Frag a branching Hammer?

[Anonymous]

I found a pretty good sized hammer coral at the LFS for a great price so I grabbed it. Upon getting it in the tank I realized the great price was because it is in a very weird shape. It has 5 branches about 2 inches apart in a circle. No matter how you set it down one of the branches will face down in the sand or rock. So I was thinking I will just frag it and make 5 seperate stalks of hammers. Is there anything in particular that I need to know before doing this? How far down the branch do I break it off? Thanks for the help.

 

[Anonymous]

Here are the pics of it.

 

[brandon4291]

that's a nice little hammer, wish I had a head of it. Ive fragged those with both dremels and hacksaw blades. I've also cut them extremely close(with the dremels) just up under the polyp head, but the risk in that is the skeleton splitting up through the polyp flesh. A fast-cut like with a dremel and sharp tool usually does the trick if you don't try to saw it straight through. Just cut a little, move over and cut some more, over and over until you have a tiny bit of skeleton in the center. It will break clean at that point. Nice find!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the tip. I have a dremmel and will try that approach after it has had a few days to settle in. Not sure how it got to be the way it is, but it also has what looks like some kind of bonding puddy all over the center of it which is the white stuff you can see in the pic. Not sure why anyone would bond it is that manner but to each their own I suppose. I will try to frag it next weekend which will be my next day off lol. Thanks again for the help.

 

[Anonymous]

Just grab it and snap it, no need for power tools be become involved. It's really not a complex operation, and really requires no finesse or even the sightest bit of skill. A 7 year old can do it without a dremel.
I've fragged these things many dozens of times. There is no simpler coral to frag.

 

[Anonymous]

lol alrighty then.

 

[Anonymous]

yep. wish bone it. just try not to hold the fleshy part of the coral.

Also, that does look like a few heads epoxy'd together.

B

 

[Anonymous]

Is there anyway to get the epoxy apart other than brute strength or a small amount of explosives?

 

[Anonymous]

Is there anyway to get the epoxy apart other than brute strength or a small amount of explosives?

Now THERE you will need a power tool.
I'd just break it where the epoxy isn't.

 

[Anonymous]

lol

I knew we could bring you around to power tools.



Don't use power tools? Blasphemy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol

 

[Anonymous]

it is blashphemy..just break the sucker wishbone style like Bingo and Jim said

 

[Anonymous]

I am thinking about a huge vice and a recipricating saw. Or maybe I can go to work and use our chop saw for cutting through fencing during our breach operations lol. OR maybe I will just wishbone it lol.

 

[Anonymous]

Use a cratering charge.

 

[Anonymous]

YES explosives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is no problem in the world that the proper amount of explosives can't handle.