fragging finger leather

[andrew79]

reciently got a finger leather, the coral doesnt look good, it has alot of black holes starting to appear and some of the limbs are falling off, my question is can i cut the pieces that are not infected off and try to get them to attach to a rock, or is this a lost cause, any info would help, all the water perimeters are good ammionia 0, nitite 0, nitrate 10, also what is the best method for doing this
thanks

[paulsreef]

Absolutely, you need to get what still alive away from the areas of necrosis. Just cut the lobes or whatever sections you can salvage at this point and put a toothpick or two through the base, then use rubber bands to secure the toothpicks to a rock. Usually within abouth 5 - 10 days you can safely (gently) remove the bands and toothpicks. Can you post a pick of your specimen?

Paul

[andrew79]

thanks for the info, i do not have a digital camera to post pick, i will definitly do this today, also will this arrect any of my other corals
thanks

[paulsreef]

Hard to say what might be causing the affliction. Did it look this way in the LFS (or where ever you bought it)?

[nanoman123]

www.garf.org has some great videos on how to properly frag corals. i have a finger leather myself. i amplanning on fragging it soon. what i will do is take a small coraline-covered rock, cut a limp off the leather, and use krazy glue gel to glue its foot on the bottom to the rock (the glue helps heal the wound AND get tis foot attached to the rock :-D ) anyway, good luck fraggin it if u do!




Happy Reefing,

Matt

[paulsreef]

The GARF articles are definitely good. I tend to use the Super glue (the gel, kept in the fridge so its nice and thick) on other types of softies, shrooms, and SPS. I've stuck with the tried and true toothpick method with the Finger Leathers because its worked better for a couple of reasons. First it lets the exposed edge make contact with the rock and allows it to grow straight up. Second, I always put the frags in an area of good flow to keep the slime (that they always produce after fragging) moving so my skimmer can get it. I always had trouble with glue and finger leathers. Super Glue Gel is a must though for every fraggers tool box.

[andrew79]

thanks everyone for your help, i fragged the leather using the gel and a net
i will keep you posted on the progress
thanks
again

[Zack]

Watched the movioe at Garf and wow very cool!

How Would You Remove Like A Stalk From The Rest Of The Xenia?

[paulsreef]

Honestly, for me Xenia grows like a weed, so I just usually take a scalpel and cut it off at the base and either glue it or rubber band it down to another piece of rock. I'm at the point now where it’s starting to be a nuisance. My wife loves it, but between it and the star polyps, they're starting to spread too much. That's the same reason I got rid of all my mushrooms, they just starting spreading too fast. The big problem is with Xenia and Star Polyps is that most people have this problem, so its hard to give the stuff away (not to mention trying to trade it for something you want). :)

[Zack]

I am always so surpised when i see xenia and star polyps go for 40-50 bucks in stores! :roll:

[paulsreef]

No kidding! At the FMAS Frag Swap that was held in Oct. in Fort Lauderdale, people brought so much of it they were giving it away. I'm telling you, they're the weed of the coral world. I should never had put either in the tank to begin with :evil:

[Paidbychrist0825]

so you guys wouldnt recomend it for a beginner to marine aquarium? i am just askin because ive got my eye on a couple of blue mushrooms from quality corals. it it just certain speicies, or most of them?

[paulsreef]

I'm sorry if I gave that impression! There's nothing wrong with mushrooms, they're actually quite fascinating. There's a progression that seems to happen with reef aquarists... you start out by keeping all kinds of stuff, partly to see if you can and partly because you've never kept that species before. After awhile you'll develop some favorites. For some that's SPS for others its LPS and Softies and there are those folks out there that just love mushrooms. For me, personally, I find that the Shrooms grew too fast and tended to take over. I'm more interested in other species, so I got them out of my tank. You may not have this problem in your first year (give or take) depending on how fast your tank matures, how consistently you maintain important levels, etc but when you do have the problem you'll know you're doing something right! :lol:

[Paidbychrist0825]

o ok i am also lookin at other stuff too. but i think there will be no problems. but if there are, ill ask here:) what would you say the best way to remove an infestation of shrooms would be? just preparing for the future

I Was Thinking About Getting Star Polyps But Now i Am A Little Hesident. No I Am Thinking If I Do Get Star Polyps I Should Just Put Them In The Sand Or Away For The Live Rock. I Love All Types Of Polyps Because I LOVE To Watch Them Eat. The Way They Close Up On The Brine Shrimp. As For The Xenia I Am Just Going To Take A Sharp Scissor And Cut It. I Will Give It To The LFS For Nothing. They Will Take It And Probably Re Sell It For 40 But I'm Fine With That Because Soon I Will Be Working There So It Will Pay Off. The LFS Already Discounts Me 35% On All There Stuff, I Guess For Being Such A Good Customer.