot to you.

 

[boxxmann]

I would like to see the after pics also!