Best ways to grow Coral colonies in Frag tank to then Frag

[Cpthairychest]

Hello again all knowing internet,

So thanks to the Jaime, he connected me with someone with a lightly used 80 gallon frag tank, that he will in turn help me move and set up. ( I traded him in help moving things to his new house).
Anyway, I bought a bunch of corals from WWC's 14th anniversary sale in preparation of my new frag tank. What are some peoples advice in growing corals, from frags to then in turn frag. Most of what I got are Zoa's, just because its what my eye is drawn to. Do most people just take the frag plug and stick it into live rock and let it grow into a colony then break it up when it gets big enough? I did get a couple other things like a torch, blasto, purple dragon eye, small pearl bubble, galaxea. I was also going to just purchase a basic fragging tool kit unless anyone has other suggestions.

Thanks

Joshua

 

[loui]

As a new reefer growing out corals for frags should be the last thing on your mind. At the start your goal should be to keep the corals alive then after a couple of years of success then you can look into fragging corals. Growing corals is very difficult and takes a lot of persistence, knowledge, and the drive to keep going once your tank crashes (it happens to everyone). You need to learn how to keep your tanks as steady as possible over a long period of time. Sorry for being a downer, but these are hard lessons to learn after tens of thousands of dollars are spent and you end up with a tank full of algae and dead corals. This hobby is a marathon not a sprint.

 

[Cpthairychest]

As a new reefer growing out corals for frags should be the last thing on your mind. At the start your goal should be to keep the corals alive then after a couple of years of success then you can look into fragging corals. Growing corals is very difficult and takes a lot of persistence, knowledge, and the drive to keep going once your tank crashes (it happens to everyone). You need to learn how to keep your tanks as steady as possible over a long period of time. Sorry for being a downer, but these are hard lessons to learn after tens of thousands of dollars are spent and you end up with a tank full of algae and dead corals. This hobby is a marathon not a sprint.

I completely understand Loui, I am merely thinking ten steps ahead if you will. I know that these corals will take time to grow but when they are fully grown and healthy I would like to frag them (seeing as I am having a dedicated tank just for this). So I would like to set them up for success so they are ready and not necessarily just put the plugs on egg crates. Or maybe you just putting the plugs on the egg crates surrounded by other plugs is a good option? This is an investment for me and I want to see them grow much like I would with the plants in my garden.

 

[Cwentz758]

Egg crate with plugs is probably easiest for shuffling corals around the tank. Or if you want the larger square tiles you can go that route.

I’m sure Jamie and the gang will set up a coral fragging and propagation meeting at some point. We all get together and frag stuff then raffle the coral.

 

[loui]

I like to have display tanks and once the corals grow out I frag from there and place in my frag tank.

 

[Reefs and Geeks]

How you grow out coral (with the intent of fragging) depends on the type of coral. Zoas are very difficult to frag in the tank, so the rock or tile they are growing on should be easy to remove for careful fragging. Because of this, I'd not recommend gluing them to any rock that can't be easily removed from the tank. Some other coral, particularly branching SPS, are easy to frag in the tank and can be mounted however you wish and fragged in place with some care.

Assuming you're new to the hobby (not sure if you are) I'd suggest learning to care for the coral and find what works for you for husbandry and get into fragging when your coral is at least fist sized. Fragging small pieces is more difficult, and the colony is more susceptible to issues when small. Plus they grow back much better from fragging if they are good sized colonies vs small so you can frag again sooner.

IMO, fragging zoas takes more practice than stony coral. It's easier to damage the polyps on a zoa, so may have a harder time recovering from fragging if not careful. Not to discourage you at all, just know it may take a bit of practice.

Getting into fragging to sell or trade is like a whole new hobby. It can be alot of work to find buyers or people who want to trade at times, but also lets you meet others in the hobby around you which is nice. I woulnd't expect to make much profit from it if you account for all of your expenses, but you can offset the costs of the hobby after a while.

 

[Cpthairychest]

I like to have display tanks and once the corals grow out I frag from there and place in my frag tank.

I am currently following this method, what do you do to grow your corals out? Example, would you just cut the plug from a coral and place it on a square tile, let it grow out and frag to put in your display tank? I also have a couple torches not sure how those grow out from the plug or if I need to place them on something else?