I have a dendro that has tripled in size in the last 6 months and can see that I'll need to frag it in the near future. I know that this is a very delicate coral and since it is growing great, I would hate to sacrifice it's future. Quite frankly, I'm very suprised it's doing so well. I also have another (carnation) that has grown about 1 1/2" in 6 months. Anyone have any experience fragging dendro's?
Anyone know how to frag a dendro?
- Thread starter azreefer
- Start date
Not with dendro, but with sinularia. Just cut with a razor blade. Stick one of those plastic bar picks through the base of the flesh and rubber band the stick to a rock so the flesh can grow onto the rock. Toothpicks might work, but I've heard they rot and cause necrosis. Do you have any pictures?? I've never heard of anyone keeping it successfully for very long.
Guy on left looks like Lemnalia, but these things (alcyoniums) are notoriously hard to id unless you could look at the sclerites under a microscope. Unbelievably beautiful piece you have....i believe i speak for all of us when i ask......What are you doing in that tank? Please let us know everything. 
PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN FRAGGING!!!!!! Fragg it like any other soft. Not hard to fragg but hardish to get it to look like yours.
PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN FRAGGING!!!!!! Fragg it like any other soft. Not hard to fragg but hardish to get it to look like yours.Lemnalia is on the left, notice the darker colored columns (usually denotes photosynthetic receptors but not always) and more and denser sclerites, the most probable reason it has tripled is thats many forms of lemnalia are photosynthic and need light to survive. You also may have a new tank thats rich in nutrients that they thrive on since both are also filter feeders.
The Lemnalia can be cut and glued usually from a bud at the base is best. I wouldn't touch the carnation...never mess with a good thing as they wilt/melt and die if you look at them wrong anyways.
Good luck
The Lemnalia can be cut and glued usually from a bud at the base is best. I wouldn't touch the carnation...never mess with a good thing as they wilt/melt and die if you look at them wrong anyways.
Good luck
Hi,
You're all going to question this but here it is....
This tank is about 1 1/2 years old now and most of the corals have been in it for 10-12 months.
40 gal wide acrylic
JBJ Formosa 144 watt power compact lighting 2 x 10k, 2 x actinic
2 1/2" sand bed
Approx. 60 lbs. figi live rock
1 Rio 800 powerhead
1 Powersweep powerhead
Fluval 203 for circulation only (no bio-media)
Prizm protein skimmer
Twice a day, I feed Prime Reef frozen food to the fish and to entice my Sun Polyps to come out. I target feed the Sun Polyps about every two to three days. Also, every 2-3 days I heavily dose the tank with Liquid Life USA phytoplankton at night and turn off the skimmer before going to bed. I turn the skimmer back on in the morning. Every day the tank gets dosed with B-Ionic 2 part calcium. I do water changes approx. every 3 weeks and change 10 gallons of water using Instant Ocean salt. I keep the tank as close as I can to 78 degrees.
Here's what's in the tank.
Carnation coral
Lemnalia
Blonde Star Polyps (several patches growing like weeds)
Green Star Polyps (see above )
Clove Polyps
Alveopora
Sun Polyps
Many different mushrooms (approx 30)
2 different zooanthus species
Sinularia
Colt Coral
2 Long Tentacle Anemones
2 Percula clowns
Hawkfish
Cowfish
Yellow Tang
Flame Angel
Bi-color blenny
I know that I have a heavy bio load but all these fish except for the cowfish have been in the tank for over a year and are doing great as are my corals. I also have a 240 gallon acrylic that I bought recently that will become the new reef tank.
Fire Away! :lol:
You're all going to question this but here it is....
This tank is about 1 1/2 years old now and most of the corals have been in it for 10-12 months.
40 gal wide acrylic
JBJ Formosa 144 watt power compact lighting 2 x 10k, 2 x actinic
2 1/2" sand bed
Approx. 60 lbs. figi live rock
1 Rio 800 powerhead
1 Powersweep powerhead
Fluval 203 for circulation only (no bio-media)
Prizm protein skimmer
Twice a day, I feed Prime Reef frozen food to the fish and to entice my Sun Polyps to come out. I target feed the Sun Polyps about every two to three days. Also, every 2-3 days I heavily dose the tank with Liquid Life USA phytoplankton at night and turn off the skimmer before going to bed. I turn the skimmer back on in the morning. Every day the tank gets dosed with B-Ionic 2 part calcium. I do water changes approx. every 3 weeks and change 10 gallons of water using Instant Ocean salt. I keep the tank as close as I can to 78 degrees.
Here's what's in the tank.
Carnation coral
Lemnalia
Blonde Star Polyps (several patches growing like weeds)
Green Star Polyps (see above
)Clove Polyps
Alveopora
Sun Polyps
Many different mushrooms (approx 30)
2 different zooanthus species
Sinularia
Colt Coral
2 Long Tentacle Anemones
2 Percula clowns
Hawkfish
Cowfish
Yellow Tang
Flame Angel
Bi-color blenny
I know that I have a heavy bio load but all these fish except for the cowfish have been in the tank for over a year and are doing great as are my corals. I also have a 240 gallon acrylic that I bought recently that will become the new reef tank.
Fire Away! :lol:
Your heavy bioload and feeding might actually be the key to your success, along with IMHO an undersized skimmer. You probably have a ton of copepods and sand critters, right?? Lots of good natural plankton to feed your corals along with your feedings. Ouch, just noticed you have a yellow tang in there...don't let the tang police catch you!
Hey Wombat,
I actually crashed my tank seriously two times trying to learn to keep corals. There really aren't any copepods or critters that I can see. I've looked at night and can't find anything. I saw tons of them before the second crash though. I really need to know how to get all these beneficial organisms back into my tank. I'm getting ready to set up a sump and seperate refugium so hopefully a few new pieces of live rock in the fuge will help. I thought about buying a bag of live sand but I can't imagine there is much life left in it after sitting on the shelf for who knows how long. Any ideas?
As for the Yellow Tang, it has been in my tank for over a year and is quite happy.
I actually crashed my tank seriously two times trying to learn to keep corals. There really aren't any copepods or critters that I can see. I've looked at night and can't find anything. I saw tons of them before the second crash though. I really need to know how to get all these beneficial organisms back into my tank. I'm getting ready to set up a sump and seperate refugium so hopefully a few new pieces of live rock in the fuge will help. I thought about buying a bag of live sand but I can't imagine there is much life left in it after sitting on the shelf for who knows how long. Any ideas?
As for the Yellow Tang, it has been in my tank for over a year and is quite happy.
Wombat is right about the sand. I use it in my maintenance company sometimes but the only good thing about it is I add it to established tanks when they need more sand because they are prewashed and wont cloud up the tank. It is not actual live sand per say anyway. It is rinsed aragonite with a shot of the "bacteria in a bottle" in it. You said we would question your tank however I see nothing questionable about except that you need to keep an eye on that cowfish. They will sometimes eat polyps and also have a poisonuos body-slime that could kill your fish in that small tank if he were to die. I would not worry about fragging it. Just enjoy it.
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