I read in one of your other posts that you recommend waiting 3 or 4 months after you receive a frag and allow it to acclimate to your system, before making frags of that frag.  I'm assuming this is to improve survivability.  Does this apply only to small frags, or to any sized coral that you ultimately want to multiply?  How about aquacultured vs. wild?

Also, could you comment on the size/thickness of axial cuts that you make with your lapidary saw and survivability?

Thank you,

-Craig

not writ in stone either, but as a matter of safe/sensible animal husbandry - you want to work with the best possible condition(ed) specimens to hedge your best for best results. Newly moved (traded, imported, between tanks, etc) specimens are stressed to some extent (often significantly) as they adjust to changes in water flow, light, nutrient levels, etc. A minimum of 3-4 months rest and feeding is required in my opinion for best results.

Established frags however (cases of fragging from frags) are indeed in better position to frag and their rest/recovery time between fragging events may be as little as weeks. It really depends on the animals natural rates of growth. To you/us in aquaria, that can be translated to "cycle of harvest." So, a Xenia that doubles its size in as little as 2 weeks can be fragged about as often. Yet slower growing/healing captive corals will need more time (over one month) between fraging events.

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Anthony Calfo

I've never tried the axial cuts that you've spoken about and loved reading your example of gluing a frag straight up and down vs. laying the frag on its side vs. bisecting it, and ultimately axial cuts.

In your experience, does the thickness matter in aclimated frags?

Does it matter if they are wild vs. aquacultured?

Thanks again!

Anthony Calfo