Fragging, The Basics:

Fragging or fragmenting as the name suggests is the breaking up the corals into smaller bits to start new coral colonies. In the wild this can happen naturally when storms break up the larger corals and scatter the fragments among the reef colonising new areas. We at home use this to help keep the tank from over crowding and to share the corals among others, lessening the impact on the natural reefs. This is something that in recent years many of us have become concerned about. Hopefully with your help and others that are like minded there will be a full range of corals available that are grown on from existing corals using the fragging techniques described on this forum.

Coral farming is the growing and fragging of corals on a larger scale. Usually undertaken by large companies for profit or by dedicated hobbyists with the time and money. Although still new to most reef keepers coral farming has come on in leaps and bounds due largely to the advancements in the hobby over the past years meaning that now many of us at home have the equipment to excel in the farming of corals.

Now on to the corals themselves! These can be grouped into three major families, Soft corals, Large Polyped Stony corals (LPS) and Small Polyped Stony corals (SPS).

Soft Corals are as there name suggests soft to the touch. They don’t have a hard skeleton and because of this are one of the hardest corals to mount once fragged, quite ironic really when they are the easiest and forgiving in the fragging sense. Within the group there are two main types colonial, made up from lots of individual polyps and the branching type witch look like underwater trees made up from branches with polyps on. They can come in all shapes, sizes and a vast array of colours. Large polyped stony have a stony skeleton from witch a lager polyp or polyps extrude. There are two main types branching and plating, both of witch are self explanatory. These are harder to frag than there soft cousins however they are easier to mount once fragged.

Small polyped stony corals have a skeleton like that of an LPS but that are colonised buy hundreds or thousands of polyps, again these are found in the plating and the branching types. This is one of easiest to frag and mount but one of the most unforgiving due to there sensitive nature.

For some of you this is all old news I’m sure but for those new to reef keeping it’s nice to go over the basics. In the next articles I will explain how to frag and mount each type of coral with hint’s and tips.

Got any info you think other
fraggers should know about?
Let us know by sending us an email.

Or if you want to get others opinion
on coral propagation
Check out the Coral-Frags.co.uk forums.